What is it like working on an Surgery Trauma unit as a tech?

Sour Lemon · May 16, 2018

Just curious. I see job postings for a surgery trauma unit all the time at a level one trauma center. What does the job require? I already work as a tech and do the basics. Would it differ on this unit?

Differ from what? What sort of unit are you working on now? The state you're working in, your scope of practice, and your facility policies may also make a difference. ER techs at one hospital may insert IVs and foleys. At another, they may be forbidden from preforming those tasks.

LanaG94 · May 17, 2018

I work in an orthopedic/med-surg unit. In my unit we check blood sugars, vitals, perform EKG testing, bladder scans, empty drains, do foley care, assist with adls, etc. Working in orthopedics has really drained the life out of me. Not that I don't enjoy taking care of patients, but I didn't heed the warning about orthopedics being rough. We had mostly patients who end up being total care. Some due to surgery, most of the rest due to age. I am looking for a change. Also, its just getting repetitive. I was looking for a wide array of patients in different scenarios to care for. A fresh new challenge. :)

SeasonedTech · May 17, 2018

I work med-surg. I do everything you do except EKGs. It's hard, fast paced and draining. I've been in nursing for over 20 years and I've worked in every setting, Psych is my fav but working in a drug& alcohol detox rehab center was the easiest. We work our as$es off, don't we!!!

RNperdiem, RN · May 17, 2018

We love our CNAs in surgery/trauma ICU. The techs here are crosstrained to cover unit secretary tasks, so when you are not helping the nurses, you are answering the phones, printing forms and ordering supplies.

In my ICU, CNAs do not do vital signs, empty foley bags or many of the things you mentioned; the nurses do those.

What keeps you busy is assisting the nurses with turning the patients every 2 hours, helping the nurses boost patients up in bed, helping with log-rolling patients on full-spine precautions, helping get people out of bed to the chair, helping turn and clean poop, helping slide patients on to the stretcher and pushing the stretcher to CT scan, MRI or wherever the test is.

The work is still pretty physical since almost all of our patients here are total care. The nurse is almost always assisting you.

Between the secretarial chores, and patient turning, our techs are also our equipment wranglers. If we need a rapid infuser or something like that, CNA knows were to find it. They keep our bedside supply carts stocked too.