Posted by RT Blogger on November 30, 2009
Well, tomorrow is December 1st and we are gearing up for the holidays. Not much is going on in the NICU. Next Friday I am taking the STABLE class.
“S.T.A.B.L.E. is the most widely distributed and implemented neonatal education program to focus exclusively on the post-resuscitation/pre-transport stabilization care of sick infants. Based on a mnemonic to optimize learning, retention and recall of information, S.T.A.B.L.E. stands for the six assessment and care modules in the program: Sugar, Temperature, Airway, Blood pressure, Lab work, and Emotional support. A seventh module, Quality Improvement stresses the professional responsibility of improving and evaluating care provided to sick infants.”
I am excited because I think it will help me understand the nursing side of the NICU.
Not a lot has been going on at work. I have been doing a lot of time in the PICU and pediatrics floor. During the winter they are usually busier. In the NICU I did get to see my very first baby that was born at 23 weeks grow up enough to go home. It was a great day for me.
Another class I want to take is the Pediatric Trauma Life Support course. They are a little hard to find so you have to just keep watching the website.
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Posted by RT Blogger on November 10, 2009
Ok, I’m back to here if anyone is still reading. I have been getting settled into my new career and new dog. If you’ve been following me on facebook you know I have a boxer named Rosie in my life now. She has allergies so I’m trying to get to the bottom of them. I also just got a new computer (new to me) that has Windows 7 installed. I had started to get tired of the Netbook and needed something a little bigger. I found a great deal on an Acer Extenza 4420 on eBay. I have to say, I totally love Windows 7. My only issue is that I can’t get the Netflix option to show up in Media Center. I’ll just have to go to the Netflix site to watch movies.
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Posted by RT Blogger on September 27, 2009
I know that I haven’t posted here in a while. In fact I was really close to shutting this blog down. I haven’t the time to promote it and gain readers like some of the more awesome RT bloggers out there.
I am on nights now full time on a track. After completing my NICU orientation I am in PICU-Peds for 2 months. Actually I’ve been mainly peds for the past week taking care of asthma and RSV kids and giving treatments. Not much excitement there but I get to use my patient assessment skills. I definitely miss the NICU and belong there. I’ll be back there soon enough.
I’m also studying for the NPS exam. I have the Kettering book for it and all of the cd’s on an ipod. I just have to start studying more. I plan on having that by Christmas.
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Posted by RT Blogger on August 24, 2009
I am coming close to the end of my orientation period at the hospital. I am still in the NICU and loving it. I have done a few days in the PICU but mostly in the NICU. I have started getting radial arterial blood gases on the babies. I even got one today on a baby that was less than 30 weeks and less than 1200 grams. I’m still having trouble feeling the radial pulses though.
Another thing I did recently was join the AARC. Got my card the other day. Personally I believe every RT should be a member and be proud but at about a hundred bucks a year I can understand why some aren’t. Since I am seriously considering dedicating my RT career to neonatal/pediatric respiratory, I paid a little extra to add the neonatal specialty. I even got on the email list serve and am getting email discussions. I love it. I am just reading and learning right now but hopefully should have some of my own insights to add soon.
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Posted by RT Blogger on August 4, 2009
I was at work today and the subjects of blogs came up. Turns out one of the nurses has a blog. I looked and couldn’t find it. I did decide to look for other blogs from NICU employees. I don’t want this blog to be about the NICU because I don’t want to talk about my co-workers and patients. I want this blog to be about me and becoming a respiratory therapist. I haven’t found any blogs by NICU RT’s but I have found others.
Here is a list of 50 best blogs for Neonatal Nurses. The other ones I’m gonna talk about will probably come from this list.
NICU Nurse is a nurse from the west coast wit 17 years of nursing experience. I may have to get to know her and read her blog.
Uncompromised Airways sounds like it should be an RT but it’s a NICU nurse.
Neonatal Doc is a neonatologist in an urban NICU. It’ll be good to see things from the doctor’s perspective.
If you are a neonatal health care worker who blog’s and I’ve left you out, I apologize. Please leave a comment with a link to your blog. I know there are probably thousands of you out there.
