Aspiring CCU Nurse

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Hi! I am starting a new grad cardiac nurse residency next month. I will rotate through four cardiac units and after 5 months, will be placed on one of the four. I have been a tech for several years, and am still picking up hours all over our cardiac units. I am absolutely positive that CCU is my dream job. I love everything about it so much that I forget I am at work while I am there. I am so happy to have found my passion in nursing, and now I just want to prepare myself as much as possible before the residency begins. They will take one or two out of our group of new grads after our residency, and I really want to be one that they take.

I plan to keep a note pad to write down things to look up after each day on the unit. I also plan to ask lots of questions and try to soak in everything I can while I am rotating through.

Does anyone have any suggestions for good reads to prepare for CCU as a new grad? Any great websites? And definitely any suggestions for the time I am there!

Thanks in advance!!

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Would love to hear some tips, too. I start a new grad internship in the CCU on June 16th! :) I hope you end up in the CCU like you want! Good luck!

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Specializes in Cardiac.
Would love to hear some tips, too. I start a new grad internship in the CCU on June 16th! :) I hope you end up in the CCU like you want! Good luck!

Awesome! Good luck to you, too!

I have been working as a tech in the CCU until the cardiac residency begins... love it! I am trying to pick up on what to learn... I think the biggest thing is to make sure you know your cardiac meds, body systems and how they relate to the heart, effect of surgery on the kidneys, vent care and know at least a little about different devices/machines like the iabp. I come home and look things up every day...

Good luck :-))

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Specializes in Critical Care.

- Know how your drugs work and what you would want to use and why you would pick one thing over the other.

- We give a lot of crap in the CCU, you really should know how each drug works and what the effects you may or may not see.

- Understand the pathophys of different heart issues, heart failure, Severe AS, MR, AR, cardiomyopathies etc

- Know your machines, how they work and what they are doing and how to monitor them because just looking at a screen with a bunch of waveforms means nothing if you have no idea what they are telling you.

- If using swans know how to read the waves, and know the appropriate pressures

- If you don't know something ask, the worst thing you can do is be silent. If you don't have questions thats a problem, and tells me you don't get it or that your brain dead.

- Don't do something because a doctor tells you do, you really need to understand the why of what you are doing.

- Don't response with 'I know'. It kills me when people I precept tell me 'Oh I know' Well crap! if you knew then you would have done it right?

- Bottomline, be a sponge, you're not going to learn everything in your short time in the ICUs. IT takes years to become a seasoned ICU RN. Just learn, and don't be afraid to take really really really sick patients. You'll be a better nurse because of it.

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Thank you!!

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Specializes in Cardiac.
- Know how your drugs work and what you would want to use and why you would pick one thing over the other.

- We give a lot of crap in the CCU, you really should know how each drug works and what the effects you may or may not see.

- Understand the pathophys of different heart issues, heart failure, Severe AS, MR, AR, cardiomyopathies etc

- Know your machines, how they work and what they are doing and how to monitor them because just looking at a screen with a bunch of waveforms means nothing if you have no idea what they are telling you.

- If using swans know how to read the waves, and know the appropriate pressures

- If you don't know something ask, the worst thing you can do is be silent. If you don't have questions thats a problem, and tells me you don't get it or that your brain dead.

- Don't do something because a doctor tells you do, you really need to understand the why of what you are doing.

- Don't response with 'I know'. It kills me when people I precept tell me 'Oh I know' Well crap! if you knew then you would have done it right?

- Bottomline, be a sponge, you're not going to learn everything in your short time in the ICUs. IT takes years to become a seasoned ICU RN. Just learn, and don't be afraid to take really really really sick patients. You'll be a better nurse because of it.

Thank you!!!!

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Welcome. Best of Luck!

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I just got hired into an ICU as a New Grad. I bought a reference book on amazon (there are many so just search through a few). I plan on taking notes during my orientation shifts. Before I start, and during I plan on using a spiral bound index card booklet and making shortcuts for different machines and disease process or unfamiliar drugs.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I also forgot something to add and this is just something you'll pick up as you become a seasoned ICU RN.

- Learn how to talk to people. What i mean is, learn how to not sugar coat things and tell people the reality of what is going on. I just put myself in their shoes, would I want someone to blow smoke up my butt or would I want them to tell me the seriousness of what going on? Some people don't get it, they think that being in the ICU is nothing and that despite the fact that their loved one has some potentially fatal disease process going on they just don't get it. Many a times I've had to reiterate to family members that their family member who is on ECMO that is the END OF THE LINE. There is nothing more in modern medicine that I can do, at some point their body (the patients, that is) needs to kick in and start working. The machines are support (well maybe except for a CRRT) but you get the point. Bottom line, be honest with people.

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