The 'look' that people give you... - Page 3

I luved all of your inspirational stories and appreciate what you do as well. I am a nursing student and will graduate in May of this year. I just received a call today from Shriner's hospital about an application I submitted. I was searching online for more info and came across this post. I am so excited/nervous. Thanks again for the stories.

Congrats and good luck. I'm on a mixed burn unit and definitely could not do kiddos all the time. Too many abuse cases that make me want to throttle someone.

If you like doing 3-4 hr full body dressing changes, leaving the room drenched in sweat, that's great. Double kudos if you enjoy spending all that time with people who burned themselves smoking crack.

I am interested in the Burn Unit from a medical perspective. I am fascinated by Blood, Needles and Wounds. However, I do not know if I have what it takes. I begin nursing school in January 2013 and hold my CNA and would like to gain exposure to it.

Loyola Medical Center in Chicago (where I live) has an esteemed Burn Unit but I was under the impression that they do not allow anyone to shadow its nurses, unlike other units. I have shadowed Cardiac Nurses at Northwestern and would welcome the opportunity.

I feel that each nurse has his/her calling and we and patients are lucky for the diverse interest.

Thanks for the benefit of your experience.

Crack's been out for a while now. Stuck in the 1990s much? Making meth is what's hot right now, no pun intended.

I start my capstone on BICU next month and I am SO EXCITED. I'm scared, too, because this is a huge responsibility but I guess my CI thinks I can do it or I wouldn't have gotten the assignment. The idea of burns doesn't bother me, although if I have to suction anyone I may lose it. How odd that I don't flinch at the thought of seeing or smelling burns but phlegm squicks me out.

Aside from being willing to administer astounding quantities of pain meds, does anyone have any sage advice? I know I'll be working with a lot of fluids, although I don't know if I'll be starting many IVs (pts come to the unit with them in place, I imagine). If we have ICU overflow I may get the chance, though. I hope.

I can't wait!

Don't be surprised if a BICU patient isn't what you imagined. Your 20% tbsa grandma with htn and diabetes is just as much at risk for the same complications that you'll see in your 80% tbsa young guys. If you're expecting wall-to-wall Bad Burns in the BICU, you'll be sadly mistaken.

Poop. Everyone needs to poop because they might get an ileus. If they get an ileus, you'll also be doing q4 enemas.

You will have to suction and developing good trach care skills is vital to being a good burn nurse. Bad burns with even moderate airway involvement will get trached for long-term treatment. If your ER is anything like ours, anyone with soot on their toes will also get intubated.

Thanks. I figure if I see a few burns it'll be a lot. Sounds like it's more ICU/med-surg, which is totally fine by me.

I am hugely pro-poop, so that's not a problem. I'm a regular poop evangelist.

Today I realized that I use the snot sucker on my kids all the time and it doesn't bother me, so maybe I can do suctioning.

Scared and excited.

You must be working in a SW hospital somewhere!

lol, you could possible be going to my unit then. Mixed bed unit at a large teaching hospital in the midwest?