Looking for some insight from seasoned CCU nurses :]

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Hey fellow nurses! Hope you're having a great start to your weekend.

I'm not sure if this is a question board, or just discussions, but this topic could be both :] I start work on as a resource nurse (float pool) and a majority of the time I will be working on a Coronary Care unit. I've been working on a medical surgical unit for the past year, but I was just wondering how you guys (coronary care nurses) helped prepare yourself for work on a unit of this type, and what it is that you find yourself dealing with skill wise and knowledge base wise on a daily basis.

I've been brushing up on fluid and electrolyte imbalances, lab abnormalities and how these conditions effect the body or show themselves in the body. I have not take basic dysrhythmias yet (or acls) but I have the book and I am picking away at the reading just to have some idea of what I'm doing until those classes are offered in the fall (I have to have them within six months of hire).

I just was hoping to benefit from this site and the experience of it's nurses, I want to be the best CCU nurse I can be and be prepared when I start my new position.

Any tips or ideas would be greatly appreciated!

I appreciate everyones help in advance!

AR

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Wait - so you're not an ICU nurse? But you were hired as a float RN for an ICU? How? Do you have an orientation? I hope you do. How else would you know how to manage the MI, arrests, drips, invasive monitoring, swans, IABPs, etc. This just sounds strange (read: a bad idea) to me. The float nurses at my hospital had to have at least a year or two of ICU experience.

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Specializes in CVICU, TSBICU, PACU.
Wait - so you're not an ICU nurse? But you were hired as a float RN for an ICU? How? Do you have an orientation? I hope you do. How else would you know how to manage the MI, arrests, drips, invasive monitoring, swans, IABPs, etc. This just sounds strange (read: a bad idea) to me. The float nurses at my hospital had to have at least a year or two of ICU experience.

I second Dodongo without further information.... Are you floating to other ICUs, with your home base being in CCU? Yes, get a good orientation!!! You need to learn about vasopressor medications, medications that reduce afterload (i.e. nitroglycerin, nipride), IABP, pulmonary artery catheter management in conjunction with obtaining/calculating CVP/PAP/PAW and CO/CI especially by the Fick method, STEMI management, basic as well as advanced dysthythmias. Best advice, get your ACLS ASAP...you will need it working there

Not to overwhelm, but you have a lot of work ahead of you if your only prior nursing experience was working med/surg. Definitely do-able, but prepare for a steep learning curve...if your CCU is anything like our CICU and CVICU, you'll be taking care of some of the sickest patients

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

It depends on how hard core you CCU is. DO they do balloon pumps? Do they have PA catheters? How critical are the patients? Does your facility do invasive cardiology procedures?

This will guide what you need. If you are not an experienced ICU nurse then you need an extensive orientation. You need an EKG course, Advance 12 lead EKG, ACLS, invasive monitoring, multi drug therapy....drips, STEMI....etc

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Specializes in ICU.

At the smaller ICU I just recently worked at, we had agency staff that took the 'easy' patients (not CVVH, IABP) but that's not to say those patients didn't stroke, have MI's, or have to be sent off to brain surgery. The thing is, that patient is STILL yours. You don't get to send them away! :) I would get on the EKG, that's pretty important to know down cold as well as the ACLS since you may need that if you're going to be running your patients all over the hospital for CT scans, MRIs, etc. GOOD LUCK!

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Specializes in CCU and Tele. stepdown.

Get as much training as possible. I have seen traveling nurses get over whelmed with basic assessment on CCU floors. Some will fluff their resumes to put them at a higher level ( pay scale ) experience. Which makes them more marketable. I was a clinical nurse supervisor on a CCU floor for years. Not knowing your clientele could make you more a liability then an asset to the floor. Get your ACLS ASAP. Let your agency know that you need additional training and orientation. Also, stay off your phone at work, it upsets everyone and help the other staff members. It sucks to see travelers with PUD (Pretty Uneventful Day) patient assignments on their phones not helping but need all the help when their patients has the littlest issues. By helping staff you will be able to see what they do in situations, this makes a great teaching moment. Best of luck.

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what kinda of unit is this exactly? are you sure it's not a telemetry floor? i really don't see a hospital hiring a MS nurse into float pool and having them work in CCU with no ekg/acls/telemtry/icu background.

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Being an ICU float nurse, I can see how this might be the case. Are you new to the float pool with CCU as your home base? My home basses are the MICU and CVICU with floats to SICU, Neur ICU and Step-down.

Out our facility the float pool doesn't take balloon pumps, CRRT, fresh CV post ops, or VADS. We do take swans, pretty frequently in fact. I depends on the supposupport you have, but talk with your manager about when to take acls. Sometimes your manager will assign you a time.

I'd focus no learning your cardiogenic meds, inotrops, afterload reduces, general antihypertensives, antiarrythmics. Also look into the pathophys and trwatment of CHF, cardiomyopathy and anything else your manager says you will care for.

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