Natural510

Natural510

ICU

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All Content by Natural510

  1. IS MICU/SICU too much for New Grad?

    I started in ICU, but I was also a nursing assistant for 2 years in the same unit beforehand. Other new grads from my class who got hired there included an ED NA, a step-down NA, and someone with no...
  2. sedation

    Hospitals & critical care educators are trying to move away from propofol and the heavier sedatives because "research shows" patients undergo withdrawal from it upon extubation. Of course these...
  3. Pushing meds through NGT/OGT with the plunger

    I've only seen gravity used with a G-tube, but it's basically the same thing. No reason it can't be done either
  4. Best transition into ICU?

    Many new nurses who can't get into ICU right away will start in an ICU or Cardiac Stepdown unit. It's a step up from med/surg or telemetry in that you'll be dealing with things like chest tubes,...
  5. Charge nurse taking patients in ICU

    I work in a smaller regional hospital in Ohio, and our charge nurses do not take patients, if for no other reason than they have to respond to codes and rapid-responses on other units and could be...
  6. Able to finish all tasks in ICU?

    Our facility also has a policy allowing us to chart on a patient within 24 hours, so we can come back the next night to add anything we may have forgotten. Not sure if that is an option for you. As a...
  7. A lot of good suggestions here; I will add to not pretend you are in control of a situation when you aren't (don't let your ego overrule the needs of the patients) and don't try to be bossy or think...
  8. Preceptorship in the ICU

    It sounds like you've prepared about well as you can. I am also beginning my ICU orientation as a new grad (I worked there as a CNA during school), and picked up that Kathy Taylor critical care manual...
  9. Young Male CNA discussion!

    I've had similar experiences to blackvans, though not quite 1/5. If they want a female CNA for toileting, etc, they just have to wait that much longer to be assited, so it's their loss. It does get...
  10. Frequent flier narc users

    Hospitals will also lose reimbursements for revolving-door visits, so in this case it will probably be addition by subtraction if it cuts down on their overall
  11. Sutter of Calif. does it again...

    Man, I used to go there as a patient and told myself if I moved back to the Bay Area and couldn't get in at Kaiser, Sutter would be a solid second option. I guess I'd better stay back East where there...
  12. Volunteer to be a union rep or not?

    There is good and bad in having union representation; the good is obvious, but one of the downsides is the laziest & complainingest employees are usually those who want to use the the union to...
  13. cna caught in the middle

    If you are given instructions by your charge nurse, those are what should be carried out. Explain to the other CNAs that you must do a, b & c before you help them out with their tasks for the...
  14. Time Management for the Not So New Grad

    Yeah, like Brandon the idea of pharmacy hours kinda threw me (as did the old-school concepts of paper charting, smoke breaks, and no hospitalist on site). The advice is great for this (hopefully)...
  15. Can i have a job during the nursing program?

    Yea, this is how I'm doing it too. I worked FT as a CNA up until this final semester while doing the RN program, the second year with a little guy at home. Basically it's time management and...
  16. I'm 37 & male...

    There's a guy in my RN classes who is an LPN at Children's Hospital in Columbus OH; he's a brawny-lookin dude and has never mentioned catching flack for his appearance or gender. He started in the...
  17. Hey, I'm 37 years old and just finishing my Associate's after working as a CNA these past four years in acute care. It's a long road, but trust me it is worth it. Like yourself, I slacked off my 20s...
  18. LPN school before RN degree to work my way up??

    I would recommend against this, since you're already an STNA and have a feel for the health care setting (best if you're in acute care). If you know for certain you want to be an RN, just go for the...
  19. North Jersey hospitals

    Which are some of the better hospitals & health systems in North Jersey to work as an RN? I'm planning to move to the area in a couple years after I get out of school and get some nursing...
  20. Question about Jobs in NJ.

    Try to get a nursing assistant position at a local hospital while you're in school. I've been a CNA for three years now, in three different units, and after making a good impression on each manager...
  21. CSCC worth the wait?

    CSCC=Clark State, I'm assuming. I'm there now, Spring Quarter of the first year. Don't be intimidated by the waiting list; as long as you finish up your pre-req's, specifically A&P, you shouldn't...
  22. So far I'm obsessed with paying off my debts, but I think I'll splurge on a vacation once those checks start rolling
  23. I work full-time and am in nursing school. Luckily I work nights as a nursing assistant, in the ICU, where sometimes we have down time and I can study (including sitting with suicide/OD patients which...
  24. Springfield OH, $9.80 to
  25. Ohio University RN-to-BSN Program

    I plan to do this program after I get my associates & RN next year. Several RNs I work with are currently in the OU BSN program, and one is even going to use them for her Masters. It also doesn't...