ICU-BSN

Always check your patient first. Most of the time a sudden drop is due to one of two things...the pulse ox has come loose/off or the BP cuff is on the same extremity and is cycling. If neither of these is the case, is your patient in obvious distre...

Ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes. These may have been treated with TPA or IR procedures. Coilings for AVMs. Tumor resections. Occasional back/spinal surgeries. EVDs, bolts, lumbar drains. Possibly TBI patients depending on the facility. You wil...

I would simply say that while I appreciated the opportunity to learn and work in the Trauma ICU, that after having spent more time there I realized that my heart belonged in OB. It happens. You have to make whatever move is best for your and your w...

Perhaps give a bit of detail as to what type of patient population? Where I work we have 8 different specialty ICUs, all serving drastically different populations. I work Trauma ICU, so I would briefly detail what types of traumas I routinely see ...

Step one...seems so simple and yet I’m constantly amazed by the number of students/residents/etc that don’t bother...introduce yourself, learn my name, tell me why you are there...just questions, observe a procedure, tertiary assessment, assist with ...

Personally I think that job satisfaction/enjoyment is the best and most underrated benefit there is. Why do something if it makes you miserable?? Life is too short.

Sour Lemon me too! My unit tends to be a bit crass...but that's trauma for you. We are not the most clean spoken bunch in the building for sure!

I have a friend that was a nurse and went to law school. She now works in risk management for a health system as an attorney. She seems pretty happy with her switch.

Change is hard, it's scary. It sounds like you did your research and put a lot of thought into your decision. Have faith that it was the right move for you at this time. As far as personal experience, the single best thing I've done in my career ...

I am so sorry for what you went through Ruby. I am glad that you safely withdrew from your situation. Thank you for this post, it was very insightful. You are correct, I'm not sure WHAT my response or actions would be and this has given me somethi...

Shepherd also has an excellent reputation. I don't live in GA but we frequently send patients to Shepherd from my unit for rehab, a lot of our TBIs and SCIs go there. I always tell the families that they are lucky to get accepted for placement ther...

When you interview ask the manager if you can shadow on the unit. Then you can see how the unit functions and observe how the staff interact with each other. I would ask to shadow on whichever shift you are applying for because there can be big dif...

If a random person sends me a FB request, I ignore it. That's likely to happen with many of the requests she sent out. Why doesn't she go to these units in person and introduce herself to management? She could express interest in person, perhaps ...

There is no cut and dry answer for this. It depends on the unit and the individual. When I first started I ended up with 10 weeks and then was on my own, whereas another girl got closer to 20 weeks before they let her off orientation. That said,...

I've always waited until it was official, and to me, that means in writing. I don't see a problem with calling HR like EllaBella said and letting them know that in order to meet the agreed upon start date you need the official written offer.

Another trick is to just document any abnormals or otherwise noteworthy findings at bedside. Then later you can sit down and fill in all of the other WDL items.

I am curious as to why you feel that you need to work as an RN for several years AFTER getting your NP to "gain the necessary experience" to be an NP. Why not wait and seek an NP position?? I guess I am confused because first you say you would leave...

You get more used to it to with time. For me, my "wall" hours are 2-4, so I try to have something to do during those hours. Drawing labs, bathing vented patients, maybe a trip to CT if I have one, helping others with those same tasks.... Helps to ...

I have two jobs (One FT, one PRN), both in ICUs. FT uses techs...they help with turns, baths, cleaning poo, they can draw labs, pick up blood from blood bank, room set up...all manner of tasks. They do NOT touch Foleys, so I am still acutely aware ...

Congratulations and welcome to trauma! I work in a Burn Trauma ICU. My unit sees a lot of motor vehicle crashes (MVC), motorcycle crashes (MCC), gun shots (GSW). We also see traumatic falls, drownings, crush injuries, suicide attempts (usually GSW...

I didn't have time to read other comments so it's possible someone already pointed this out.... All events have three sides...nurse A, nurse B, and the truth somewhere in the middle. I would be kind of ticked to get a letter of counseling without ev...

L&D will not be a springboard to ICU. Two very different specialties. If your reason for liking ICU is simply the ratio, then ICU is not the place for you. That ratio exists for a reason. I've had many nights where I had just one patient and...

I also agree with Ruby. My first job was also in a small community ICU. Eventually I wanted more and applied at the largest hospital in my area, a level 1 trauma facility. I applied to a couple of the most specialized ICUs and not only had intervi...

You say you want to quit or for them to just fire you. My best advice....go for option 1. It will be much harder to move on if you've been fired. That's not something you want to have to explain in future interviews. If you are that miserable (...

What was the goal MAP for this patient? I often have patients where my goal is 55. It all depends on the patient's presentation and the goals of care, there is no blanket statement for all.