Any good advice for someone starting into an SICU unit?

NICU_RN_CN · Jan 26, 2006

Know your drugs and pay close attention to your pt. Dont always trust your monitors. The ICU setting is a really great environment and where I have worked we are always a close knit group and never mind helping one another. Stay positive and you'll do fine.

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Jan 26, 2006

Have you goneto http://www.icufaqs.org ?

One of our members has some teaching articles that are very helpful for anyone wanting to sharpen their critical care skills.

JiffyGriff · Jan 27, 2006

Keep the advice coming, I grad. in May and just got hired into my hospitals ICU, which is sweet cuz I'm only the second new grad they've ever taken. From what I understand they are going to send me to a tele class, ACLS, and a critical care course, then I have a 90 day orientation period where I work with another RN that is teaching me, kind of like a prolonged preceptorship for school. Anyways with that long an orientation period I think I should learn everything just fine. I'm good with all the general patient care stuff and noting changes n such I just need to get all the critical care aspects down, basically all of our monitoring techiques, vents, CCRT, etc....... Can't wait! :rolleyes:

nursing 101 · Jan 28, 2006

Thanks for all the advice guys!:)

I will need it. Please keep it coming... As we are new grads and we want to try our best!

JiffyGriff · Jan 28, 2006

So I actually got some time to go sifting through that icufaqs website. Whoever made that really spent some time on the writeups and they are great, I would suggest anyone to review from that, not only new grads and students but seasoned nurses alike, there is a lot of good information there.

yeSICU · Feb 21, 2006

I have the MICU nursing FAQ book (sold on the same site) and its awesome. I am prepping for my senior clinicals in the SICU which begin on Wed (yikes). Its a great resource my friend happened upon and shared with me.

The Sphynx · Feb 21, 2006

1) Don't be intimidated and don't let the Type-A's bully you

2) Learn all that you can but don't go too fast (Don't get ahead of yourself)

3) Trust but Verify. Check the patient and not the machines.

4) Stay with your assigned preceptor. If you are being jerked from one preceptor to another: Everyone is going to tell you that you are doing it wrong cause that's not the way they learned it. They will then start bitching

and questioning your skills to the manager (when they don't question the preceptor).

5) Stay the course with your routine and remain systomatic. Assessment, meds, charting notes ect... so that you stay on track and not miss anything.

It's sink, swim or float (do the latter two).

AbsolutJD · Feb 23, 2006

Definitely get a plan of organization for your shift- that's prolly the most important thing in the ICU; if you get behind, you're in trouble. I write codes for everything I have scheduled to do on my flowsheets at the top, that way as I'm writing my vitals I'll see what I need to do. Heh, also, I remember one of my preceptors telling me to add I&O's every hour, don't wait until the end of the shift... to this day I don't always do that, but its a good idea.

Know who your resources are... they will be so important when you need help. **If you're not sure about something always ask!

Make sure not to forget that your patient is a person... sometimes that gets lost. Try to take the time to do something special for them.

Keep up a sense of humor... sometimes the only way to deal w/ the frustrations, stresses, and bad things is to laugh about them... even tho sometimes that can be inappropriate it still helps.

Buy a little calculator you can clip onto your name band (I got mine at Staples), get pens that have black and red ink in them so you don't have to carry both, steal some TEDs from your hospital and save your legs .

Don't freak out when something "bad" happens... usually in the ICU you can fix most of those bad things so no sense in freaking out. :)

As fas as specific to SICU... they are pretty sick patients. I float through surgical, medical, cardiothoracic, and burn/trauma ICUs at my hospital... and SICU is by far the toughest one. Prepare yourself to work your mind and your body hard. Our SICU has the biggest patients. Watch how the nurses there handle their time, pick up tips from people who have been there a while. Not to scare you though, SICU is a fun ICU b/c I enjoy taking a sick patient... you can learn a lot. Usually when my day ends I really feel like you've done a lot of good. In comparison to our MICU where I'm bored out of my mind usually No offense to MICU people, I just like the sick ones. . Burn/trauma would be my favorite... you get a really sick but they usually aren't so huge and fluid overloaded.

Good luck~

oldiebutgoodie, RN · Feb 24, 2006

Keep an eye on your drips--Levophed, Propofol, Insulin, etc, etc. Make sure to get new bags from the pharmacy before they run out!! In my hospital, the pharmacy can get really pokey, so I order some of these 2 hours before they may run out.

Get acquainted with whatever tool the unit has for checking IV drug compatibility, such as Micromedics (on the computer).

Feel free to kick family members out of the room when doing an assessment, starting an IV, etc., so you don't feel additional pressure. One of my preceptors asked them to take a break, get a cup of coffee, whatever, so it didn't sound sinister.

Take your time giving your meds. Don't let people rush you through giving meds (unless, of course, it is necessary).

Good luck!

Oldiebutgoodie

nursing 101 · Feb 25, 2006

Thanks guys for everything,

The day is fastly approaching and I am getting kinda scared!

But I know I will put my all in this because this is what I want to do!