Preparing for Trauma ICU

The best advice I can give to you is to possibly find out what equipment the Trauma ICU your applying to utilizes. That way you may be able to study up or familiarize yourself better for a potential interview question. I work in a Surgical Truma ICU and have been on our interview boards for new employees. The canidates that impress me the most are those that take the time to do a bit of their homework prior to interviewing. Some equipment that a Trauma ICU uses
are CCO SWANS, LEVEL 1's, Rotorest bed's, and if you deal with Neuro at all, Ventrics, Camino's, and quite possibly EEG waveforms for Pent Coma's.

Lastly, you really want to have a great understanding of hemodynamics and associated equipment. Remember hehe....if there aren't holes we make them and if there are holes we plug um!

I rotated through our level 1 trauma ICU in nursing school last semester and most of my coassigned nurses were ex-Paramedics. You have a year and a half to knock out that cert, if you've already taken everything you can in the form of CEUs.

Though, i don't know how applicable my answer is, just a suggestion

Sorry got back to you so late. I was on vacation. Well honestly TNCC really deals with the treatment of the patient en route to the hosptital and pretty much while in the ER. Most of the skills and theories you learn in TNCC will already have been implemented prior to ICU RN receiving the patient. The book that I would recommend is the "PASS the CCRN". The CCRN certification is by far the most prestigious cert an ICU nurse can obtain. You will have a great understanding of all aspects of care if you can get this cert. Be aware, it is difficult to get and requires lots of studying.

As far as questions for potential canidates? One important one is, Why do you want to be in the ICU? A lame answer is the typical "because I want fewer patients and i like the idea of concentrating my care on one or two patients" We hear this answer time and time again...it does not usually provide a good outcome for the canidate.

As far as the hemodynamics go....even though your hospital does not use certain equipment does not mean you should not be aware of it and what numbers mean....a good ICU nurse has the basics of ICU equipment down. Know what a low CVP means in Truma's, know what a high CVP means. A what point do you stop giving fluids and start using vasopressors?

hope this helps....I'll be glad to give you more advice if you need it...good luck

Dennison's "Pass CCRN" and Rhoades and Bell's "Medical Physiology". I know I sound like a broken record on recommending these 2, but they have honestly been the best ones for me (and I've been through most of them!) over the past 5 years.

Can't think of the name of the good pharmacology book, but if I come across it, I'll post. Dennison's book has a lot of it, too.

You're on the right track...get your CCRN. Whether you're hired in trauma ICU or not, it makes you that much more marketable.