NICU Nursing & Building Good Habits with Alexis Correa

Having a baby is exciting, but sometimes, some babies are born with difficulties adjusting to life outside their mother’s womb. NICUs and NICU nursing were created to provide a similar environment for these babies to thrive and survive.

Any preterm birth, a difficult birth, or congenital disabilities in babies can make this adjustment changes more challenging. But with proper care in an environment where they are safe, secured, and monitored, they can also overcome these challenges. 

What is NICU?

NICU stands for newborn intensive care unit. It is a special nursery in the hospital where sick or premature newborn babies are provided with around-the-clock care. 

The NICU is equipped with advanced technology and trained healthcare professionals like NICU nurses to provide the best care for the hospital’s tiniest patients. Some NICUs may also have areas for babies who are not necessarily sick but need specialized nursing care. 

In today’s episode, we would like to introduce you to Alexis Nicole, a registered nurse with experience working in the ER, OB & NICU. She is also the creator of the Nurse Nook.

Nurse Nook is a Youtube Channel and brand created to share Alexis’ personal journey as a nursing student and nurse. She shares both experience and inspiration along the way. 

QUESTIONS FOR GUESTS

The questions below are some we’d like to tackle. We go off-topic, so we don’t expect to hit them all. If you have any ideas, please let us know. Looking forward to our conversation!

1. Can you give us a little background about yourself? 
2. What is it like being a Neonatal ICU nurse? 
   • What is it like being a nightshift nurse? We have our struggles, doing it for about five years. 
3. How do you manage your nursing and social media career?
   • What are the dos and don’ts for using social media as a nurse? 
   • How do you stay motivated and productive as an influencer?
4. What piece(s) of advice has resonated with you the most along your journey as a nurse?
5. Can you recall the time in your career when you opened your mind to mindfulness?
6. What are the healthy habits you follow in your daily routine?
7. What is your favorite self-help book? 
8. What is your current obsession?
   • Talk to us about therapy 

ENDING QUESTION

Before we end the show, we have one last question we like to ask all our guests.

If you had the opportunity to have a Cup of coffee with anybody one last time, who would it be & why? 

You can follow Alexis on her Instagram @aalexisnicole or subscribe to her YouTube Channel The Nurse Nook

What does it take to be a NICU nurse and how can you build good habits? Check out the full video here 👇

TIME STAMPS:

00:00 Intro
01:54 About the guest
04:11 The difference between working with pediatrics and with adults
07:01 What does a NICU shift look like?
11:45 Reasons why there are NICU patients
16:29 Neonatal Abuses
18:32 How to deal with stress and trauma?
22:50 Keeping work and life balanced
27:33 Advice for nurses
30:19 The dynamics of the NICU floor
33:19 How and why did you start making videos?
38:24 The Do’s and Don’ts of a Nurse Content Creator
42:02 How to keep of things you want to do.
45:15 How did you discover mindfulness
47:03 Benefits for nurses that you should know
51:07 Wrapping up the episode