Working in the NICU is stressful. Then add on trying to balance work and life. In this episode, host Jill Beck connects with Eileen O’Grady, the keynote speaker from NANN’s 2022 Annual Conference and author of Choosing Wellness: Unconventional Wisdom for the Overwhelmed, the Discouraged, the Addicted, the Fearful, or the Stuck. Jill and Eileen discuss the wellbeing of the health workforce, the need for self-care, and share tips on ways to form habits that will improve and cultivate a culture of wellness.

Learn more about Eileen’s work

Working in the NICU is stressful. Then add on trying to balance work and life. In this episode, host Jill Beck connects with Eileen O’Grady, the keynote speaker from NANN’s 2022 Annual Conference and author of Choosing Wellness: Unconventional Wisdom for the Overwhelmed, the Discouraged, the Addicted, the Fearful, or the Stuck. Jill and Eileen discuss the wellbeing of the health workforce, the need for self-care, and share tips on ways to form habits that will improve and cultivate a culture of wellness.

Learn more about Eileen’s work

In honor of Mental Health Awareness month, host Jill Beck and Elizabeth McCutchon, EdD, MS, APRN, NNP-BC discuss the state of mental health, how the health care system has failed to support healthcare workers’ mental health, and what we can do about it.

Nearly all newborns run the risk of respiratory difficulties at birth. In this episode, NANNcast host Jill Beck is joined by Katherine Newnam, PhD, RN, CPNP, NNP-BC, to discuss best practices for ventilator management, the best modes of ventilation for the infant, how to minimize damage and inflammation, and more. This is the next installment of NANNcast's APRN series, which covers trending topics in advanced practice neonatal nursing.

Carbon dioxide measurement is a fundamental measurement in the NICU.  It is essential to maintain CO2 levels within target levels to ensure positive outcomes.  Guest Chelsea Lee, International Clinical Education Manager at Sentec, shares the benefits of transcutaneous CO2 monitoring technology not only our fragile patients, but in guiding clinical decisions and prompt interventions. 

Learn, lead, and level up with NANN in Las Vegas! NANN's 38th Annual Conference Committee Chair, Kristin Howard, DNP APRN NNP-BC, joins Jill Beck to discuss all the exciting educational and networking offerings at NANN in Vegas. 

Register at nann.org/conference

NANNcast host Jill Beck is joined by the authors of NANN's medication safety position statement to discuss safe medication practices in the NICU and how nurses can advocate for safer standards and conditions.

NANN recommends a comprehensive approach to medication safety in the NICU that integrates technology, focused healthcare provider medication safety education, standardized medication process, and robust medication error reporting and prevention efforts.

Medication Safety in the NICU Position Statement. 

The International Neonatal Consortium (INC) is a global collaboration formed to forge a predictable regulatory path for evaluating the safety and effectiveness of therapies for neonates. Wakako Eklund, NNP, NANN member, and INC liaison, joins Jill Beck to discuss how nurses can promote safe NICU research.

INC Communications Toolkit for Nurses

The culture of research communication in neonatal intensive care units: key stakeholder perspectives 

Research shows that parents whose babies are hospitalized in the NICU experience trauma, stress, and the loss of their role as primary caregiver due to their time in the NICU. NICU nurses play a crucial role in providing family-centered care to support and empower NICU parents.

Nicole Nyberg is a neonatal nurse practitioner and the founder of Empowering NICU Parents, an organization that provides educational resources for parents with babies in the NICU. With her unique perspective as an NNP who also had a child in the NICU, she shares simple, yet impactful ways to engage and empower parents during their baby's NICU stay.

Empowering NICU Parents

Empowering NICU Parents Podcast

Understaffing puts patients at increased risk of missed or rationed care, medical incidents, disparities of care, and morbidity and mortality. In September 2021, NANN released the RN Staffing in the NICU position statement with staffing recommendations based on the acuity of the population served. Dr. Lori Armstrong and Karen Kopischke, the authors of the position statement, join Jill Beck on NANNcast to breakdown the position statement and share how nurses can advocate for safe staffing in their units. 

Read NANN's RN Staffing in the NICU position statement here.