mlykateRN

one more question/comment.....I bet your restraint use is outrageous! How are they handling that? The only way to decrease restraints is to adequately sedate!

How cruel!!!!!!!!!! We ALWAYS sedate. Most patients who require intubation will need at least 24hrs vent/rest time before even discussing wiening/extubation. I would fight this tooth and nail. Maybe you should intubate your medical director and then see what he thinks! Hope I don't have to be in your ICU! Fight the good fight and keep advocating for your patients! If we couldn't sedate our patients, most of them we couldn't get a decent enough ABG to start wiening. I HATE using fentanyl for "sedation". Fentanyl is for pain control and just like other narcotics, it sometimes has the opposite effect and instead of sedating, it causes aggitation. Lord, I would have to be sedated if I couldn't help my patients be comfortable and heal!

First balloon pump patient I ever had....old balloon pump, alarmed every time someone looked at it. 12 hrs of alarming balloon pump...uggggg. Go home that night, exhausted and immediately go to sleep. Alarm goes off the next morning and what do I think it is....damn balloon pump! I had been working on that stupid thing all night! LOL It will get better! The more comfortable you become at work the less those things will bother you. Try some good quiet relaxation on the way home.

Welcome to the wonderful world of nursing! Remember the first year of nursing is always the toughest! You will find some life balance when you find your way at work. If nights are not working for you, then start looking. I think all new nurses go through the same feelings you are having. My concern when reading posts from all the new grads is how quickly everyone just wants to quit! Trust me the grass is not greener it is just a different shade of brown! Best advice an "old" nurse can give a "new" nurse....... RELAX, learn and get some experience. Put your time in just like all of us have had to and one day you can write your own ticket. Good Luck!

Looks like you just need to take the courses that the BON requires as listed in the last paragraph. I would call the BON and ask to speak with someone so you can make sure you take the right course and then you should be able to test. Thats what I'm reading anyway....

homework

I am having a major surgery soon. I am a very experienced ICU nurse and I am terrified of being in the ICU or any other inpatient area! I know the ropes, I know how it works and that is the most frightening part. I do not want to be that PIA nurse patient, but I will if I have to. I also do not want nurses to skip out on my teaching! I have a very rare tumor, something doctors at the teaching facility may see once a year at best. I also do not want to be the guinea pig for all the learning residents, but I know the value of education and experience so I will put up with some..... Wish me luck and know I will have my eyes wide open, and I will show my behind if I need to!

To trulyblessed: Teach it!!! I would love to have that opportunity. Espically if you could teach high school HOSA (I think that is what it is). I know the money is not great, but it is a great way to use both of your degrees!

I don't have any experience in this area, but from what I have read here and other places....GET a LAWYER before you do anything. If it were me....I would beg, borrow or anything else I had to do not to have the BON in my business. They are not your friend!

When I was in school 10+ years ago, I thought care plans would be the death of me....now y'all have a lot more technology than I did, but my trick to a quick (ie about 3hrs) careplan was to make a template on word. My care plan books came with CD's and cut and paste was my BEST friend! I would just pick the dx's that applied to my patient and go from there. Our care plans were more like maps and I just made that on my computer and cut and paste! Simple. I always made top marks on my care plans....consistancy is key. You are going to use the same dx over and over, the interventions should be somewhat the same, that's what helps you create a care plan in your mind (we don't realize we do it , but we do) when you are a nurse. As for the drug portion, same applied copy and paste are your friend. Make yourself a template and go to town. Simple and to the point. Hope this helps some of you.....hope care plans have not changed enough that this is outdated. Oh yeah.....your clinical site should have ready made care plans avaliable. I can remember when I had a patient that I couldn't make a dx fit, I would look at the care plan that the nurse had used in her assessment. They are simple and probably will not be enough to get by, but they definately will give you a start. (Yep....if you work in bedside care you will be doing care plans for the REST of your life!!!!!!!!) Good Luck! PS....I always had fun with care plans. If anyone has any trouble, message me I would love to take a look! MLYKATE

I am getting ready to have a major surgery for a rare tumor....as an ICU nurse....I am scared to DEATH!!!!! They may need to give me consious sedation just to get me to the hospital LOL! I guess at some point you just have to trust just as our patients do...of course I will be a little more educated than most and will definately be looking out for myself. RN's make the WORST patients. I am gonna try real hard to be good, but don't mess with me to much!

