Definitive Care Unit

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in Transitional ICU, Neuro/Trauma ICU.

Hi everyone,

One of the hospitals in my area has a DCU - Definitive Care Unit. Does anyone know what DCU is? Is it the same as stepdown ICU or Transitional ICU or Progressive Care Unit as they call it in other hospitals?

I have over 4 yrs experience in Transitional ICU & interested in one hospital with an opening in DCU. I just want to make sure that it's a critical care unit before I apply for the position. Thanks!

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Specializes in Infectious Disease, Neuro, Research.

I wish it were a place you could go that was "Definitive" vs. AIDET, EXCEL, Magnet,:D alas, you are generally correct:crying2::

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-definitive-observation-unit.htm

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At my hospital the offical name for our unit is "Definitive Observation" but we all call it "Telemetry". All of our patients are on heart monitors. Basically a stepdown from ICU and more critical than med/surg. We get "stable" patients with chest pain, CVA/TIA, arrythmias, COPD, PE's etc. We have a whole section of rooms for post CABG's after they have left the ICU. We also get pre/post op patients that are high risk, as well as med/surg patients whose BP can not be controled and pretty much anything else else in between. Hope this helps :)

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.

Why the name "definitive?" Are the other units just guessing? OK, so that was kinda lame...but, really, why "definitive?"

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Specializes in Psych , Peds ,Nicu.

Its wonderful the names our superiors come up with isn't it . Sorry I know that is not a definitive opinion ;-).

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Specializes in DOU.

We have Definitive Observation Unit/DOU separate from the telemetry floor, although all DOU patients are also on telemetry. DOU patients are higher acuity than the tele patients, so the nurse:patient ratio is different.

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Nurses check the patients every FOUR hours????? :eek:

Why bother, if they're hooked up to tele? Just use a ping pong paddle to whack their meds to them....:D

Geez- basic med surg gets the nurse in there more often than that.....(this info from info link above).

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Specializes in DOU.
Nurses check the patients every FOUR hours????? :eek:

Why bother, if they're hooked up to tele? Just use a ping pong paddle to whack their meds to them....:D

Geez- basic med surg gets the nurse in there more often than that.....(this info from info link above).

HAH! We document about our patient's cardiac activity every four hours, but we have to do hourly rounding. Looks like Wisegeek (website) isn't so wise. :D

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