Through the Looking Glass A Neonatal Wonderland They are tiny and vulnerable and to survive, they need shelter in the safest of environments - and highly specialized care. They are the patients of NICU – Eastern Health’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Janeway Children’s Health and Rehabilitation Centre. They come from all over Newfoundland and Labrador. Many of these ‘neonates’ are premature, some have experienced complications during delivery, others are born with heart or breathing issues. Their first homes are inside the plexi-glass walls of an incubator. Outside, dozens of highly-
trained nurses stand ready to provide specialized, critical care of their tiny charges until they can be released into the care of their parents. Their instinct for survival is extraordinary; their recoveries often seem miraculous. To sustain this specialized care 24/7 at the Janeway, NICU nurses have received specialized and ongoing training in the critical (ventilator) care that many of these infants require. In the past, the critical care unit was separate from the nursery for babies who weren’t so sick, and nursing staffs from both the NICU and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) were trained separately. But when both services amalgamated at the Janeway Children`s Health and Rehabilitation Centre, so did the nursing staff. All full-time nurses have now been cross-trained to provide both
PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2012 2013