Canadian Burn Nurses?

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Specializes in Wound Care , Foot Care,and Geriatrics.

Hi,

Hello, I am wondering of there are any Canadian burn nurses out there? I am a nursing student and trying to get into burn nursing. I have read "Burn Unit" and reading everything I can get my hands on. Any recommendations for reading, courses, etc? Also what skills would you say are the most important to focus on as a new nurse trying to get into the Burn Unit? Thank-you for your input.

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Specializes in Advanced Practice, surgery.

I've moved this to the Canadian forum, you may get more responses in there than in the Burns forum

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

I don't think the Canadian part is the focus here, but oh well...

Burn unit nursing is very hard emotionally because of the extreme pain burns cause. Nurses quickly develop skills in assessing pain, performing aspects of care in such a way as to minimize the pain created by those care aspects and non-pharmacological methods for relieving pain. They also are proficient at maintaining sterile technique, since burn patients are at extraordinarily high risk for infection. They have an indepth knowledge of the fluid, metabolic and nutritional demands burns create. And they're highly skilled in the area of psychological care for people who have suffered severely disfiguring injuries. (None of that has anything to do with being Canadian...)

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Jan, do we even have a "burn unit" in Edmonton? I've heard of burn patients over at the Glenrose and on Plastics but never a specific unit. Don't they usually wind up in ICU?

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

There's a burn unit on 3C at the U. They take adults in any condition and stable, extubated peds (PICU gets the sick peds burns, about 2-4 a year - in Winnipeg PICU sees quite a few more). 3C sends many of their patients to the Glenrose once they're ready for rehab, which can be extensive.

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So, basically the number of jobs on burn units are extremely low?

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Specializes in acute care med/surg, LTC, orthopedics.

The Ottawa Hospital houses the Regional Burn Centre and Sunnybrook in Toronto has a well established burn unit.

OP, I think you might be limiting yourself if you're only interesting in working in burns.

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Specializes in Wound Care , Foot Care,and Geriatrics.

Thank-you for all your feedback. Only one person per class is placed in the Burn Unit, I am hoping to acquire some great experience. Where I live we have a designated Burn Unit in addition to complex wound care. I really enjoy this forum. I will let everyone know how it goes!

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I know for a fact that there is a specific Burn Unit in the Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, AB. I respect your decision to want to go into burn nursing. I would become far too emotional. =]

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