ICU POD system

[livingkennedy]

I'm currently an ICU nurse and I've been considering moving to a larger city. I've been told that many of the ICU's in larger cities are set up in a POD system. I've never seen one of these setups and would like to know more about how patients are assigned to a POD and some of the downsides to the system... Also - is there any patient privacy aside from a curtain?

[Reno1978, BSN, RN]

We have our unit split into pods where I work. We're a 18 bed unit and have three 6 bed pods. They're normal ICU rooms, and each pod has 3 computers to chart, and a MedSelect for patient meds, linen closet, and supply closet.

There is patient privacy as they're regular ICU rooms.

[RN1982]

The SICU I work on has 6 pods. Pods 1,3,5,6 are the larger pods and 2,4 are smaller. Pod 6 is cardiothoracic, the rest is general SICU which gets the traumas, transplants and surgical patients. The whole SICU has 40 beds.