guest239592

Latest Activity

1. Question from New Grad RN regarding ICU/first job

   guest239592 replied to Benj2610's topic in MICU

   Worked in a high-risk 30 bed CVICU as a new grad for 3 years and am in anesthesia school now. I work with PACU nurses on a daily basis and I have never met a PACU RN who was not required to be an ICU nurse first (jobs I've generally seen posted requi...

2. How do you master inotrope titrations?

   guest239592 replied to Veronica22715's topic in Critical

3. Malpractice Insurance

   guest239592 replied to texasmum's topic in General Nursing

   I worked in a high-risk CVICU for 3 years, looked into a variety of insurance options. Ended up going with AACN's endorsed (and discounted for members and certified nurses) proliability (formally The Marsh Group). Looked into NSO, but I liked proliab...

4. When did you figure out your specialty?

   guest239592 replied to tortorRN's topic in General Nursing

   Started in a high-risk cardiothoracic ICU as a new grad, did that for about 3 years (Sounds short I know, but when I left I was a vet on that unit, probably could count 20 people who started AFTER me who had left BEFORE me! High turnover...) Anyway,...

5. How did you handle your first patient dying?

   guest239592 replied to rubato's topic in Relations

   My first patient death was the summer after my junior year in nursing school when I was a Summer III intern at Mayo Clinic in one of their ICUs. The pt was in septic shock admitted from the floor, fairly young, and within 2 hours of being admitted in...

6. The worst code you've seen?

   guest239592 replied to jesshopper12's topic in CCU

   Where do I start?? Too Many... This one though has stuck with me for awhile (wasn't my pt thank God) Transferred a pt to our unit at 2300 from small outlier hosp with initial unstable angina, suspect non-ST MI which was relieved by a nitro drip (the ...

7. CSC Exam in a couple weeks. Need advice!

   guest239592 replied to KymmD77's topic in CCU

   Believe me you have more than enough experience to take the exam. A lot of it is integration of clinical picture (pt signs and symptoms, swan numbers, drips) to intervention. I worked in a CVICU as a new grad for 1.5 years when I took my CSC (2 mont...

8. Book recommendations!

   guest239592 replied to hanalei321's topic in CCU

   Cardiac Surgery Essentials for Critical Care Nursing (search on Amazon). It LITERALLY takes you step by step through the entire postoperative process for CV surgical patients, addresses multiple patient populations (CABG, OFCABG, Valve patients, Tran...

9. CSC Exam

   guest239592 replied to NeuroNP's topic in CCU

   I feel like I had a somewhat similar experience to you (2 yrs CVICU experience when I took the CSC, (started in CV as a new grad so only experience I had), passed CCRN 2 months prior to taking CSC, and also wanted practice ?s/exam) so here's my advi...

10. This is EXACTLY why I don't like taking Verbal orders

    guest239592 replied to OnlybyHisgraceRN's topic in Safety

    In this situation, the physician is not acting appropriately or in the best interest of his patient. As others have posted, check your hospital's policy because most are taking a hardline stance against this kind of behavior as it does lead to more m...

11. Swan-Ganz Use

    guest239592 replied to TexRN08's topic in CCU

    Here's my take, as many of the posters have previously said, depends on your facility, Docs, and diagnosis. I work at the largest hospital in the state with the largest CVICU in the state taking the most critically sick patients. Since we put a Swan ...

12. St. Mary's University of Minnesota CRNA Interview

    guest239592 replied to fyjsvw's topic in SRNA

    I'm in as well!!! Congrats to those who got in, as well as those on the waiting list. From Minneapolis originally (in Milwaukee now) Can't wait to get back home!

13. ? for CVICU Nurses!

    guest239592 replied to my2sons's topic in MICU

    Fent gtt with bolus orders on all patients, generally weaned off by morning if extubated, taking PO etc. Dilaudid while intubated Morphine 2-4mg IV q1hr Vicodin 1-2 tabs q4hr Oxycontin 5-10mg q2hr Torodol generally if pt is young, creat normal, has t...

14. staffing

    guest239592 replied to matthewrn03's topic in CCU

    I work in a high-risk CVICU (we do VAD, Transplant, IABP, CVVH, ECHMO etc. etc.). Machines with the exception of long-term VADs are always 1:1, though recently they've been starting to pair more fresh VADs (2-3 days out of surgery) with another patie...

15. If you were my preceptor......what should I know?!

    guest239592 replied to FLancaster11's topic in Critical

    I've been a nurse now for almost 2 years, like you I started out as a new grad in the highest risk cardiovascular intensive care unit in the state (What was I thinking!?!? :) I did have a summer internship at Mayo Clinic the previous summer in an IC...