Registered Nurse – Neonatal Intensive Care

Welcome to this outstanding Intensive Care Unit (NICU), where the latest in advanced technology meets compassionate care. Innovative care teams take pride in providing comfortable, comprehensive experiences for all patients. This esteemed Intensive Care Unit (NICU) facility welcomes creative and dedicated caregivers.

We are a level IV, high acuity unit with surgical neonates lots of pre/post-ops, mylo’ s, stomas, VP shunts, ex-laps, sepsis, exchange transfusions, severe HIE/cooling kids, lots of continuous drip meds, etc., as we are a busy, fast paced, level IV with also a population of big babies (trachs/BPD/home vents/GT/Broviacs/CLD, etc.). We have a lot of vented babies and use multiple continuous drip medications for pain/sedation/inotropes (Dilaudid, Fentanyl, Versed, Precedex, Dopa, Dobut, Epi, Milrinone), with central lines mostly PICCs, Power PICCs, (some Broviac), pressors, blood products, etc.

Travelers will often NOT get our higher acuity patients unless/until they have been here a long time. We do not have “grower-feeders” in this unit & are not a delivery, birthing hospital, so all our babies come via our transport team from outside facilities. We are a uniquely high acuity NICU (our initials have 2 “C”’s NICCU = Neonatal and Infant Critical Care Unit) & we are in a freestanding Children’s Hospital.

We often have codes, near codes and high mortality rates about 20%, unfortunately, as often we are the second opinion and highest level of care the patients can get. You will also need to be competent & comfortable to float to both our PICU and CTICU (Cardio-Thoracic ICU), where they try to give you more stable infants under a year of age, so post-op Cardiacs (chests closed), trachs, vents, long term chronic infants, possible drips, possibly intubated and maybe a chest tube or pacing wires still in the baby, etc.

Sometimes they assign pre-op cardiac infants as well, who might be on PGE drip and a nasal cannula. If you can handle Level IV surgical NICU patients, then you should be safe to provide care in these other 2 ICUs for floating. Floating recently has not happened, as we are short and getting floats to us from the other ICUs.

I imagine that on average, travelers’ might float 2 times total in 13-week contract.