What is a typical day CICU/CSICU?

Specialties CCU

Published

Specializes in Medical Surgical, Telemetry.

I have applied for a training position in CICU/CSICU and is interested to know how a typical day is in this unit. Please tell me how your day starts and ends in CICU/CSICU? What's the difference between the two? What are the usual challenges in this unit and how does this differ to a regular MICU and SICU?

Thank you!

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It is crazy busy from start to finish. Your head will spin around a few thousand times by the end of your shift, and when you try to recall everything you did in the day you will feel exhaustion just thinking about it. I love ICU nursing, but lately I am finding a lot of hospitals are understaffed for the acuity of the patients cared for. If this doesn't bother you- then I say go for it!

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I just started in the CICU and am posting about my experiences starting here: https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/my-first-100-1000287.html

Feel free to message me with specific questions if you have any!

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Specializes in Cardiac ICU, ER, PICU, Corrections.

No two days in cardiac are the same!! However, I will say it's exciting and has been a wonderful experience.

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From what I understand, a CICU takes more medical cardiac patients and a CSICU takes surgical cardiac patients. But it sounds like your unit does both. Every day is different. Medical patients we get are STEMIs, patients in critical CHF exacerbations, and complete heart block. Surgical patients would be CABGs, valve repairs, VATs, AAA repair. We also get a lot of trauma patients if the trauma was anywhere in their chest or requires extensive vascular repairs. I work mainly with surgeons and cardiologist, and their PAs/NPs.

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