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Discussion

New to HBOT...

Hello everyone.

So I was just recently hired in my new hospital and much to my surprise I was assigned in the Hyperbaric Unit. I did not even show interest on this area, and have never had any experience driving a chamber before. I thought I'll give it a try, see if its interesting, plus an additional skill will make my resume look good.

So, I am at the moment gathering information on this area of specialization..like the job market, work load, certifications etc. Any hyperbaric nurses out there who can shed light on this fairly new field for me? What do you like or dont like about HBOT? Also, my nurse manager in the area is a wound specialist in addition to her hyperbaric certification, I have read that this goes hand in hand... any advice on this one?

Another concern is (may be out of topic) my fiance is in the Navy, and when we decide to tie the knot he wants me to move with him with every orders, so therefore I might have to put in job applications every 3 years, and I was wondering if there are many opportunities for hyperbaric nurses all over the US or in other countries..

Thanks..

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    Look at Healogics. They have HBO units all over the states, might come in handy if you transfer often

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    Welcome and congrats! I work for Accelecare which is all over the US, they offer training/certification on HBO for nurses and physicians through ATMO. Most of hyperbarics is based off military regulations, especially Navy, we use a Navy diving table to calculate AGE/DCS "the bends". Aside from that there are of course standard orders for wounds/osteomyelitis/osteoradionecrosis etc...

    Depending on your credentials and certifications you could grow vastly in wound care and HBO. I have only been in the HBO arena a year and have loved it so far, especially coming from acute care/rehab!

    As far as what is and is not to like about Hyperbarics, the pros heavily outweigh the cons in my case. I work alongside a physician or two all day which is a wealth of knowledge and I enjoy learning. I am hands-on all day long doing vitals, dressings, assessments, running the chambers, safety checks, chamber maintenance, etc. I am able to also develop good relationships with patients because I see them daily for two hours for 20, 30, 60, 90 or even 120 HBO treatments. I am one of a kind :) (in my hospital), I am the only hyperbaric nurse. The clinical manager is also a nurse and qualified as a chamber operator but they have a pretty heafty workload therefore I am the only functioning chamber operator. Physicians who are qualified can operate the chambers as well but we have a panel of physicians who are in and out. The cons, its hard to get a day off or covered for anything, even potty breaks. I can spend up to 10 hours sometimes in that room and it becomes slightly annoying. People are afraid of the chambers and or chamber room, they think they might just "explode", that can be akward at times :) and that's really it. I really enjoy HBO and wound care. Hope this helps!

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    I have been a hyperbaric nurse for 6 years, and love it. I work at a multiplace chamber. If you have not already done so, check out the Baromedical Nurses Association and the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Society. They are great resources.

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