ICU advice please! Nursing student applying as an ICU tech

jla623 · Sep 12, 2008

Can we move this post to the CNA forum if nobody is going to respond to it here?

Thanks

william4930 · Sep 12, 2008

I work in a surgical ICU as a student nurse (same responsibilites as a tech) and when I started, I was told that in the ICU, you don't do anything with the patients unless the nurse asks you. My main responsibilites include running labs and helping the nurse turn the patient. I would definately know where all the supplies are at because you will be running around a lot getting supplies for the nurse. If they know you are a nursing student, they will definately let you do a lot more stuff.

The nurses also appreciate it a lot when you help them out on their new admits. This includes putting on EKG leads, pulse Ox, and getting supplies they might need.

I would definately make yourself available and offer to help whenever you can.

aerorunner80, ADN, BSN, MSN, APRN · Sep 26, 2008

Ditto to what William said.

There are a lot of situations that can come up that any amount of classroom teaching or reading cannot possibly prepare you for. When you run into a situation like that, call the nurse, stay in the room and learn all you can by listening and observing.

A good example of this is a code. They happen a lot in the ICU. For your first few codes, stand in a place in the room where you can see and hear and just observe. Make sure you are out of the way though! The worst thing you can do is get in the way and delay things. Then when you do it again, you can be more involved.

If you are in a critical position and a nurse asks you to do something, don't hesitate. Trust your nurses and do it. I always repeat back to the nurse what she tells me so that we both know what is going to happen and it also instills trust so that the nurse can trust me more and know that I trust and listen and respect him/her.

Ex: Nurse and I were in a room where a patient was tanking, O2 sats dropped dramatically. Pt still had a rhythm so no code was needed yet. Nurse was bagging pt for about the third time that day and asks me to call respiratory (number was on board) and ask them to come into room and then asks me to poke my head out to have someone call a doc. So I grabbed her phone, called RT and told them what was going on with pt and then had someone call doc while I stayed in the room to help with whatever they needed.

If I have a stable patient who is alert and can move I will be proactive and start a bed bath on them if I can do it myself. If not, I will tell the nurse what I am doing and that I'll put the call light on when I need help turning. If the pt is unstable, I don't do anything unless I talk to the nurse first.

I think making yourself available is going to be the best thing you can do. You will get to know the nurses more and the nurses get to know you and your abilities which will allow more opportunity for you to do things with their patients.

Be proactive and ask questions as well. Learn all you can while you are there. It will help you be a better tech, do good in school, and have an understanding of things if they go south and you'll know what to do/who to call.

The ICU is a great place. I absolutely love working there. Just relax and take it one day at a time. You will eventually get comfortable with time.

jla623 · Sep 26, 2008

Thank you so much for the information.

chuckz, BSN, RN · Feb 2, 2009

I work as a tech in the ICU now. It is an amazing learning experience and I always seem to do something I have never done. I do assessments, chart, skills such as foleys and picc line dressing changes along with suctioning vents and other assorted things. I have worked for about 2 months and I can say that my skills have more than doubled. I think it all comes down to being enthusiastic, helpful, ready to do the crappy stuff (literally) and also being happy to be there.

I love it. I really do.

jla623 · Feb 2, 2009

Wow. You are so lucky. I ended up getting a job as a tech in a step down unit and they don't let me do anything. I'm doing my 4th semester preceptorship in the CVICU at a great teaching hospital, so I'm sure that will be a great learning experience.

The people on my floor don't even care that I'm a nursing student. Can I come work with you? Haha.

chuckz, BSN, RN · Feb 2, 2009

I think what happened was they never allowed techs in my ICU before. I pestered and pestered until they relented. I don't think they know what my role is so I am kind of defining my role. I told them to teach me everything they can. They won't let me do meds of course, but pretty much everything else is fair game. That is I think what they are expecting of me.

I realize how lucky I am. You are in 4 term so you are going to be a nurse a year before me as I am in term 2, but you will have some outstanding experience.

Take care.

labcat01, BSN, RN · Feb 2, 2009

Make sure you let people know that you are in nursing school and what semester. If I know that my techs are in NS or applying, I'm more likely to show them cool things and let them do skills and such.

jla623 · Feb 2, 2009

Oh I have made it known that I am a 4th semester nursing student and that I am very eager to learn anything and everything that they can teach me. I am very enthusiastic and often ask for learning opportunities. They just don't seem very receptive at all. Atleast I know where I don't want to work after I graduate.

vastudent09 · Feb 3, 2009

hello. I am an ICu in a 22 bed ICU. its been 2 yrs now, and i really love it- getting ready to apply for an RN position there. Anyway- I went in after my first semester of nursing school, very nervous and scared, and now I love it.

In our ICU techs do:

oral & peri care, trach care, trach changes, central line dressing change, blood draws, pressure line mgmt, blood sugars, IV starts, ETT suctioning, turning, alll the other patietn care activities +ADL type stuff, code procedure, ..

Advive, IMO- ther is always something to learn form in the ICU setting. Everyone knows I am a student, so I get to try and elarn a bunch of things. Stay organized and dont be messy. Ask a lot of questions, and watch the nurses if you have time. I think I have elarned a lot about time mgmt just by watching the routines of the nurses in the unit. Be a teamplayer at all times- thats one thing i love about the ICU is the teamwork.

Oh- and always unplug the defribrillator before grabbing the code cart!:)LOL:D

Hope u luv it!!