Not to be ugly....but why out of work so long? I had my GB out last year, had it done on a Friday and was released to go back to full duty on Monday. The surgery was a breeze! I ended up being able to use two PTO days and returned to work the following Saturday..... Now I worked in the ICU, lifting, pulling, etc are a requirement, no light duty there. I was just fine when I returned. Just curious......

seems to me, as a new grad just off orientation, you did a GREAT job......keep on doing what you are doing......even those of us with tons of expierence leave stuff for the next shift

I know you had a rough night, but in my vast experience with Haldol (my background is ICU), 9 times out of 10 it makes them much worse! Keep on keeping on...you used your nursing judgement....way to go!

If you do the Dansko deal, make sure you bring extra shoes to change into.....they will need a long break in period. They gave me plantar fascitis so I had to give them up. I love Asic...no break in, no heel problems.

For us ICU nurses......Another one bites the Dust! (I know...it sounds terrible, but true)

Esme, thank you so much! I just wanted to know the patient experience. I have small children and kind of wanted to prepare as much as possible. I am still worried about the potential ICU stay, but maybe I can help with the codes or something LOL! If anyone else has experience in this area, any stories would be appreciated!

Let me start by saying I am NOT seeking medical advice! (I have great MD's and UpToDate) Now......I am hoping that some of my nursing brothers and sisters will have some experience in this area that could lend me a hand. I have been an ICU nurse for 10 years and I have never taken care of a patient with a known pheochromocytoma. Well....I have one. I am hoping that some of you may have had a patient with a pheo and could lend some insight on the perioperative experience. Nurses are the front line and I know they are the true experts. ICU nurses are not scared of much, but being an ICU patient is terrifying! Any knowledge would be helpful. Thanks

OMG!!!!! When I read your post, I thought I was talking! I said the exact same words for about two years before I decided that I was an ICU nurse and not a hand maid to family! I finally got so fed up with the uniforms, pillows, drinks, meal cards, scripting, making the family happy and who cares about the patient atmosphere that I had to get OUT!!!!! I applied for jobs everywhere.....for anyting but ICU nursing! (For those new grads out there, its no easier to find a job with 10+ years experience....keep on trying!) I finally found a job working at a really great hospital for a cardiology practice. I am doing nuclear stresses and it is great!!!!!!!! I still get to use my skills if I need them and my ICU knowledge base has really helped me excell at this job!!! SO.....maybe my advice is not the best but, I say get out!!!!! Find something you love to do! If the job you find eventually doesn't challenge you enough, the ICU will still be there with out a doubt!

I agree...they all need to hear it! Makes me proud to hear the gratitude in a patient's voice! So many times all we hear are the negatives, it is so nice to hear one who has been touched...that is why we are here!!

We had a nurse who was diverting Diprivan....REALLY!!! She had a respirtatory arrest (go figure) in a patients room in the ICU. She ended up with a perm pacemaker b/c the cards thought she had sick sinus syndrome. Come to find out, she was starting her own IV's in her upper arm and shooting up at work. It was even thought she was taking the drug from hanging bottles in patient's rooms. All we could say was WOW!! How stupid!

Honey don't let 'em get you down...I have been an ICU nurse for many years and the same thing happened to me just a few months ago! A nurse pegged me for a situation w/ a patient that never happened. Unfortunately because she had been at the facility longer than me, her word was better than mine and I was the one in trouble. I was framed!!! Just remember, it will get better. Hold your head high and know that you did exactly what you were supposed to do. We are human and we do make mistakes.