Nurse Kelly’s Notes

Nurse Kelly’s Notes Hi! I’m Nurse Kelly and I hope you grow to love NICU and perinatal nursing as much as I do!

01/12/2026

This will be an unpopular opinion to some people, but assigning a new nurse the sickest patient is extremely unfair for that nurse, the patient, and other members of the team. I hate when units do this - it’s a completely inappropriate way to learn and puts the patient at risk.

(This is an old video of my son. He thought it was hilarious and was not hurt.)

01/07/2026

⭐️ share your guess in the comments! The right answer (along with an explanation) will be shared tomorrow!

01/03/2026

Hi, everybody! I’m so glad that you’re here! Let me tell you a little bit about myself…

• My first name is Stephanie! I’m originally from Pennsylvania but now live in the Washington, DC area with my husband, two kids, and our cat.
• I’ve been a nurse for over 14 years and have spent most of my career in the NICU, including 3 years as a Nurse Educator. I’m currently a NICU nurse and member of my unit’s PICC team.
• My Masters degree is in Bioethics!
• Nurse Kelly’s Notes was born after I left education to return to patient care. I missed creating education and my colleagues thought that I should sell the notes that I created while studying for certification exams and for classes in NNP school — which I attended for a year, but ultimately left because I loved working at the bedside.
• One of the fonts in my products and posts is actually my handwriting, which I turned into a font because so many people thought it was a font!
• Fun fact: I can solve a Rubik’s cube and bring one with me to work.
• My favorite types of self-care include exercise, sleeping, and spending time outside. I’m a Peloton addict!

Do we have anything in common? Share it in the comments below!

Top 5 meme posts of 2025! Which one could you relate to the most?
12/28/2025

Top 5 meme posts of 2025! Which one could you relate to the most?

12/17/2025

In my almost 15 year career as a nurse (with almost 14 of them spent in the NICU), I’ve been “fired” from taking care of a patient one time. I share this not because I’m proud of being fired (I’m not), but because I feel like I was the unfortunate scapegoat for a NICU patient’s off day during my first shift ever caring for her. I felt a range of emotions when I heard that the family didn’t want me to care for their baby again, and as a people-pleaser and type-A NICU nurse it took me a fair amount of thought and discernment to feel okay with what happened. At the end of the day, I feel so privileged to be trusted with the care of NICU babies and their families and I realize now that — even though babies have off days — they’re lucky to have me, too.

NICU Nursing UNWRAPPED: Your 2025 in review! You spent a LOT of time at work, caring for small and mighty in the 2nd and...
12/04/2025

NICU Nursing UNWRAPPED: Your 2025 in review! You spent a LOT of time at work, caring for small and mighty in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, swaddling hundreds of patients, and hearing the sweet sounds of alarms everywhere (accompanied by crying from the babies and occasionally the stressed out NICU RN).

11/26/2025

Tips and tricks for IV insertion in the NICU! Taking the time to set up and prepare your patient is integral in increasing your chances for success!

First, I set up all of my supplies before doing ANYTHING to my patient. Regardless of whether or not I can visualize a site with the naked eye, I’ll use my to further assess. I love that my Firefly is wireless, rechargeable, and has multiple light intensity settings. It’s also got a studded surface to facilitate having a good hold on the patient to prevent veins from rolling.

Other tips and tricks:
✨ I don’t hesitate to use a heel warmer on the extremity of my choosing, especially if perfusion is poor or the extremity is cold.

If you haven’t invested in a Firefly to enhance your IV insertion skills, you absolutely should and now is a great time to do it! You can use code NurseKelly to take 10% off your purchase. AND starting this Thursday, you can bundle and save Firefly and Nurse Kelly’s Notes products for Black Friday, saving up to 20%. Stay tuned for more information!


11/18/2025

Managing pneumothoraces and chest tubes can be daunting for ANY NICU nurse, especially new RNs! Luckily, the Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing Bundle has the information that you NEED to boost your knowledge and confidence about caring for patients with a pneumothorax and chest tubes — it includes pathophysiology, evidence-based interventions, and rationales for over 70 commonly seen conditions affecting babies in the NICU!

Get yours by tapping the photo here, or shop on my website or Etsy at my link in bio!


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Alexandria, VA

Website

https://nursekellysnotes.net/

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