JeanOfAllTraits replied to ZenStudent's topic in PACU
This is my situation too. I'll be leaving my adult ICU float position for Peds PreOp/PACU. I'm excited buy also terrified of leaving what I know I good at, where my opinion is respected by other staff (even the ocassional Doc ) and going to a new ...
JeanOfAllTraits replied to Rose44's topic in Critical
Three units, a 25 bed SICU, 18 bed MICU, 16 bed CVICU. MICU and SICU have 2 CNAs on and CVICU has one on. They help with turns, restocking linens, ordering supplies, doing baths, stripping room after a transfer and grabbing floor beds for transfer am...
JeanOfAllTraits replied to RN_survivor's topic in MICU
I just had to pop in on the MICU side. I love our MICU. Yes, plenty of chronic geriatrics, but also plenty of younger acute issues. Things can go really wrong, PEs, septic emboli, suicide attempt with acetaminophen OD. Some of my sickest patients hav...
JeanOfAllTraits replied to WVRN2014's topic in PICU
Forgive me, but I feel a bit confused. What access do you have to a PICU? Aome other things I'd ask wouls be: What is the process for moving a step down pt to a PICU bed? Who an admit to the step down bed?
JeanOfAllTraits replied to MDMBSNRN's topic in Critical
Good for you. You showed strong critical thinking and clear a thorough understanding of pathophysiology. It seems to me that your hospital is squelchin your nursing practice. I think if you get in a facility that supports the nurses, you'll make a wo...
JeanOfAllTraits replied to ixchel's topic in Critical
Our intermediate care is 2:1 if there is super heavy or unstable and needing the ICU ASAP before we code otherwise it's 3:1. I've never seen ratio go above that, but my hospital is fantastic about ratios even though we're not union. Our IMC is 100% t...
JeanOfAllTraits replied to Austincb's topic in Critical
Gastric residual volumes, the sound of retching/dry heaving and emesis in general and I are not friends. I sometimes get nauseates with my cycle and I have actually had to get another nurse to check residual volumes for me because I was literally gag...
JeanOfAllTraits replied to RNexplorer's topic in Critical
If you have an ART line, draw from there. However if you don't have one, then the PICC or your CVC is your only option besides a typical lab draw. I was taught to pause the other drips before drawimg the waste, them draw the lab, flush and start the ...
JeanOfAllTraits replied to ktliz's topic in Critical
Different nurses have different sheets. Most use one basically blank sheet. I fold mine in half and use one side for each patient. Top half had past medical history amd current hospital course. Sometimes that current is everything that has happened, ...
I'm sure the story leaves out a lot of the information we in the medical community are hungry for. Oh well, we won't get it and will just have to be satisfied knowing that either we don't have all the info, or there is something greater than medical ...
JeanOfAllTraits replied to ZombieBunnyRN's topic in Critical
I habe always said that the hardest unit I have ever worked on is our stepdown unit. Broad range of diagnoses, all the services in the hospital, the need to be hypervigilant and have keen assessment skills. All of this while dealing with the psychoso...
JeanOfAllTraits replied to ViolinTreble's topic in Critical
Thanks RRT! You've inspired me to tall with one of our RTs this week to better understand the workings of our Bipaps amd the settings. I only mentioned the 'back up rate' because that's what our most recent attending was referring to when discussing ...
JeanOfAllTraits replied to ViolinTreble's topic in Critical
The thing that I love about our BiPaps, and iI'm not sure if this is how all of them work, is that they can have a back-up rate programed in. So that pt working too hard to maintain a rate that keeps their acid base balance looking nice now won't nee...
For the record this is exactly what I meant. :-) I also wish how much we loved the patient or family got them higher on the list. Breaks my heart when the ones who you know would just 'fly' with a new organ die on the list.
JeanOfAllTraits replied to mrnightinggale's topic in Critical
I use what is probably like your cavi-whipes when I'm stripping down a room. We have thermometers in each room and I wish we had designated stethoscopes, not the cheap iso kind, in every room. I used those wipes on monitoring equipment, room phones, ...
JeanOfAllTraits replied to polkadotti's topic in NICU
I have never loved ortho, from my first day of clinicals as a 1st semester student on an ortho unit, to today as an adult critical care float. I do, however, love nursing. There are places where some of us find our niche, others have just a few plac...
I am looking at testing some time im the next 4-6 months. I am looking at the Pass CCRN, the AACN's review course and the PEARLS review. courses. I am wondering if anybody could give me a short description of what each programs offers. I'm looking f...
JeanOfAllTraits replied to ataymil8's topic in Critical
Congratulations! ICU is a huge learning curve but you sound like you want to learn and you want to be thorough. Look into what your orientation process would look like and if you have didactic classes and/or online material sucj as the ECColO modules...
JeanOfAllTraits replied to Melissa1986's topic in MICU
They will either do solid organ ( kidney, liver, pancreas) or heart and lung or both. Solid organ and heart/lung are very different transplant processes. You'll likely see the meds Katie mentioned, antirejections, bacterial and fungal prophylaxis, p...