What can I do to prepare my transition from SN to RN in Cardiothoracic ward

Students General Students

Published

Hi

In July/August I will be transitioning into my new role as Grad RN in a Cardiothoracic ward. What advice can u share with me to prepare my new role as RN especially in this ward?

I am so nervous and appreciate being offered in this new ward

Daytonite, BSN, RN

1 Article; 14,603 Posts

Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

congratulations on your new position! you must be excited! i didn't work in ccu very much, only as a float on occassion, but i did get to see a balloon pump on a post-op trauma patient once. it was the most awesome thing i've ever seen. there were 2 nurses assigned to the patient just to do everything that had to be done for her. just the physics of how the pump works is something!

if you haven't already read this recent thread you might want to.

https://allnurses.com/forums/f50/critical-care-help-157686.html the nurse bob site has really good icu information explained pretty clearly as well as good stuff on the ekg rhythms and the commonly used drugs.

here are some more links i've put together for you. i apologize if i've already given you any of these before.

http://www.ccmtutorials.com/ - critical care medicine tutorials for medical students. some of the information here is very scholarly. topics include introduction to critical care, problem orientated approach, respiratory failure, shock, renal failure and sepsis. there is a great deal of information at this site. you have to surf around, especially using the links to see what is there if you don't want to read what is on the entire site. these are links into overviews of some of the topics that might interest you. there is much more specific information on these topics at this site.

http://www.skillstat.com/ecg_sim_demo.html - an online simulator that will show and explain what 25 of the most common cardiac rhythms look like on a monitor. you can stop the strips so you can study the tracings. there is also a little game you can play with the simulator.

http://www.kauaicc.hawaii.edu/nursing/ekg/tutorial/tutorial.htm ekg interpretation for healthcare professionals from kaua'i community college nursing school

http://www.kauaicc.hawaii.edu/nursing/ekg/tutorial/lytes.htm - electrolyte and medications: effect on ekgs from kaua'i community college nursing school is just one section from the above site

http://enw.org/electrolytes.htm - "maintaining the internal seas in harmony: common electrolyte disturbances in the ed" good discussion of dehydration and sodium and potassium electrolyte disturbances. includes discussion of how they occur, signs and symptoms, labs, as well as nursing actions

http://classes.kumc.edu/son/nurs420/unit4/hemomon.html - a tutorial on hemodynamic monitoring from the university of kansas school of nursing

http://www.pacep.org/pages/start/ref.html?xin=sccm - this is a free online tutorial on how to use the pulmonary artery catheter in the clinical environment. includes pre and post tests and photographs. information will load much faster if you have dsl. you have to register to access this tutorial, but it is free.

http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/anesthesiology-elective/cardiac/cvcphys.cfm - the physiology of central venous catheter from the university of virginia school of medicine. check the site index for videos of procedures

+ Add a Comment