CVICU Shadowing

[mrigas]

I will be shadowing a CVICU nurse next month and was wondering if you guys had any tips on making the most out of my experience. Thanks!

[papawjohn]

Hey mrigas

Best advice I can think of is not to just stand in the background and watch. Put your stethoscope on the Pt's chest. Put your hands on his skin--learn to 'feel' the difference as he warms up post-op, as the pressors are weaned. Offer to pull blood from lines, to shoot cardiac outputs, etc. Be forward--you have a job to do to, learning.

And relax, it's not as scary as it might look.

Papaw John

[wonderbee, BSN, RN]

I'm coming to the end of my clinical preceptorship in CVICU. It has been an eye opening experience and not a place for the timid. It's been interesting to say the least. I am so impressed by the knowledge fund of the CV nurses and the way they can assess a situation quickly and know just what is needed. Thankfully I've had a lot of hands-on, got to shoot cardiac indexes, draw blood from lines, start IVs, etc. I can't hold a candle to them but it felt great that they included me as part of their team!

I agree with Papaw John... roll up your sleeves and get in the show.

[AfloydRN, BSN, RN]

If you get a great RN- ask her to explain WHY you are doing something not just tell you to do it. Tell her you are more than willing to be hands on and want to learn

[augigi, CNS]

I agree - the hardest thing to learn in CVICU is the order to do things in, and why. Experienced nurses tend to be able to "eyeball" the patient and monitor and know "instinctively" what to do (years of experience, not instinct!). Make sure you know what is wrong with the patient, so you can add what you're doing to what's wrong with them, and come up with rationale for your actions.

[Summitk2]

If you get a great RN- ask her to explain...

Tell her you are more than willing...

And if the great RN is a guy, be sure to address him as a guy!

Thanks, and good luck!