First timer - Burn Unit

Glad your job is going well red.

renerian

Glad to here things are going well. I'm graduating in may and looking at starting on the burn unit. It's nice to know your a new graduate and loving it.

Here is some advice:

Stay hydrated and think pain management.

Welcome to the world of Burns!!

Hi all, I passed NCLEX & have just done my first two weeks in Burn ICU. Still trying to figure out whether I love it or hate it. My stomach seems to be ok ~ I've seen a few 90% burns, escharotomies, had patients die, all of that... but I had an experience the other day where I had to cause pain that really shook me up. I mean, here is this woman who has just finished telling me about her flower garden, & then I have to make her cry & beg me to stop. I wanted to give her more pain meds, but apparently she's very sensitive to morphine & they wanted to keep her at a level she could "tolerate". I suppose she tolerated it, afterwards she was fine... but it was very painful for both of us. I hated having to do that. If I could do it over perhaps I'd use some non-pharm methods, like visualization? I don't know. I'm trying to find a way to reconcile having to cause pain. Anyone out there have suggestions?

Just think that what you do now will shorten the pain later.

...and we can't take away all the pain now.

During a rotation at the UNC Burn Center in Chapel Hill NC I heard an amazing thing from a 90% burn survivor. He said.....

"Burn patients carry their scars on the outside for all the world to see. Burn nurses carry theirs on the inside where they are hidden."

I have worked with burns on/off for 15 years. The thing that amazed me is that if you medicate well enough, they state the treatments were fine. I took care of a 98% who screamed bloody murder and cursed me and everything to do with me during the debridements. After 2 hours in the tub room and then the 1 hour to complete the dressing change, I took a much needed break and when I returned he always said the dressing change was a piece of cake, thank you!

I love concious sedation and dilaudid push!

Now I work in a neuro ICU and its similar, causing pain. You do get used to it, but always be proud of the pain relief that you can bring them. Never shirk your duty to control it, just because you have a better tolerance for causing it.

I love concious sedation and dilaudid push!

for you or the patient? lol jk.

gotta love it.

for you or the patient? lol jk.

gotta love it.

Thanks for that laugh, I needed that. I am so stressed out about work lately, just got back from vacation, but it didn't help. :roll

I only spent one day on a BU as a student, but the worst thing for me was the combo debridement/graft staple removal. First time I've had someone's blood all over me like that. There was a bubble bath and a cocktail that night, let me tell you.