Post-code debriefing?!

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Specializes in community small-town med/icu unit.

How do your facilities handle post-code care for staff? Do you facilities have a team meeting or anything?

Overnight, I was team lead and led my 1st code blue. mind you I've assisted on codes when called on other units, but this was my 1st while wearing my "big girl" panties. We called a code at 6:24 this am and worked on the pt until 8:10 at which time the team called it after talking with the pts family. Night shift at my facility ends at 8 am.

I feel like there wasn't really any follow-up with the RN's who worked the code (namely myself and the pt's primary RN) and we were just sorta shooed while day shift did the post-mortem care and cleaned up the pt for family viewing prior to morgue transfer.

Should I bring this up with my manager when I see her tomorrow morning... not really sure where to go to figure out my crazy wave of emotions...

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Specializes in Medsurg/ICU, Mental Health, Home Health.

I've been in several codes on my floor and not once have we had a debriefing. I can see how they might be helpful, though. If you think your manager may be so inclined, I don't see why you couldn't suggest it to her.

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Specializes in tele, oncology.

We've never had any where I work at either. It might help if you talked to one of your chaplains...they're there for you too if you need them.

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Specializes in Emergent pre-hospital care as a medic.

I've not dealt with codes in the hospital setting yet as I'm a brand new grad but I've been a paramedic for 15 years and have run lead on more of them than I can remember. In the field there's no official debriefing or counseling. I've always had a sort of after action review between myself and my partner to discuss what went well, what went wrong, what could be improved on in the future etc. if its a particularly difficult case--pediatric code, trauma related code or whatever they do offer a critical incident stress debriefing and counseling available. For the most part it's a job, you do what you're supposed to do and you move on. Can't get bogged down with emotion or you can't do the job.

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Specializes in Medsurg/ICU, Mental Health, Home Health.

You know, I remember a debriefing being held after a code when I was a tech in Same Day Surgery. The thing is, there was less than one code per year there, maybe one every three years or so. These patients were very healthy, walkie-talkie types who were staying overnight after surgeries and discharged first thing in the morning. For a patient to code and die when she had been fine all night and was to go home in a few hours...well, that was obviously a shock to the entire staff. None of the codes I've dealt with since being a floor nurse have been a huge shock, so we kind of just had a post-code casual discussion over breakfast in the morning. Nothing official, just nurses venting.

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It would be nice if there was... I work at a very large teaching hospital and they surprisingly do not offer any follow up. They do have follow up for the MDs, but not for the RNs. I had my first code a few weeks ago. Fortunately it was at the beginning of my overnight shift, so I was able to bug my charge nurse about it when I had questions.

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Specializes in ICU.

I've never had a de-briefing either. It would be nice though. Definitely an idea to bring up to your manager.

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