Unit Description: The NICU is a secure access unit with a total of 55 monitored beds divided into four bays with an on-site 24 hour pediatric pathology lab and respiratory care services. Rooms are a combination of private and semi-private with accommodation for families, two transition beds and six family care rooms.
Bay 1: level III beds
Bay 2 & 3: level II and III beds
Bay 4: level II beds

Patient Population: The NICU staff care for critically ill newborns, extremely low birth weight premature infants, infants with congenital heart defects, pre/post operative management, congenital anomalies that require close observation and intervention, and provide long term care for chronic patients.

Unit Information: Orientation includes 40 hours of classroom education interspersed with 6-8 weeks of working one on one with a clinical preceptor. There are two separate management and nursing staff teams that provide care to Bay 1 and Bay 2-4. Staff nurses have the opportunity to be members of the E.C.M.O. Team and Neonatal-Pediatric Transport Team to assist in returning convalescing infants to local hospitals. All nursing staff are NRP certified. Many staff are certified experts in neonatal critical care, NIDCAP, breast-feeding education, and car seat evaluation. Staff nurses work 8 and 12 hour shifts during the week and 12 hour shifts on the weekends. Every weekend, every other and every third weekend are available scheduling options. Critical care float positions are also available to work in both the NICU Bays 1-4 or the NICU and PICU.

A dedicated multidisciplinary health care team includes primarily registered nurses, physicians, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, a dietitian, lactation consultant, rehabilitation services including music therapy, and a social worker. The nursing staff in Bay 1 routinely care for one-to-two patients; nurses in Bays 2-4 may care for two-to-four patients. Services and treatments offered include conventional and high frequency ventilation, nitric oxide and heliox therapy. In-unit surgical procedures include E.C.M.O. (extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation), PDA (patent ductus arterious) ligations, cardiac catheterization, CDH (congenital diaphragmatic hernia) and gastroschesis repair. Nurses in the NICU impact patien outcomes through managing the environment and providing individualized patient and family centered care.

Location: 6th floor, John Pappajohn Pavilion