ICU externship project

[shock-me-sane]

I am a student doing an externship this summer in the ICU which has a mix of medical, surgical and cardiac patients. It is a level 2 ICU with the population generally being older males (veterans).

As a part of this, I have to do a project of sorts such as a creating a patient teaching packet or doing a presentation to the staff. I could potentially do a small research study as well. I only have 10 weeks in which to get this done while working there full time plus a part time job. There is a ton of patient education material already so I am looking more towards a presentation or study.

I am just somewhat at a loss as I only started on the floor this week. I don't know more than the staff about anything ICU related nor would have a clue what would be good to teach. I was thinking if anyone here had any ideas about a cool new procedure their hospital has implemented or just any suggestions in general.

I appreciate any thoughts or input.

[cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN]

Hmm.

You could do a study on bedsores in the ICU, or handwashing, or central line infections.

I think it would harder to do a pt presentation packet to ICU patients, since most of them are vented and sedated.

[Christie RN2006]

Hmm.

You could do a study on bedsores in the ICU, or handwashing, or central line infections.

I think it would harder to do a pt presentation packet to ICU patients, since most of them are vented and sedated.

I agree, I don't think I would do something for the patients, but the staff instead. For one of my senior projects, I did a whole poster board, and paper on the difference between hand washing and using the waterless hand sanitizer. The benefits of both, when to use what, etc. The coolest fact was the time taken daily when just hand washing was used vs. when just hand sanitizer was used. It was actually a really fun project and the nurses all loved it. Most nurses already know how it is recommended to wash their hands, but you could turn it into a research study and do a anonymous survey of the nurses asking them about their hand washing procedures. I might have some of my info left over from it if you would be interested in doing a project on this.

[ElizabethJRN]

You could do a poster/presentation on VAP (ventilator acquired pneumonia). That's a big one in the ICU. Some senior nursing students that were doing an externship on our ICU did that one. You could talk about preventing VAP (HOB at 30 degrees or above, q4h oral care, etc.) It's always a good one to review/teach, and you could find all the good research out there about it.

[shock-me-sane]

thanks!

I am liking the VAP

[ElizabethJRN]

Your welcome. The students did a really cute poster with pictures of them, one pretending to be a pt on a ventilator (HOB at 30 degrees of course!) and the other was about to give her oral care with our oral care kit!

[Christie RN2006]

VAP is a good idea, but it is one that nurses hear about constantly in the ICU. One other thing you could do is talk to the nurse educator for the floor you are working on and ask if there is a specific topic that he/she would like you to cover. The nurse educator on the floor I did my project for liked it so much that she asked me if she could keep it to put out later too.

There might be a new product on your floor that the nurse educator would like you to research and tell the nursing staff about! My floor recently got something called a "biopatch" for our central lines... I really like them, but they are not going over very well so far because none of the nursing staff knows what they are or the good that can come from them. I personally would really like it if one of our students would do a poster board about it!