silverbelle

Great information....thanks everyone!...

My hospital is trying to reduce Critical Care Cather Associated UTIs. We are doing better but still have more than our goal. We are told that hospitals across the country have 0 in a year. I simply don't see how this is possible. If a patient is on a vent, sedated, incontinent and has multiple infectious processes going on.... how is it possible to keep them from getting a UTI? Very frustrated, we are trying but just not getting where we want to go.... What do these hospital do...do they not use Foleys in anybody???

There is so much to learn..you will not know it all in 12-16 weeks..those that think they do are dangerous...You may feel pretty unsure of your self for a while and that is good always think..is this working...why...or why not...what could I do better for this patient. Study your material but keep in mind the older nurses who have been out of school for a while may not recite the information from the orientation classes like you can but they have experience and good gut instincts that can can solve a situation or more importantly keep a situation from happening in the first place. Listen to your own gut insticts as you develope them...and make a habit of good time management. Units are notorious for quick changes in patient status..your "good night" can go bad quick so dont get behind...best luck to you! Just posting on here shows you really want to do well and learn...I bet you will!!

Being new is hard...getting poor advice sucks and dealing with a snarky MD gets old. I am a CVICU nurse and would have called the MD if the afib lasted for any time at or or came and went even if the pt was unsymptomatic. The reason is that there is a significant risk of throwing a clot with these sudden bursts of irregular heart rates. The patient needs rate control, maybe some type of heparin or something similar to decrease the risk of PE/clot and the MD needs to know that it (afib) has happened again so he can make these decisions. Your coworker may have recognized the patient converted quickly and just wanted the MD to know so he could adjust meds in the am. If the pt has afib, gets meds for it, converst to sinus but then returns to intermittent high bursts of afib, even if they come out of it...the MD needs to know... they may decide to add/adjust meds to decrease risk of throwing a clot and better control of the rate. Strokes happen and are awfull!! We are our patients protectors...we know them better than the MDs who round on them for 5min a day...if you are shy about calling at 3am, if you dont want to get yelled at...get over it...you are your patients life line to quality care and they need you ....hang in there...it gets better...:-)

Hi All...I am a CVICU RN for many years but I am gaining interest in EP. I was wondering if there are any certifications, classes, ect... to take so I could learn more about the field. I have my CCRN but was looking for something specific to EP. Thanks for any help....

Good luck to you on your chosen career path.. U never know where it might lead!

Is everyone finding the new student info ok..? I happened to stumble across it but maybe I had not looking in the right place to begin with on the VUSN website......

I'm in!! ACNP direct entry...letter came today...good luck to those waiting to hear!

Yeah mellzie22!!!

Well..one year ago I had just attended Vandy's open house and began planning to apply. Now..a year later I am anxiously awaiting word r/t admission. It's kind of exciting...very agonizing but still exciting. If anyone has any info from the O.H today please share!!

Congrats to all who have been accepted! Any word on ACNPs..direct or prespec...????

Christymel.... I would give them a call. I received a financial aid pack that had a cover letter that explained everyone who applied got one. It also stated that if you were accepted after the deadline you could still fill out the info. That being said go to the FASFA website and complete it; it does not take long and they will help you find the Vandy code.... This will have to be done anyway and it will give you an idea about the process. Good luck! They also said you did not need to be accepted to fill out the info...

Did everyone get an email at some point telling them their file was ready for review?

Mellzie22... Oh wow! That sounds awful! But I am glad you posted what you found out... It might help keep me off the ledge?

Rjkelly1... I think only a few specialities have an interview..ACNP for example does not....