UPMC Hamot Home

Leadership Team:

Nurse Director:

  • Emily Hirsch, BSN, RNC-NIC

Director:

  • Dr. Michael Balsan

Nurse Practitioners:

  • Christa Nishnick
  • Sherri Krautter
  • Margie McGraw
  • Kate Schroeck

Nurse Educator:

  • Nell Nipper

Clinical Nursing:

  • Clinical Ladder CN I – CN IV

Support Staffing:

  • Unit Secretary
  • Patient Care Assistant/Tech
  • Occupational Therapy,
    Physical Therapy,
    Speech Therapy,
    Audiology
  • Case Management
  • Nutritionist
  • Pastoral Services

Neonatal Intensive Care

The UPMC Hamot NICU is a 19-bed Level III facility that serves the specialized needs of high-risk infants. The NICU staff focuses on delivering a high level of clinical expertise in a family-centered and developmentally sensitive atmosphere. Nurses and support staff take a team approach to each infant’s care, supported by multidisciplinary collaboration.

Click here to see open positions at UPMC Hamot.

Level of Care:
  • 19 licensed beds
  • Level 3 nursery since 1980
  • Transport services
  • Neonatal Nurse Practitioners
  • Family Centered Care
  • Weekly family service rounds with interdisciplinary team
  • Vermont oxford participation
  • Nurse patient ratio dependant on acuity – 1:1 to 1:4
  • High risk delivery attendance
  • Isolation room/transition nursery

Specialized Unit Technology:
  • High Frequency Oscillating Ventilator
  • CareVue bedside documentation
  • Neodata
  • Magic Web
  • Infant security system
  • IV pumps with safety technology
  • MAC (Medication scanning administration)
  • In-bed scales
  • Giraffe Omnibed
  • On-site point of care

Advanced ‘Intranet’ Resources:
  • Nursing policy and procedures
  • Mandatory education self learning tools
  • Physician order sets
  • Micromedex
  • Material Safety Data Sheet
  • Pharmacy resources
  • Human resource information
  • Peer evaluations
  • Patient education materials

Orientation:

  • 12 week orientation
  • Preceptors
  • Shadowing experience

Scheduling Options:

  • 4, 8, 12 Hour Shifts Available
  • Self Scheduling

Educational Opportunities:
  • Clinical educator for Maternal Child Health Services
  • Education Committee
  • Mandatory Madness
  • Neonatal Resuscitation Program
  • S.T.A.B.L.E. – Program for stabilizing infants
  • Lunch and Learns
  • Nursing Morbidity & mortality Rounds
  • CPR
  • Bi-Annual Maternal Child Health outreach in-services
  • Monthly NICU in-services
  • Collaboration with March of Dimes for nursing modules

Recruitment Opportunities:

  • High risk delivery attendance
  • Intubation
  • PICC insertion
  • Neonatal nurse transport team
  • Individualized baby books for families
  • Bedside developmental care plans
  • Car seat testing for all infants
  • Hearing screening for all infants

Committees:

  • Bereavement
  • Developmental
  • Discharge
  • Education
  • Retention and Recruitment
  • Quality Assurance
  • Service Excellence
  • Informatics
  • Pharmacy
  • Safety
  • Nutrition Team
  • Nurse Practice Council