CTICU Orientee With Tons of Questions

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Hello,

I am a CTICU orientee. While I feel like I have been improving, I have so many questions and areas where I lack confidence.

I no longer feel intimidated by multiple drips, IABPs, CVVHD, and other technical aspects of the job. However, as I am a new grad my hesitancy in more basic nursing tasks (like peri-care and moving patients from bed to chair and back) are holding me back.

So I would like to ask if anybody has a systematic way of disconnecting patients and moving them between bed and chair. This is an example of a task which I should be able to do independently by now, which my own fears and insecurities are preventing me from doing.

I have so many other questions and I hope to ask them on allnurses. It seems I am too busy to ask them all on my shift. I also don't want to burden my preceptors with questions, or ask questions which may make others perceive as me not keeping up with my peers.

Thanks.

-Don

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I always have a second person to assist with tube/line management when transferring a pt from bed/chair/bed. I can't assist with the transfer AND manage all the lines, chest tubes, foley, whatevers- I've witnessed some super nurses do it, but I know my limitations!

That being said, before I holler for a hand, I make sure all my tubing is going to reach. Extension tubing on the oxygen, on the gtts if needed. Chair/bed locked. Foley empty. Post-op pt pre-medicated for pain :0) Monitor cables detangled.

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I remove whatever I can. If there are any TKO lines, capp them off. If I have a CVP or PA monitoring, those aren't always necessary while in a sling. Obviously you need to use your critical thinking to know what can disconnect and what can't. Then get it all set up when you're settled in the chair. In the end, it can still turn into a tangled mess and I need to untangle anyways.

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In the end, it can still turn into a tangled mess and I need to untangle anyways.

...and then the lines will all magically self-tangle into a web of hell within minutes of leaving the room!

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