[rgroyer1RNBSN]

Do you think properly trained nurses should defib.? Is this in our scope?

[sharrie]

Absolutely, why on earth not. You are the most likely person to find a collasped patient so in my view the most important person to be taught and practice defibrillation

[Silverdragon102]

Here in the UK if the nurse was appropriately trained and kept up to date they can defib, Agree with Sherrie if properly trained you give the patient a better chance and research has stated this. I know we are seeing more and more defibs in local areas like shopping centers

[Miami NightNurse]

Originally Posted by rgroyer1RNBSN

Do you think properly trained nurses should defib.? Is this in our scope?

I'm confused you say you been a nurse in ICU + ER for 9 years and you are asking if this is in your scope of practice. Do they not require you to be ACLS certified? A nurse must be ACLS certified to shock

[RNREMT-P]

Originally Posted by Miami NightNurse

I'm confused you say you been a nurse in ICU + ER for 9 years and you are asking if this is in your scope of practice. Do they not require you to be ACLS certified? A nurse must be ACLS certified to shock

I'm not trying to argue but I don't beleive a nurse has to complete an ACLS course in order to use an defibrillate with an AED (which is contained on most non-ER/OR/PACU/ICU crash carts). In my hospital, we have to have current ACLS cards in the ICU and we are the only nurses who can use a manual defibrillator but as a member of the code/response team I certainly would expect a nurse who called a code on the floor or in a clinic to have defibbed a shockable rhythm.
I do agree that it's strange for an ICU/ER nurse going on 10 years to ask if it's in our scope of practice.

[Miami NightNurse]

yeah you are right you do not have to be ACLS to use AED

[blueheaven]

Absofreakinglutely!!! I've defibbed a few here and there and will continue to do so if anyone needs it! Been a couple of times, the patient would have died if we waited on the doc to get there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rgroyer1RNBSN]

Oh I think nurses should defib. Im an ICU house Sup., I was just trying to get a new topic started off we could discuss, that, and the fact we have one nurse from the old days whos semi-retired who doesnt think alot of things nurses should be doing-lol, shes always starting good topics in the unit lol.

[rgroyer1RNBSN]

Believe me, Im acls, pals, yata, yata yata, I just wanted to know opinions, thats all. And yes I defib., People all the time, the fact Im on the code team and trauma team, and the great and wonderful rapid response team-lol.

[SEOBowhntr]

Originally Posted by rgroyer1RNBSN

Oh I think nurses should defib. Im an ICU house Sup., I was just trying to get a new topic started off we could discuss, that, and the fact we have one nurse from the old days whos semi-retired who doesnt think alot of things nurses should be doing-lol, shes always starting good topics in the unit lol.

This is WHY older nurses need to keep up on CONTINUING EDUCATION!!! I worked with a nurse several years ago that remembers the first archaic defibs when they lit people on fire because they really weren't 100% sure what they were doing. We've come a LONG way since then, but she unlike the "semi-retired" nurse had stayed up on times, and I watched her defib a couple of patient in the 18 or so months I worked with her. That's kind of how we got on the subject of the olden days when the patient had to be "extinguished" to continue the resuscitative efforts.