ICURNGUY

I did move back and working @ Brack......love it like a fat kid loves cake! Trauma, and med/surg ICU.....can't beat it. I am sure there are other places, and always better places, but this is a stable secure position. Average pay is 21-30 depending on exp. I make 25. With night dif it's 29 and we also have a weekend diff on top of that so it's 31.50. Per diem with pay different, I think about $10+and with cost of living no tthe cheapest in Tx you certain can be frugal and save. I live about 5m to downtown and the river and pay under 1k for a 2 bed apt about 50 ft from the hike and bike trail and greenbelt. I do ride, and there certainly is good riding in Austin. Not the friendliest motorcycle state, but the city is a "urban" want-to-be, and it tries so there is more ped and bike/motorcycle traffic than most. We don't have the huge sprawl of Houston or Dallas so it's great. No lane splitting tho so waiting at lights and in traffic with this heat sucks. The residency is the "shis-nit" for new nurses. You get paid while you sit in classes and OJT. Un heard of in CA. Also when you finish come time for the cost of living rais you will get it. Having not been on my own....without a preceptor, and getting a raise? What? It's awesome. Don't be so concerned about the $. People get paid crap cuz it's a good place to live, not for the money. No "raises" till after you are out of residency. It was extremely helpful. Hands on and playing with equipment before you set foot in the room with it in your face alarming or not functioning. Helps with confidence and safety!

New grads are accepted to both major medical centers in Austin.....Seton, and St. Davids. You have to apply and get accepted, and they accept different amounts every time, but @ seton it's around 30-50 per cohort and there are 2-5 cohorts a year. I went thru Seton, and the Versant Residency is AMAZING! St. Davids also has a program called "skip" I think. It's pretty great also according to fellow graduates. Good luck and you will be fine in Central Texas. Depending on the field Seton has a Heart Transplant/stroke center hospital with 600+beds, Level 1 trauma with 400+, and a few smaller with a level 2 trauma 300+ just north of Austin. St. Davids....aka....St. "dollars" has a level 3 that's pretty big with cutting edge cardio ablation and several smaller facilities around. You can't go wrong!

Ok so this will be pretty extensive! I worked in the ICU straight out of school and residency for the ICU. After 2 years moved to SF for family and work. I am going back next month! Can't wait. I am making $59/hr in SF, and yes....can't wait to get back to Austin. The healthcare is pretty damn state of the art, and pay ratio to cost of living is pretty good. Other areas of TX are better, but you can't beat the progressive and hip vibe of Austin. The hospital is on a boarderline rough area. East Austin can be rough, and there is a homeless shelter right off red river and 7th st. If you want to live hip check out South Congress and South Lamar just south of the River. The town lake, btw, is the best place to hang out in the summer if you are into fitness, and it's pretty safe. Oh yea, Austin is serious into fitness. Only in SF did I see as many skinny and fit people. SF becuase of the pedestrian lifestyle and hills. If you want to live high and mighty, check out downtown. Several highrises that lease. I lived in 1 for a year, and it was full of rich students for UT. Like a frat-house at times, but you can't beat the views! West is for the rich and north and south are families. You can get a 3 bed house for around 1k. Austin is crazy dog and family friendly as well. Now, working for Brack.....it's really what you make of it. I worked at the Sister hospital off 38th for over 2 years in ED and ortho/neuro as a tech. It was great. Helped with nursing school. As an RN in the ICU....unbeatable! Actually Brack is unbeatable. You get everything! Level 1 trauma for 11 counties so no matter what dept you get it all. Benefits are pretty damn good, and pay is good. City makes up the rest. Only thing is it gets HOT for about 3 months out of the year. 100+ for at least 30-60 days with humidity. Rest of the time it's beautiful, friendly, MUSIC MUSIC, and chill. For a big city it is relaxed.

After working in a facility without sleep breaks, and then with sleep breaks, I have to say it helps! Granted you don't need 2 1/2 hr, just about 20-30 min. Anything more was too much and your went into REM which makes it difficult to wake and function quickly. It was rediculous at first, but it really did help. I eat on my feet, then take my 30 min break to sleep. Ask any surgeon how a 20 min nap helps.

I went straight into a specialization right after school. I also worked in the ED as a tech during school. If that is what you want, then GO for it! If they have a critical care or ED new grad program, or residency that is the best. You get the experience and teaching while learning your dept sepcifically. If you don't want to work med/surg, DON'T! Why spend years learning that when the ED is an entirely different animal. You will have to re-adjust and learn that when you transition. Good luck!

A few cities in TX. A couple near Houston and Eagle Pass. Houston is pretty good, but be carefull if you head to Eagle Pass. Sign on bonus of $10k-$20k should tell you something. It's a job, though!

impaired mobility would be a good one as well! r/f infx can be anyone at pretty much any time, even though it's very appropriate.

Definitely ABCs: airway was fine, breathing is happening. Was the pt acidotic or alk? This would lead you to fluid def, AEB HR and BP

1 is definately D. Gotta know the bug to fight before you just give a ABX. I know you can give broad spec, but you at least need a Cx to justify giving an ABX. 2 B or D. you need to know patency, but more important you don't want to give to fast. Can't get back what's given........just my

Anybody need a hardworking ICU RN? I am currently and ICU RN with just over a year experience. I have worked as a tech in the ER, and floors for 3 years before graduating nursing school. I would love to work in SF/Bay area in an ICU! I love the knowledge base and amount of learning required. My ICU is Level 1 Trauma, Neuro, cardiac, resp. M/SICU. Not much experience with open hearts.....Heart transplant center in same city, but LOVE Trauma/SICU. I appreciate any info anybody could provide! If anybody wants to move to TX let me know and I'll help you as much as I can. We still NEED nurses, and with our cost of living/pay ratios it's nice. I love it here, but I am tired of the HOT, HOT summers and just loved SF when visited in August.

I absolutely love Neuro! I worked on a Ortho/Neuro unit as a tech while in nursing school. I now work in an ICU that incorporates Med/surg, truama, neuro, etc. & level 1. From what you mention as your intentions for graduate school I would recommend working in a Neuro ICU. APNs are vital in our ICU @ night, and being the ICU they get to practice so many amazing skills.

Sounds like he is unsatisfied, and took it out on you. Don't let this influence your perception of male RNs, or RNs in general.

Depends on the cont. infusion. If it something that can't be stopped.....pressor....see if your stat IVP can be IM, ETT, or IO. Start another line, but don't ever flush something that is potent. A pressor flushed can cause serious probs you don't even want to go there. Then when you restart that infusion after a flush there will be nothing in the line for a while and you will have a serious rebound.......be safe, and THINK!

ABCs definately first, but so many are sure jumping on airway.....more specifically, intubation or advanced airway securing first. That is fine, but that requires time and possibly causing more problems especially if there is something else going. Also the meds required for intubation can cause a cluster of more problems and mask ongoing symptoms as something else. Least invasive first, and in this scenerio the resps are 10, though shallow, a BVM will be sufficient. WTBCRNA has the idea.....also think Hs and Ts with ACLS....BP is actually pretty good, but Tachy! Think Hypo Volume, Toxicity, and yes the labs. Just my 2 cents.

Sounds like an LVAD.