NICU Nurses Case Study

items not feasible under the departmental budget. Their donations have enabled this NICU to purchase enough infant specific specialty beds can be resuscitated, stabilized, cared for and then discharged all from the same style bed. Parents and staff appreciate having these types of beds as they make the transitions occurring during the patient’s hospitalization much smoother.
An internal strength specific to this department is its consistency in staying within or under expected budget, specifically related to its staffing and patient census. The NICU department has frequent fluctuated of its census levels. This greatly effects the daily staffing needs. Unlike many of the other departments in the hospital census, NICU’s is very unpredictable. NICU admissions typically aren’t coming from home, doctors’ offices or via the
The management, in agreement with nurses, have created a floating group for the nurses within the department. This group is made of NICU trained nurses, who have been cross trained to work as both a delivery nurse, and/or a transitional baby nurse. Both of these positions being well within their scope of practice and expertise, but are not the typical role of nurses in the NICU department. When census is low in the NICU, employees can be “floated” to one of the other departments. There they provide care for the healthy babies admitted in those departments. This gives the floated nurse hours of paid work, but not being paid under the NICU department budget. If a change in the departments census occurs, increasing the need for additional providers, staff are available to be “floated” back to NICU. This floating system allows the department to provide the appropriate amount of staff as its needed. This system similar to an on-call system without having to pay for hours not worked, has greatly aided the department remain cost