NICU Travel Assignment: Washington, D.C.
Exploring The Nation’s Capital
I finally made it to Washington, D.C.! The children’s hospital in D.C. once had the number one NICU in the nation. From my experience, it was quite travel-friendly and I met many travelers on the unit, as well. I received two weeks of orientation that required four shifts in the NICU and two shifts in the PICU and CICU.
They had a Gastrointestinal (GI) area in the NICU, where most of the feeder/grower patients were located. You would begin working in the GI area until the unit learns your skill set. Later on, you would acquire more acuity patients.
If you are considering a travel assignment in D.C., make sure to check out the resources provided below:
- Hospital: Children’s Hospital-Level IV
- Scrubs Color(s): Any color
- Charting System: Cerner
- Lodging: Furnished Finder. (Short-term rental – 5 minute drive from the hospital).
- Transportation: Drive; Lyft/Uber; metro rail; or bus.
- Hospital Parking: You have to pay for hospital parking (approximately $100-$220 for 3 months). For day shift, you would park in the garage, and take a shuttle to the hospital that is about 10-15 minutes away. For the night shift, you would park in the garage connected to the hospital. [NOTE: All shifts could park in the connecting garage on holidays and weekends].
- Assignments: 1: 2-3 ratio. You would acquire some acuity, but mostly feeder growers or infants on respiratory support, such as NC/CPAP/NIPPV/VPT.
- Floating: PICU or CICU. Usually more acuity on the units. Both unit’s staff members were helpful. Usually 1:1-2 ratio.
In conclusion, a travel assignment at the children’s hospital in Washington D.C. was a great option. The NICU provided a comprehensive orientation and offered opportunities to work with various patient acuity levels.
If you have more questions, feel free to contact me or drop a comment below!