CCU/HDU units similar to Cardiac IMC/Telemetry

[Shiloh06]

A question for Aussie nurses, are coronary care units and high dependency units similar to cardiac telemetry and IMC units in the USA? I work cardic telemetry/IMC and would like to work on a similiar unit in Australia. I currently work on a 36 bed all monitored unit and our patient population includes CHF, chest pain, pre and post op cardiac catheterization, MIs, cardiac arrthymias, pacemaker/AICD placement and post op CABG, value repair and lung transplant from ICU.

Our nurse to patient ratios are 1:4 for tele and 1:3 for IMC and we do have multi functional techs that assist with ADLs and VS.

I am looking at moving to Australia Jan 2013, hopefully Melbourne but also looking at Brisbane and Sydney, but my fear of Sydney is that i will not be able to manage on a nurse's salary looking at the cost of living lol.

Any information on which hospitals to look at and ones to stay away from will be helpful.

Thanks

Shiloh

[Mopples]

I work in admin on a 26 bed cardiac ward in Sydney. All of our beds are monitored etc. we have a ratio of 1:4 on mornings, 1:5 on afternoons and 1:7 on nights I think. There is also a ccu unit with 12 monitored beds and a ratio of 1:2 from memory. We also have a icu & hdu department on other floors.

I live comfortably on an admin wage in Sydney and I think the nurses I work with manage quite well. I will be registered in 12 months and sticking to my budget, I will be comfortable enough.

[gogirlgo]

As a psych nurse, just thought I should mention that in Australia CCU can stand for Community Care Unit and HDU for High Dependency Unit which are Mental Health units.

But I am sure that they were cardiac jobs you were looking at!

Good luck.

[K+MgSO4, BSN]

Hi in general nursing CCU is coronary care unit & HDU is high dependency unit. alot of abbreviation have multiple meanings to me PAC can be post acute care, pre admissions clinic or pressure area care

[K+MgSO4, BSN]

I know that my hospital CCU are monitored beds for non ventilated pts.

HDU beds vary our neuro surg ward has neuro HDU beds, ICU has HDU beds for a interim between ICU & the ward. Things that cannot be run on the ward such as inotrops, BiPAP etc

Most CCF is not monitored.

It is officially spring in Melbourne tomorrow!

[Shiloh06]

Thanks mopples, k+mgso4 and gogirlgo for your input. I have signed up with a nursing agency and told them what am looking for and hopefully they can find the right job for me.