Any Tips for Cardio/Thoracic ICU Preceptorship?

Specialties CCU

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Hi everyone,

I'm a fourth semester RN student (almost done!) and was lucky enough to land a preceptorship in the CT ICU. I want to learn and help as much as possible. I know some of you may have preceptored students currently or in the past. Does anyone have any tips for me so I can learn alot in a short time (140 hours). I don't want to drive my preceptor crazy! I appreciate any tips anyone can give me. Thanks alot!

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I also landed this great preceptorship my final semester and I learned more in 180 hours than I learned in all the rest of nursing school combined.

My tips:

1. Show up 10 minutes before your preceptor each day. Get the patient assignment and look up the unfamliar meds in a med guide.

2. Do self-study on EKG waveforms and hemodynamics. If you google around on places like accn.org and journal of critical care you can read a lot of free articles. I was near top in my BSN class but we didn't take a critical care class so I knew nothing about ventilators or end-title CO2 or swan-gans catheters etc. I spent at least an hour or two every day reading up on advanced monitoring so I could keep up with what my preceptor was talking about.

3. You are in a great place to ask questions. Your preceptor will only have 1-2 patients so there should be more time to explain things to you. If you feel you have questions at inappropriate times jot them down on your clipboard or notebook to ask later (always take notes!)

4. Never turn down the chance to try a procedure since you'll have a preceptor right there to make sure you don't do anything wrong. I got to assist/pull a set of chest tubes on my second shift and by the end of my 6 weeks I got to pull tubes solo while my preceptor watched. I also got to pull ET tubes, do continuous hemodialysis, change LVAD dressings, shoot cardiac outputs and a LOT of cool stuff most nursing students never even see.

You are going to love your preceptorship :)

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probally the best online hemodynamic monitoring site is http://www.pacep.org

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I do will be starting in cardiac, any suggestions will help. I'm lucky my instructor made use learn vents, hemodynamics, and ekg. I checked out PACEP.com and it is very helpful.

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become an amoeba, shut-up listen and absorb everything, because truly you don't know as much as you think you do. I don't mean that insultingly. It is just a fact, I've been doing cv for fifteen years and still am learning. Good Luck

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