Grace Centre for Newborn Care - Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing
Philosophy
It is the philosophy of the nursing staff to provide holistic individualised family centred care to newborn infants and their families. We aim to provide a supportive environment in the nursery and to make the experience of intensive care for the babies and families as free from stress as possible. Our unit philosophy is "working together with families to provide the best care for all infants"
Patient profile
All the babies admitted to the Grace Centre for Newborn Care (GCNC) are out-born and arrive either with the Newborn and Paediatric Emergency Transport (NETS) team, via the emergency department or with an escort from the referring hospital. The babies we care for have a variety of conditions some require surgery, some have a cardiac problem, and others are premature or have complex medical conditions.
GCNC, Westmead Hospital Neonatal Unit and NETS
These three areas operate in close association and there is an open exchange of ideas and information. There are joint meetings and activities and the units function as a team. Collaborative projects are encouraged and there are opportunities to participate in various projects and presentations. Opportunities for staff exchange are available. GCNC is part of a statewide network of neonatal units and many staff represent the unit on strategic committees looking into service provision, outcomes and clinical practice.
Nursing team
There are approximately 70 nursing positions on Grace. The staff rotate through the unit to both intensive care and special care areas. The Clinical Nurse Specialist role is an integral part of the career opportunities for registered nurses. There are nurses in various roles who contribute to and support the nursing team. These include Clinical Coordinators, a Clinical Nurse Consultant, Educators, a Lactation Specialist and Discharge Liaison/Family Support.
A system of self-rostering is used to cover the shifts and there are ten-hour night duty shifts. Most requests are honoured and annual leave is by arrangement. There are opportunities to accrue Additional Days Off and family leave to care for sick family members.
Patient allocation
Patients are allocated on a shift by shift basis and there are opportunities to follow a particular patient through the course of their illness and recovery.
Surgery
As a large proportion of our babies have a surgical operation and there are opportunities for the neonatal nurse to accompany the baby to the operating theatres. This provides an insight into the complexities of some of the congenital and acquired conditions of the newborn.
Back transfer
Our babies are often transferred back to their referring hospital throughout the state for ongoing care and an early discharge program has been implemented. There is the opportunity to accompany babies back to their referring hospitals - this gives you an insight into other units and network with other neonatal nurses.
Orientation
All new staff complete an orientation program that is varied according to the individual's past experience and needs. There are two educators who along with a group of preceptors supervise the new staff member until a level of competence is achieved.
Inservice
A structured inservice program for all nursing staff is available. Regular twice weekly presentations are arranged in the unit on a variety of clinical and professional topics. There are opportunities to gain presentation skills by presenting to your colleagues.
Accreditation program
A program operates that allows individual nurses to gain skills covering a variety of neonatal procedures. The program is offered to all staff with some basic skills such as resuscitation being mandatory. Other skills include advanced drug administration, arterial blood gas sampling, strapping endotracheal tubes and insertion of intravenous cannulae.
Education Opportunities
Educational opportunities are available to upgrade your qualifications. An inservice and skills program is provided. Positions are available and supported for students undertaking postgraduate studies in Neonatal Nursing at the College of Nursing.
Quality improvement
A multi-disciplinary unit based quality improvement program operates where aspects of care delivery are regularly reviewed and evaluated. Meetings are open to all staff to attend and give input into the monitoring and evaluation process. Clinical audits are undertaken, all discharged patients are reviewed and coded and there is a review of documentation and forms which includes monitoring incident reports and medication errors. There are opportunities to be part of an audit group and learn about the review process.
Special projects
There are several projects undertaken in our unit. Currently we have an active program of Individualised Developmentally Supportive Care where we work closely with the babies and their families to modify the environment and practices based on individual cues and needs. We have the only NIDCAP (Newborn Individualised Developmental Care Assessment Program) training program in Australia. Several staff are NIDCAP certified and there are opportunities for other to join the program. Our staff are regularly invited to present their work at conferences and programs in other institutions.
Research
There is a monthly research meeting where current projects and proposals are presented. The opportunity to participate in nursing research is encouraged. We have a Neonatal Clinical Nursing Research Fellowship available for individuals to undertake specific research projects. The hospital provides a special grant to encourage novice researchers and there is a support group available to help with publishing completed work. The nurses in the unit have had several publications and awards relating to their work.
Career Opportunities
All staff have the opportunity to develop their professional portfolios. There are unit grants to support attendance at conferences and professional development days. From time to time opportunities arise for secondments to other units, for specific projects and leave maybe sought for external experiences.
Social activities
An annual Christmas party is organised together with afternoon teas and social outings. These activities give you the opportunity to mix with your colleagues outside a work environment. Monthly afternoon teas are held to celebrate birthdays, engagements, baby arrivals and other individual achievements. Theme days are also arranged to enable the staff to be creative and participate in fun activities.
For more information contact Jenny Elliott, Nurse Manager on (02) 9845 2476 or 98450000 page 6553.