Jackie-RN

I used FE quite a bit in nursing school. I'd do the work putting the sets together for chapters we were working on and then let my classmates know when I was done so they could benefit from it, too. As for which ones you can rely on to be accurate, I tried to wade through and find some I felt pretty confident about. I followed those individuals and the work they produced.

ICU - like the others, blood sugars Q1hr at a min.

There are so many different options available for careers in nursing. I graduated with a couple of nurses the learned during clinicals how uncomfortable being in a stranger's personal space made them. Because of this, they skipped the 'traditional' new grad route (med-surg) and opted for an MD office. It didn't pay as much, but there was far less stress for them so it was where they needed to be. Brainstorm - try to think of some of the non-hospital options available to you. Before you give up on the career entirely, see if you just haven't found your nitch yet: - correction facilities - dialysis centers - outpatient infusion centers - wound care/ostomy nursing - assisted living - home health - pharm rep - public school nursing - insurance companies - MD office - healthcare recruiting - hospice care - plasma center - public health nurse I hope you're able to find something you're happy with.

At our facility, both the primary RN AND the charge stay informed of all vent changes. While RT has the in-depth knowledge regarding that system, the RN is ultimately responsible for the patient. There have been numerous times a patient has been persistently tachy but had a scheduled breathing tx. The RT often doesn't look at the big picture and will plan on giving that albuterol. If close communication isn't maintained between the RT and the RN, the RT won't have a chance to find out a call was just made to the MD for some diltiazem - it just needs to be pulled and administered. Also, you may find yourself working with an RT that has an aggressive weaning technique. A pt could be on trach collar for a few days straight. You may look at his resp trend, though, and see he's gone from the teens to the 30's throughout the day. From a nursing standpoint, it might be prudent to have the pt rest on the vent for the night. If you and the RT disagree on this, however, you may find yourself needing to tactfully 'put your foot down' to provide the best pt care possible. And keep asking questions! :)