Guest193822

Agree with my fellow nurses MAP I remember when i was in my critical care course (no going to tell you how long ago ) i was taught MAP >65 is all organs perfused , MAP 60 is brain only & MAP Hope this helps :)

wedge is a no no with fresh hearts in my facility. We aren't risking busting the artery or valve when PAD is close enough to wedge. Besides in combination with your other hemodynamic you can tell if the issue is (cardio or pulmonary). We are old sc...

No such thing with on the job training with this population. My facility had a program specifically for fresh hearts. Its not only about meds it's about the equipment & the situations you can be in with these very ill pt. Agree learning the rou...

Congrats to everyone who recently passed the CCRN. I know it's a hard exam. Good Job. I personally am not ashamed of confessing I failed by 1 question. I still have my results. I was so angry I decided not to retake it. This was 10 years ago...

I plan to apply for the MSN in Nursing Education. I spoke with them today. This school is very military friendly a + for me. I was disappointed they ended there Adult Acute Care CNS program which I was very interested in but I noticed the classe...

I have to agree hands on training is definitively important to Open Heart Recovery. Especially that wonderful 1st 12hrs. :) There's nothing wrong with reading books. I also have "Cardiac Surgery Essentials for Critical Care Nursing" on my Nook. Yo...

Is anyone on this site in this program. I'm seriously thinking about applying. I just want know how the programs is like. I did the online seminar session already, however I would like to get feedback from those already in the program.

I'm working on my application for Graduate School. It's not a simple processes. I've been at the bedside for 12yrs so I really don't know to much about new entry RN school. I think you should go to the website & investigate. I do know however ...

Levophed max is 40mcg/min. I've worked in some hospitals that will not allow over 20mcg/min & a order is required to go above this. I recently worked in an hospital where the Pt was on 75mcg/min with a Vasopressin at 0.02U/min. Of course the p...

I've been in this nursing field for 12 yrs. Critical Care/ Trauma is all I know. I attempted to take the CCRN in 07 & failed by one question. I still have my score card. I was so upset I never open another book or took a practice test again. ...

We don't use Precedex at all for our hearts. My experience with Precdex isn't great b/c it doesn't work all the time & it does cause hypotension & bradycardia. It's for short term intubations & easy neruo checks, but it doesn't work fo...

LOL! This is to much for me. I never heard of any such policy. I personally have taken care of 2 pt's with Levo & multiple drips at once & both intubated. This is a daily life of the ICU nurse. I think you should look up the policy in...

I think I would have gotten fired this day b/c there is no way I will I will allow this until I called Datascope (MAQUET) & taken out the hospital policy to explain to the Cardiologist I question his method. We are using the new fiber-optic tec...

I love to see newbie proud of themselves. This of course couldn't have happen without the hospital critical care program & your preceptor. Don't forget the nursing is a forever evolution & new things come out every day. Don't forget to loo...

I'll be honest when I get an order for Precedex, I'm in the habit of pulling out Propofol. I've used this medication since it appeared in my hospital & I'm not a fan of it. It doesn't work for everybody & it does have have effects I'm not...

I love to hear that you don’t have a space issue, but at my hospital we don’t have that luxury. I work in very tight space. So comfort, safety & easy access is the rule for us. Most of the time my IV pole is on the side of my IV access. My pole...

It's not a policy but it's just a common nursing courtesy. It's the best thing to do when you have tons of meds tubes lines etc. My hearts, septic, & neuro pt's all get them labeled. Pumps & lines are labeled. It just helps with idenifica...

I'm 4'11 & weigh 95-96lbs not only Im I an ICU nurse for years but I'm also an officer in the Army Nurse Corps. Size has nothing to do with the best way you can do the job. I use stools all the time.

To all the new ICU Nurses “thanks for coming into ICU” I remember the day’s of the “charts & the papers”. I wanted to pull my hair out. :uhoh21: I used an hourly chart for my VS, I&O, FS, Drips, Assessment etc. I really needed something so I...

I would have to disagree on the MICU /SICU critical thinking & skills portion they told you about. It’s the ICU, you will learn & master both in any of these sections, Period. It’s critical care that’s what so different than regular ward nur...

i have to laugh b/c when i get asked this question. it's very difficult for me to answer. i tell them i do everything a nurse does are more. i'm the only medical person in the family & the first in my generation to finish college. i can’t describ...

Most of our "open hearts" come straight to TICU/SICU. We recover them. Depending on how stable or guarded they come out there a 1:1 ratio for about 24hrs. Within 6hrs hr if stable we like to extubate. If it's one of our guarded pt's we will know a...

i remember my icu internship period as being a very different atmosphere then being a ward nurse. as for internship being “nightmarish”, i look back now & say it wasn’t that bad. it was ruff but manageable. it was nothing i couldn’t handle &...

I would say I didn't fell comfortable until about 1 year in the ICU. However, I had about 5 yrs of Med Surg experience on my belt when I decided to take the plunge. I'll be honest, with 8yrs of nursing experience & 3yrs in ICU anything could ...

It's plain & simple, my 4yr commitment is about to be up & well I'll be honest I'm thinking about leaving the Army Nurse Corps to join the Air Force Nurse Corps. I'm a direct commission Critical Care Nurse who's not too crazy about the 15-18m...