New Grad Peds CTICU

[_HopefulNurse_]

Hello everyone!

I will be starting a new grad residency at a children's hospital for their CTICU. I wanted to get advice on any good reading material that can help me prepare for the position or even a good reference guide for when I am working.

I have seen many mention the book: Manual of Perioperative Care in Adult Cardiac Surgery by Bojar....but I'm not sure if that mostly only helpful for adult patients.

Does anyone have any recommendations for books that are specific to peds?

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

Oh my, yes... you need a peds-specific resource. The surgeries kids have are VERY different from those adults have. AACN's Core Curriculum for Pediatric Critical Care has some great chapters on cardiac surgery. There's also an Illustrated Field Guide to Congenital Heart Disease and Repair on Amazon that isn't horrendously expensive but should meet your needs. Best wishes!

[VXD4722]

Cincinnati Children's Hospital has an online encyclopedia of congenital heart defects with information on diagnosis/treatment/management etc. with videos that you might find helpful!

[Julius Seizure]

Congratulations on the new job! Peds cardiac is super challenging but super rewarding. I would brush up on some of the most commonly used medications, both daily ones and emergency ones. Here are some that come to mind:

Lasix, diuril

Aspirin

Enalapril

Propranolol, atenolol

Milrinone (continuous infusion)

Epinephrine (continuous infusion)

Nicardipine (continuous infusion)

Dopamine (continuous infusion)

Amiodarone (continuous infusion)

Do a little review of EKG rhythms. There are good websites out there, I just don't know any specific ones offhand. Maybe check Khan Academy. Obviously know the big ones - asystole, V-fib, V-tach. Also look at heart block, SVT, and junctional ectopic tachycardia.

Finally, I would recommend this website as a easy-to-read review of heart defects and surgical repairs: Congenital Heart Disease - Cove Point Foundation | Johns Hopkins Children's Hospital

And here is my favorite "pocket sized" reference book for congenital heart disease:

Illustrated Field Guide to Congenital Heart Disease and Repair

Make the most out of your orientation, don't be afraid to ask stupid questions. Find resources where you can look things up that you don't know. Good luck!

[chare]

[...]

Make the most out of your orientation, don't be afraid to ask stupid questions...

I liked what you had written until this (emphasis added). There is no such thing as a stupid question. I would rather answer 99 questions, regardless of how "silly" the person asking might think; rather than have someone not ask, for fear of being though silly, and a bad outcome occur.

Even if one is asking the same question, day after day, it's not stupid if the person asking truly doesn't know or understand; although it should prompt further investigation as to why the concepts aren't being grasped.

[_HopefulNurse_]

Thank you everyone for your input! I really appreciate it. I don't start the position until September and my brain is getting restless. I finished school in April and my brain misses learning. I will definitely start going over EKG, common meds, and understanding how the heart changes from fetal to newborn. I feel like that would be a good start while I'm waiting.