Anyone at Keesler Medical Center?

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I know Keesler has changed alot since Katrina, but I'm curious what services are back or coming back soon. I'm hoping to eventually get my ICU identifier at some point if I get selected. I'd love to hear from anyone that's there right now. I'll be filling out my wish list next week. Thanks in advance!

Specializes in Med/Onc, Med/Surg, Stepdown, ICU.

Well, I'm here now. It's definitely not closing anytime soon or going down to a clinic. They're actually building a new tower that's going to house a new ICU, ER, and some med/surg floors. That should open in about a year and a half (I'm guess that means at least 3 years, but who am I to say?!!) :) Most of the services are back to pre-Katrina. The hospital looks great! What else do you want to know??

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
Well, I'm here now. It's definitely not closing anytime soon or going down to a clinic. They're actually building a new tower that's going to house a new ICU, ER, and some med/surg floors. That should open in about a year and a half (I'm guess that means at least 3 years, but who am I to say?!!) :) Most of the services are back to pre-Katrina. The hospital looks great! What else do you want to know??

What is the current inpatient census average there? I am stationed with someone who just left there a couple of months ago that was there pre and post katrina and they are still saying Keesler is nothing like it used to be.

Walter Reed closes next year and they just built a multi-million dollar ICU renovation....

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Anything about L&D there? Or NTP?

*Shakin' in my boots* : )

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Specializes in Med/Onc, Med/Surg, Stepdown, ICU.

I'm sorry...I thought I answered this already! These first few months in the Air Force have kept me so busy!! :) Anyways...there are 56 inpatient beds (this includes the medical floor, surgical floor, ICU, and mother/baby). ICU has 6 beds right now, but changes depending on staffing. KMC is the second as far as deployment goes.

Every high ranking officer that was introduced to us during orientation has said that Keesler is almost back to pre-Katrina. I wasn't active duty when Katrina hit, so I can't speak from personal experience. I was a dependent a few years before Katrina. From that perspective, the hospital looks like it did before, with the exception of the basement and 1st floor being painted. They just opened a new Radiation/Oncology center outside the ER. And of course, I already mentioned the new tower. I'm still too new to be an "expert," and inspection is this week, so things are not "normal" right now, if that makes any sense. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm doing. :D

There is an L&D department, but I think the big L&D base is Wright Patt. I do know they have NTP here. Hope that helps a little.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
I'm sorry...I thought I answered this already! These first few months in the Air Force have kept me so busy!! :) Anyways...there are 56 inpatient beds (this includes the medical floor, surgical floor, ICU, and mother/baby). ICU has 6 beds right now, but changes depending on staffing. KMC is the second as far as deployment goes.

Every high ranking officer that was introduced to us during orientation has said that Keesler is almost back to pre-Katrina. I wasn't active duty when Katrina hit, so I can't speak from personal experience. I was a dependent a few years before Katrina. From that perspective, the hospital looks like it did before, with the exception of the basement and 1st floor being painted. They just opened a new Radiation/Oncology center outside the ER. And of course, I already mentioned the new tower. I'm still too new to be an "expert," and inspection is this week, so things are not "normal" right now, if that makes any sense. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm doing. :D

There is an L&D department, but I think the big L&D base is Wright Patt. I do know they have NTP here. Hope that helps a little.

There were around 20 something ICU beds alone at Keesler at one time. There is no need to take my word for it goto the ICU there sometime and count all the rooms that used to be patient rooms. There used to be two nurse managers for the ICU. One manager for the medical ICU and one manager for the surgical side.

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Specializes in Med/Onc, Med/Surg, Stepdown, ICU.

Wow, I guess it's not what it used to be!! There are alot of "storage" rooms and one hallway is outpatient dialysis. I think that used to be part of the ICU too.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
Wow, I guess it's not what it used to be!! There are alot of "storage" rooms and one hallway is outpatient dialysis. I think that used to be part of the ICU too.

Yep they had just started putting the dialysis stuff over there when I left. Now the clinic side is probably up to pre-katrina levels, but what do us inpatient nurses care about that.....lol

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Specializes in all.

I am curious.. At the smaller ICUs (Keesler, Wright patt, etc..) what happens when the census gets low or zero? If you only have a 6 bed ICU and few or no patients what do the nurses do? I know in civilian hospitals the nurses get floated or downstaffed, but what do military nurses do? I was told during my interview that ICU nurses do not float, but with no patients -- I am still attempting to wrap my brain around the differences between civilian vs military nursing.

Thanks!!!

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Specializes in Med/Onc, Med/Surg, Stepdown, ICU.

I've only been at Keesler for a few months (at ASBC right now), so I haven't spent a whole lot of time on the floor. But from asking other nurses that have been there for a while, ICU nurses don't typically float. If we have a lot of people deployed, we shut down beds. If we don't have patients, we take that time to get our extra duties done (not totally sure what all those are yet). You never know when something's going to happen that will require ICU staff (code, rapid response call). So even if we have no patients, we have enough staff there to take care of emergencies.

P.S. I'm responding to this from a cell phone, so I'm sorry if something I typed doesn't make sense! :)

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Can anyone tell me about the mother/baby unit? And is NTP different for Ob/gyn than it is for med surg?

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I've only been at Keesler for a few months (at ASBC right now), so I haven't spent a whole lot of time on the floor. But from asking other nurses that have been there for a while, ICU nurses don't typically float. If we have a lot of people deployed, we shut down beds. If we don't have patients, we take that time to get our extra duties done (not totally sure what all those are yet). You never know when something's going to happen that will require ICU staff (code, rapid response call). So even if we have no patients, we have enough staff there to take care of emergencies.

P.S. I'm responding to this from a cell phone, so I'm sorry if something I typed doesn't make sense! :)

Does anyone at Keesler use a PDA and/or find it helpful to have one? I'm considering selling mine as I have never used it but maybe some of the nurses there will have some direction on what programs are good and where to get them? Or do you think the clinical support is sufficient enough not to need this type of gadget?

Thanks : )

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
Does anyone at Keesler use a PDA and/or find it helpful to have one? I'm considering selling mine as I have never used it but maybe some of the nurses there will have some direction on what programs are good and where to get them? Or do you think the clinical support is sufficient enough not to need this type of gadget?

Thanks : )

Most people/providers use their smart phones for electronic references.

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