Episode 84: An Honest Conversation with a NICU Nurse ft. Dr. Lisa Davenport

The person that spends the most time with your child is likely a NICU nurse. NICU parent, former NICU nurse and current director of NICU nursing, Dr. Lisa Davenport, and I have an honest conversation about the highs and lows of nursing, what things have changed and how parents can have the best relationship possible with their baby’s NICU nurse.   In this episode, we chat about:   Of all the professions, why nursing and why NICU nursing? What differentiates a NICU nurse from a pediatric or ICU nurse? What are some of the first things a family can expect from their NICU nurse? Can you explain a "primary nurse" and what that means to a family? Share a bit about the family's access to their NICU nurses. If a family has a difficult relationship with their NICU nurse, what should they do? What are some of the key things NICU nurses do to be more effective in the NICU environment? What's something that we're doing now in NICUs that we weren't when you first started? How has it changed the outcomes? Let's talk about this "golden hour" you championed. What's the best part about your job? Most challenging?   Dr. Lisa Davenport is a former NICU parent and the Director of Nursing for Texas Children’s NICU in Houston, Tex. Lisa’s experience as a NICU bedside nurse for 9 years fueled her passion for becoming a quality driven and people centric nursing leader. Additionally, Lisa serves as faculty for Texas Tech Health Science Center School of Nursing.   Connect with Dr. Davenport: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-davenport-dnp-rn-rnc-nic-5363b075   The NICU is hard. We’re here to help.   Hand to Hold is a national nonprofit dedicated to providing neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) parents with personalized emotional support, educational resources and community before, during and after their baby’s NICU stay. NICU support is available at no cost to NICU parents in English and Spanish.   Connect with Hand to Hold: Learn more or get support at handtohold.org   Follow Hand to Hold on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/handtohold Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/handtohold/   Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/NICUHandtoHold YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/HandtoHold    The following music was used for this media project: Music: Thriving Together [Full version] by MusicLFiles Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10332-thriving-together-full-version License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license   Music: Bright Colors Of Life by MusicLFiles Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7855-bright-colors-of-life License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license