ECT Nurses where are you at?

[Topaz7]

I haven't had the chance to search all threads in the psych forum yet, so forgive me if this is a repeat. Just wondering how is the clinic where you work? What does the staff consist of? How do you like it, how long have you done it, what got you into it? The clinic I work in is run by a MSN (I have to brag she is the BEST boss in the world!) We have a nurse that 'admits' them in for the tx, then in the prep room we have a RN who starts all the IV's and a chaplain (we are a christian hospital not sure if all ECT clinics have one) and possibly a care provider if we have extra staff. In treatment room we have the Psychiatrist, Anesthesiologist and a RN, and then in recovery we have 3-4 staff depending and at least 1 is a RN, myself LPN, a caregiver or another RN. Treatments are usually done between 9:30 and noon. We only work M, W, TH, and F, no weekends no evenings, no holidays. Is this pretty much how it is everywhere? I've worked in ECT since Feb this year and I like it so far.

[bostonbakednurse]

Wow, that sounds like a great place to work! Are they hiring? lol

[Nurse Maru]

I'm not really an ECT RN, I work at an acute care psychiatric hospital that is located in a building about 1 mile from our hospital but we are technically considered just another "unit" - as though we were simply another floor on the hospital. I don't know how that works, but anyway, we send our ECT's to the big house for their treatment. They are usually accompanied by a Psych Tech (we call them Recovery Specialists) who basically facilitates transportation and provides a calm, familiar face. Immediate recovery takes place in the big house, we (RN's) assess and evaluate them Q1/2hr for 2 hours then Q4 hrs x 4 when they return to us at our facility. If they are having any trouble with BP, agitation, loss of balance, etc., we may put them on a one to one.

I love my facility. We constantly push for a climate of respect, non-coercion, and collaboration. Restraints have remained in the bag, in the closet for over 4 years now and the director is trying hard to do away with them altogether. Some of the best people I've ever met in my life work there, and I'm honored to be a part of the team.

[Topaz7]

It is pretty great! We are hiring per diems

Wow, that sounds like a great place to work! Are they hiring? lol

[Topaz7]

We are located in our acute care facility, we are affiliated with a local medical hospital and for those patients more medically unstable we send them to have their ECT tx down there otherwise we handle all of the inpatient and outpatient ECT tx's. We are currently looking into trialing a TMS chair. Are you a small facility?