How long did it take you to get "comfortable" with Codes?

[palmettogirl]

I'm just wondering how long it took ya'll to get pretty comfortable with codes. I transferred to ICU with one year med/surg experience where I saw maybe three codes (none of them were my patient). I am ACLS certified, but I definietly learn by experience so sitting in a classroom learning what to push and even running "mock codes" does not make me feel comfortable until I've been around it. The other day when our patient coded, I almost coded myself. She told me not to be so hard on myself and to give myself a good year before I feel pretty comfortable. I'm just wondering how long it took ya'll? I just want to be like all those nurses I saw confidently running the code.

[detroitdano]

A code is only as calm as the least calm person in the room. If that makes sense. A nurse or doc screaming or grabbing things frantically makes a code a lot worse than it needs to be.

ACLS is all fine and dandy but I've honestly never seen a code where roles were assigned. It's ideal, but I've never seen it. You walk in, see people doing stuff, or start off with something yourself, and others quickly figure it out. Don't expect to ever be only pushing meds. You'll be putting together ETT's, grabbing stuff from the supply room, mixing meds, etc. Recorder seems like a blowoff task since you're not in the nitty gritty of it, but it's one of the most important jobs there are if you're doing rounds of epi/atropine. You're the one staring at the monitor, telling people it's time for another pulse check, etc.

My first few codes were a hot mess. I felt useless until I caught on to just finding what needs to be done and trying to stick to that task. I've been in the ICU for near a year now and I'm not as calm as I want to be during codes but I've come leaps and bounds from where I started.

[MatthewRN]

Alot of getting to be comfortable in codes is understanding yourself and what do well. If compressions is your thing then gravitate towards that. If you're comfortable working the defibrillator and med cart, do that. If you like pushing meds, so on and so forth. When I initially started in the ICU I was only comfortable with doing compressions so that was all I did. Lately I've been handling the defibrillator and med cart. Just know what you do well and do it.