flo136

flo136

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All Content by flo136

  1. What do you love/hate the most about working in the ICU?

    flo136 replied to SydneyJo1's topic in MICU, SICU

    I have been doing ICU for 15 years. I love making such a difference to lives. When they are rapidly deteriorating, and everyone is so busy doing stuff to save them. That adrenaline rush is the best!...

  2. Single Use Leads

    flo136 replied to nikkicoliCCRN's topic in MICU, SICU

    We use them here in Adelaide, Australia. But only on VRE/MRSA patients. They are great.Our regular patients' ECG leads are a bit bloody despite the cleans between admissions. Particularly with VRE,...

  3. Ever seen a pt live after 5 chest tubes?

    flo136 replied to Darkfield's topic in MICU, SICU

    How is the patient going? Any updates on his

  4. How did you find your specialty??

    flo136 replied to Nurzelady's topic in General Nursing

    I was working in a Recovery/PACU unit. They were building a High Dependancy Unit next door. Before it opened, I popped to have a look. All clean and fresh and new! Got the job, but that unit rapidly...

  5. Ever seen a pt live after 5 chest tubes?

    flo136 replied to Darkfield's topic in MICU, SICU

    Hi. I am betting he may make it, and have not seen 5 in at the same time but 4. But the ventilation issues are huge, an absolute nightmare to wrecked lungs. Some smart tricky ventilations modes and...

  6. How do you measure temperatures?

    flo136 replied to EMSnut45's topic in MICU, SICU

    Hi Sarah in Adelaide, Australia here We started using Alsius units 8 months ago. Fantastic. Look like a central femoral line. Do a great job. Easy to use. Nice little dial to see the fluid running...

  7. I'm so sorry....your spouse just died.

    flo136 replied to APRN.'s topic in MICU, SICU

    While you obviously didn't feel the situation was handled as you had hoped, please remember it is an awfully hard thing to do. A family's reaction can be so unpredictable and a sick relative can...

  8. VS standards- Am I Wrong?

    flo136 replied to sicushells's topic in MICU, SICU

    Hi. I have been in my current job for 5 years now. I have always said my old place did things better. It's hard when it's true! But I have stayed here, and I can draw on that past experience to add...

  9. just finished week #1 of being an ICU nurse

    flo136 replied to nursgirl's topic in MICU, SICU

    Hi. I hope you stick with it. I have been doing it for about 13 years. I reckon it took me a good year to get the hang of it, but doing the specialty course helped heaps. It made everything 'come...

  10. My mom tells her friend her daughter is a nurse, and....

    flo136 replied to yat777's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    I think you are doing the right thing. You don't need to do anymore. You have said you could maybe try at work when you start again. You have said you are a new nurse as are your friends. You have...

  11. Question for Nurses who are MOMS

    flo136 replied to ThePrincessBride's topic in Pre-Nursing Students

    Hi. I am a 37 yr old Mum of a toddler. I work in Australia but trained in the UK. Nursing is great for being a parent. My sister and my parents are all nurses too. I do permanent nights in intensive...

  12. considering change from cvsicu to neuro icu

    flo136 replied to pcw rn's topic in Neuro Intensive Care, ICU

    Hi. I reckon go for it. I've worked in general, cardiac and neuro ICU in Australia and the UK. Neuro is a great one to have under your belt: the skills you learn. It's a different approach to...

  13. Any ICUs or critical care settings where the standard ratio is 1:1?

    flo136 replied to edogs334's topic in MICU, SICU

    I work in a big public ICU in Adelaide Australia. We are 1:1 ratio. Definitely for vented patients. Very infrequently you get 2 patients, but are HDU or ward transfer types. I worked in the UK and...

  14. Stress Relief after a BAD shift?

    flo136 replied to JStollRN's topic in Health, Stress Management

    I have been nursing for 20 years in a public intensive care unit. Mate, this is the answer: big big glass of red wine and hot bubbly bath. Leave the troubles at the hospital door. It's not worth the...

  15. Does your unit do it's own CRRT?

    flo136 replied to WWRN's topic in MICU, SICU

    We are 1:1 for CRRT, via a Vascath line. But if the patient has a AV fistula we get the dialysis nurses to come down and do it for us. Plus it also depends on the patient's

  16. Bleeding patients 'till they're anemic

    flo136 replied to sunnycalifRN's topic in MICU, SICU

    I agree we take too much blood off. Where I work the new nurses are told to take blood gases every 3 hours. I've let it go a lot longer. They are also slow to rectify low urine output so nearly all...

  17. propofol

    flo136 replied to hollykate's topic in Neuro Intensive Care, ICU

    I've seen too much propofol cause urine to go green. Hourly rates of 30mls and

  18. Inappropriate ICU admissions

    flo136 replied to sunnycalifRN's topic in MICU, SICU

    I work in a public hospital in Australia. We get dumped on frequently. A classic is when the anaesthetists can't be bothered to reverse the patient in theatre. Instead of going them to the PACU unit...

  19. Need a good ICU book

    flo136 replied to erinnRN's topic in MICU, SICU

    Hi. I've worked in the Uk and currently Australia; and a great book we use for our ICU course is T. Oh's ICU manual. It is heavy and thick but the chapters are interesting and it covered all we were...