becoming a "Code blue" team nurse

[Nurse-One]

I'm in nursing school now.

I work nights as a unit secretary

and I've seen a couple of "code blue"

situation and I find that very interesting

to be in.

are there any nurses here that are on

the code blue or any type of "code" team

for emergency situations?

I'd like to know how to go about being

on a team like that after nursing school.

I was told that you'd have to be an ICU nurse

or a nursing supervisory or something....and i'm

sure I'd need a couple years of experience as a nurse first

any advice??

[EricJRN, MSN, RN]

A lot of times the team is made up of one or two people from various departments - like one ICU nurse, an ER MD, one respiratory therapist, one pharmacist, etc... Nurses from non-critical care areas might not participate on a code team. It varies a little bit at each facility.

[CritterLover, BSN, RN]

agree with the above -- it varies greatly from facility to facility. here, no one from the er responds, and i rarely see the nursing supervisor. usually the icu charge nurse comes, and sometimes other nurses from icu if they aren't too busy. always at least one respiratory therapist. other places i've worked at have been different.

i'm on the code team in my hospital, and it is because of my icu experience.

i would suggest that you get experience in either er or icu, and of course take an acls class.

when i was a new nurse, i found that doing the "recorder" role in codes was the best way to learn. i got experience in codes without having to worry about doing it wrong or getting in the way. before long, code interventions became second nature.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

When I was a supervisor the Code Blue Team included of a nurse from the ICU or CCU who was ACLS certified and came with a special box containing emergency drugs for the Code Blue. These were drugs not in the Crash Cart that only the ICU nurses can give that sometimes the docs at a code might order (such as Pavulon). The staff in the ICU decided who was going to respond to Codes at the beginning of the shift during report. All supervisors in the house and Security generally report to Code Blues as well.

• http://www.deaconess.com/body.cfm?id=1171
  
• http://www.uams.edu/AdminGuide/PDFs/Campus%20Ops%2011.4.12.pdf

[sissiesmama, ASN, RN]

At the facility where dh and I work, each unit assigns a staff member to be code blue, code red, code green, and code pink.

So, a nurse from each unit goes, add it adds up to quite a list

code nurse from each unit, adds up about 7 nurses just from the floors

ER doc

ER nurse

ICU or spec. proc. RN

nsg supervisor

lab tech

xray

resp therapist

EVERY nurse manager in the house

house orderly

a 2nd MD if someone is in house

Now that is already a _____ load of staff members trying to hoard in on a code situation where there is not usually a lot of extra room in the first place. All the managers usually contribute very little to the situation, and I'm not saying that to make anyone mad. I have even asked a manager standing right in front of the crash cart to pass me an epi dose to give, and someone else had to show her how to get the cart open, and which med I was requesting.

Now, if that wasn't enough to cause a train wreck, the hospital started having what they call clinical coordinators, one for each unit. So that adds an average of 7 or 8 people trying to either pile ineo the room, or congregate right outside the door, blocking the door sometimes.

May be just me, but an average of 22 to 24 staff members might be just a wee too much to try to fit into a code situation.

Anne, RNC:D

[JCCCNurseGrrl]

Where I work there are several code teams. They rotate by week, I believe - so they only respond every third week. We have 2-3 doctors, and several nurses, from all over the hospital. They carry a special beeper while on call. I believe they have all had experience in the ER and/or ICU. I would recommend speaking to a DON at one of your clinical locations - let her know it's a goal, and ask if she has any tips!