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Posted by RT Blogger on July 23, 2009
I don’t know if you know this but I have 2 phones. For the longest time I have spent 35 bucks a month for a vonage home phone and about 50 for a virgin mobile phone. I like the freedom of the prepaid phone that I can cancel anytime. Well, Boost Mobile upped the ante with their 50 dollar unlimited plan. The Motorola i465 Clutch and it looked like a cool phone. I went and got it last night. I got it set up and running. I like it so far. Apparently it takes a couple of days to get text messaging activated so I’m waiting for that. I also am bringing my Vonage number and canceling that service. It takes up to 72 hours for that to happen.
Ironically about a week ago Boost Mobile started following me on Twitter. They have been a big help with tweets like this. I’m sure by Monday I will have one phone number and unlimited talk, texts, and internet for 50 dollars a month.
Oh, I also forgot. I did get the Opera Mini mobile web browser installed with help from the Boost Stuff website. I will keep you up to date on it. Now, back to the NICU tomorrow.
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Posted by RT Blogger on July 14, 2009
I just finished my first 5 day in a row stretch, It was 3 days of 12 hour shifts with a 4 hour shift on either end. The 12’s were at my newest job in the NICU and the 4’s were at my older, smaller hospital doing adult care. I’m definitely feeling like the NICU is where I belong. I love taking care of the babies. They don’t say a word but they teach me something.
I know if there are any NICU nurses or therapist’s working then this is all old news to you. I discovered how fast they can go bad. I was doing my rounds and heard the monitor alarms going off. I looked back and the last baby had an SPO2 of 60. I looked and the baby was turning grey and his heaart was now under 90. I had heard of this but it was new to me. The first thing I could think of was to stimulate the baby. I started rubbing the baby’s chest. The nurse came up and helped. The baby started breathing and turned right around. This was my scariest experience yet.
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Filed Under: NICU
Posted by RT Blogger on July 8, 2009
As someone new to an Allied Health profession I have something new to think about. Continuing Education Units. That’s classes that we all have to do every year on our own. It’s a requirement to keep your license. The requirement is 12 hours of classes. The hospital I’m at has a clinical ladder for RCP’s and that requires 20. Usually renewing your ACLS and PALS will give you 5 or 6. A lot of the manufacturer’s of respiratory equipment like the mechanical ventilators offer classes through their websites. There are also lots of free sites out there. I am gonna show you a few. If you know if some then leave a comment with the link.
Tons on CEUQ.com
Cardio Village
CE Medic US
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Posted by RT Blogger on June 27, 2009
I went to the local Great Strides walk today. It is a walk to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to fund research and help find a cure. Today was a really fun day because it was my first time participating. It was really hot out and the turnout was less than expected. I got to be the guy to hand out tickets for lunch. We then got to hear some people talk who are dealing with this disease. There were 3 families that had kids with cystic fibrosis. We then walked over 3 miles. It was 1.7 miles out and back. I didn’t make it the whole way though. I need to get in better shape before next year. We did raise $28,000 and I think that is great. Can’t wait til next year to do it again.
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Posted by RT Blogger on June 24, 2009
Well I am on my day off. I am still in orientation in the NICU and will be for the next 3 months or so.
I found this article detailing the different NICU levels.
Basic neonatal care (level I)
- Well-newborn nursery
- Evaluation and postnatal care of healthy newborns
- Neonatal resuscitation
- Stabilization of ill newborns until transfer to a facility at which specialty neonatal care is provided
Specialty neonatal care (level II)
- Special care nursery
- Care of preterm infants with birth weight ?1500 g
- Resuscitation and stabilization of preterm and/or ill infants before transfer to a facility at which newborn intensive care is provided
Subspecialty neonatal intensive care (level III)
Level IIIA
- Hospital or state-mandated restriction on type and/or duration of mechanical ventilation
Level IIIB
- No restrictions on type or duration of mechanical ventilation
- No major surgery
Level IIIC
- Major surgery performed on site (eg, omphalocele repair, tracheoesophageal fistula or esophageal atresia repair, bowel resection, myelomeningocele repair, ventriculoperitoneal shunt)
- No surgical repair of serious congenital heart anomalies that require cardiopulmonary bypass and /or ECMO for medical conditions
Level IIID
- Major surgery, surgical repair of serious congenital heart anomalies that require cardiopulmonary bypass, and/or ECMO for medical conditions
From what I have been able to gather, we are a level IIIB. We can do any kind of ventilation including High Frequency Oscillatory Ventilation, and Nitric Oxide. I don’t believe we can do major surgery and I know we don’t offer ECMO. Maybe one day I will be able to move to a higher level facility.
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