Precepting In SICU

[Psyched Out RN]

Hi all!

I am a senior nursing student, about to begin my preceptorship in an SICU. I chose the unit because I felt like it would be the most challenging of units, that I would learn valuable information for my career as a nurse, although I'm not sure that the ICU will be the direction I take post-graduation or not.

What knowledge do you think would be the most helpful for me to take into this experience?

I'm not really sure what will be expected of me on the first day. I am nervous, excited, and scared all at the same time! Any advice/tips you can offer me would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance :)

[Mommy_of_3_in_AL..RN]

The SICU that i was in was great..i didnt atually choose it, but i am so glad that i was placed there. It really gave me an idea what i wanted to do post graduation.

My first day, i helped with med administration, procedures, assesments, spoke with other employees and doctors, and got familiar with the charting. After that, my precepto was very good about letting me be responsible for everything that needed to be done for the patient(s) and was there if i needed anything, or had any questions. She would watch me do my thing, and give ideas on how to improve or praise for a job well done. I gained a huge amount of confidence, and learned a lot.

As far as what you may want to brush up on...meds (expecially BP, cardiac, GI, insulins, respiratory and narcotics). Be familiar with your vasoconstrictors. The majority of what we dealt with was neuro and GI, so if that were the case, you would need to be comfortable assesing those systems, as well as a general head to toe. Find out what the most common patients in that unit are there for. Also, be familiar with vents...at least the concept of what they do, how they work, what to look for and how to troubleshoot problems. Know how to deal with central lines and PICCs.

The majority of the tasks we did were:

blood draws

med administration

EKGs

colostomys

CRRT

Ventricular drains

Abdominal drains/dressings

foley and IV insertion

titrating meds

ART and CVP line monitoring

It was such a great experience, and i know you will do fine!

[Psyched Out RN]

Thanks for the wonderful info! I hope I have a great experience.

If you don't mind my asking, what hospital did you precept at? I see you are in AL, and I will be precepting there as well!

[Mommy_of_3_in_AL..RN]

You will have a great time..i was at Brookwood Hospital, in birmingham. What part of alabama are you in??

[Psyched Out RN]

I'll be precepting at Huntsville Hospital in Huntsville, AL. Several of my fellow students will be at Brookwood in Birmingham as well!

[Mommy_of_3_in_AL..RN]

Oh my!! There are students driving from Huntsville to Birmingham??? That is quite some drive early in the morning!! I dont know anything about Huntsville, but you can assure your classmates that Brookwood is wonderful! They gave me the best experience i could have hoped for, and then some. In fact, we are required to do our preceptor in an ICU, and i was scared. My first clinical in ICU last semester, i was so scared that i passed out cold..yes in the floor. Spent the day in the ER..now there is no where else i would rather be. All the staff that i was in contact with at Brookwood were soooo very student friendly, and genuinely loved to teach and let me learn. Great bedside manner, and i would think they would be no less to your classmates. Good luch with everthing, and if you have any questions feel free to PM me.

[Christie RN2006]

In fact, we are required to do our preceptor in an ICU, and i was scared. My first clinical in ICU last semester, i was so scared that i passed out cold..yes in the floor. Spent the day in the ER...

I work in a SICU and we have had 2 students recently that had issues and almost passed out!! We were all joking that if we keep breaking the students, they are going to quit sending them to us...

Anyways, I am actually going to be the preceptor for a senior level nursing student this coming January and I will tell you exactly what I do and don't expect out of my students...

-I expect you to be on time and ready/willing to learn

-I do not expect you to know everything, but if you are in your senior year, I expect you to know basic nursing skills (how to obtain vital signs and the normal levels, basic assessment skills

-If you don't know something, either ask or look it up, DO NOT try to cover up the fact that you don't know or don't understand something!

-If someone offers you an opportunity to learn something, even if it is something that is not that fun, do it! You never know when you are going to need to know how to do it for yourself.

If you would like a jump start, study up on medications that are frequently used in the ICU such as various antibiotics, vasopressors, sedatives, diuretics, etc. Also you can study about vents, bipap, cpap, a-lines, heart rhythms, etc. If you are wanting a reference book, I recommend Quick Reference to Critical Care by Nancy Diepenbrock. It is one of my favorite ICU books... it is easy to understand and they use pictures and diagrams.

Good luck and if you have any other questions feel free to let me know!

[Psyched Out RN]

I think I will go and look for that book! Thanks for the helpful info!