Our speaker last week was Nurse Malika Lynes whose topic was Life In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Nurse Lynes is also a Rotaractor. Nurse Lynes gave an informative and interesting presentation where she spoke to the club about what it is like to work in the NICU and also about the challenges and extra precautions taken since the start of COVID. Nurse Lynes has been working in the NICU for about a year and was mentored and taught how to take care of the babies since joining. The nurses in the NICU work as a team to ensure that the babies get the optimum amount of care. The unit has a capacity of about 50 babies and each nurse would be responsible for three to four babies. Nurse Lynes indicated that it was now the slow season and they only had nineteen babies at this time and each nurse was responsible for two to three babies. Since the start of COVID, there has been many extra precautions taken and the surfaces are wiped down frequently with a special cleaning solution. There is also frequent washing of hands. The nurses wear double sets of gloves and masks and any baby that is suspected of being exposed to COVID is isolated in a special section of the NICU where they can get the care they need but without having other babies exposed.. Nurse Lynes indicated that the job is very demanding and that some babies are so critically ill that nurses are at the bedside constantly monitoring and taking care of the baby. Nurse Lynes enjoys the challenges and loves being a nurse and what she does in the NICU. |
