Original Work Assessment

My original work process was very long and it took me quite a while to actually decide

on an idea to pursue. I had originally wanted to do something that dealt with Neonatal

Abstinence Syndrome, but I couldn’t figure out a key question that I could base my studies on. I

scraped that idea, and decided on looking further into the neonatal field. I wanted to look into

everything that comes with being a neonatologist, and how exactly I would get to becoming a

successful neonatologist. I was very much set on that idea, and it would have been very

beneficial for me, but I had made other interviews with neonatologists, and I learned more about

neonatology. I wanted to do something that would help me learn about the field, but also help

someone other than me. On my visits, the neonatologists shared a lot of information with me, so

I felt that I had learned quite a bit about the job and what it is like being a neonatologist, so I

decided to find a new idea for my original work. I looked up what a common concern was

amongst parents who have dealt with having a child in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU),

and I was a common worry throughout all of the websites I looked it. Many parents did not know

what the machines connected to their child did, and when those machines went off they had no

idea how to react or what to do. Many parents didn’t know that sometimes the alarms mean

nothing and sometimes the alarms are serious. I decided that by looking into the machines that

are in the NICU and are in most rooms connected to a neonate, I could help myself become more

educated as well as help parents who are dealing with a child who is in the NICU.

I started off by reaching out to some neonatologists around the area, but none were able

to get back to me so I relied on the information I had learned on my previous interviews. My first

informational interview I had the opportunity to meet with a neonatologist who was willing to

show me some of her patients. It was quite an experience, and I recalled on the main machines
that I saw while visiting with her patients. They were common machines you see in hospitals, but

there were also some machines that I had no idea what they did. I began researching for studies

done dealing with parents who have had a child in the NICU and what their common concerns

were. I wanted to know the main machines that they were uneducated about, and were worried

about when they went off. I found that many parents do not know what a pulse oximeter is and it

is a common machine that has many “false alarms” due to the baby wiggling. I also looked at

videos produced by hospitals that gave tours of the NICU, and explained the common machines.

The most common machines that you will see in the NICU are the incubator, heart monitor,

respirator, pulse oximeter, apnea monitor, and carbon dioxide tubes. Those are only the

machines, so that does not include the actual items attached or inserted into the child such as a

tubes in the nostrils to practice a technique called continuous positive airway pressure, tubes

going through the nose and mouth into the esophagus which feed the neonate. These tubes are

called the nasogastric and orogastric tubes respectively, and they are used to feed the neonate

breast milk and nutrients so that they can grow, since they are unable to feed by themselves. I

learned that the incubator can have Bili lights shined on them to treat jaundice, which the light is

a blue light, and jaundice is when there is a buildup of bilirubin in the child’s liver. I learned that

from one of the videos I watched while researching these machines. I also looked at articles

posted by NICU nurses who could explain what these noises meant, since they were the ones that

heard them the most and had to know what every single different, unique alarm was. I was able

to find one source that came from a nurse and she was able to explain some things, and again the

pulse oximeter came up as being a common “false alarm” so you would hear many noises when

a child had one of those on. In my brochure I include a summary of the machines I focused on,

and the common noises and alarms you will hear from them. The heart monitor is very basic and
is in most hospital rooms. It monitors the patients hear rate and breathing rates. It is much more

important to track for neonates, because when they are underdeveloped something could change

in a second and their breathing could slow, or their heart rate could go down, which would need

to be assessed immediately. The continuous positive airway pressure technique or CPAP, is used

to help the baby’s lungs to stay open. The baby will have two tubes inserted into their nostrils

and air will be pumped into them to keep the air flow in their lungs strong. The respirator, or

mechanical ventilator is also used when a baby is unable to breathe at all, so in this case a child

will have an endotracheal tube inserted into their trachea and the respirator will breathe for the

baby. The pulse oximeter is used to measure the amount of oxygen in the baby’s blood, and since

it is attached to their foot it can move around quite a bit. If it is were to at all come off or move

an alarm would go off, since the machine thinks the child has a weak oxygen supply. In most

cases, it usually alarms due to the constantly wiggling and moving the baby does. The carbon

dioxide monitor measures the amount of carbo dioxide and oxygen on the baby’s skin. The apnea

monitor is used to monitor the baby’s breathing. If at all the child stops breathing, a cold blue

alarm will go off. I also attached photos of the machines and tube placements under each

description of the item.

I hope my original work will be of use to someone, and possibly when I meet with my

mentor we can revise it and possibly print it to give to parents in the NICU. This project pushed

me and it also educated me about something I am passionate about. I am so glad I decided to

focus in on this, because knowing that my work could later help others is a great feeling. I hope

my original work does go somewhere and is seen by someone, and that they appreciate it.

When it came to designing my brochure I wanted to combine all the things from my

board and my portfolio into it. I think I did a good job bringing all of my work together so far,
and I think I have been successful in maintain a professional look in my work. I added small

details to bring in different aspects of my board and portfolio, but I think the details make it look

welcoming yet professional. If parents do see this, I think the design will be good, because it is

light hearted but it is also full of useful information.

By researching these machines I not only educated myself further, but I also prepared

myself a bit for the medical field. Some of the machines are not just seen in the NICU, so being

able to identify them will help me in medical school and in my residency. By focusing in on this

aspect of neonatology I bettered my understanding of the field, and also possibly helped

someone. I am extremely satisfied in the work I produced and I cannot wait to begin working on

my final product with my mentor.

Works Cited

BIDMC NICU, director. Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Equipment. Equipment, Youtube, 2 Apr.

2013,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QphHYiqRJuI&t=345s.

“Common Parent Reactions to the NICU.” HealthyChildren.org, 2010,

www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/preemie/pages/Common-Parent-

Reactions-to-the-NICU.aspx.

“NICU Alarms - What's with All the Noise?” Every Tiny Thing, 18 Apr. 2013,

www.everytinything.com/nicu-articles/nicu-alarms.

Obeidat, Hala M., et al. “The Parental Experience of Having an Infant in the Newborn Intensive

Care Unit.” The Journal of Perinatal Education, Lamaze International Inc., 2009,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2730907/.