laroo

Hi! I have TONS of questions about Saipan... I am moving there in one month. I tried emailing you but the address didn't work. Could you PM me or leave a new email? Thanks so much.

I work there and I love it! It is cozy but we get good patients and have an open heart team. Apply! Message me for more info.

Hey! I just finished my first year in the ICU. I was slotted for 6 months of orientation 1:1 with a preceptor but ended up "graduating" at 4 months because I was functioning pretty well independently and I use my resources (staff) well. I work in a level 2 trauma ICU with neuro, cardiac, medical, surgical, etc. We do open hearts... I can take a 1st day postop heart but no fresh hearts yet until I've been there for a few years. I had NO ICU experience at all and it was a HUGE adjustment... a whole new world! I learned fast and spent ALL of my time outside work taking the AACN course and reading everything I could get my hands on. You either float or sink, and your preceptor can make or break your experience. I had a wonderful, patient preceptor who was a fabulous teacher. Attitude really is important too- you have to be extremely humble and open to learning. NOBODY likes a "know-it-all" new nurse in the ICU and quite frankly that attitude is very dangerous to patients. Don't feel dumb about asking questions and getting second opinions. If something feels wrong, trust your instinct and figure it out. There were times when I wanted to run run run home and find an easier/slower paced job... but I adjusted. Now when I have a "boring" moderately stable patient, I am like... bummer. Because you end up loving sick patients that keep you busy. I do often get the crappy assignments, but they like to challenge me as well. Sometimes I have to speak up and ask for a sicker assignment if I've been stuck in boringland for a while. I love it. Just remember to be humble, be helpful, ask questions, research, learn, and work hard. Teamwork is everything. If my assignment is a little slow, I run around asking people if they need help. I love my coworkers and my ICU, I love the independence, it is just great. Note- I work in a non-teaching hospital... I am not sure what the experience at a teaching hospital is but I have heard that we have more independence because there aren't interns/residents running around doing stuff. It is fun. We present our patients at rounds every morning and throughout my day I am constantly working with MDs/PAs to get the meds & orders I need, and I question their orders when necessary and help them figure out what the patient needs. It is neat to be the "expert" on the patient. Advocate!

Interesting! We do qshift full assessments then q4hour focus assessments on any changes. neuro checks anywhere from q15min to q4hr depending on patient. pain assessments prn. VS & IO's, titrations on paper q15min to q1hr depending on patient. meditech is so archaic. we have the paper order sheets and paper VS flowsheets/drip flowsheets, then computer charting and med scanning... do you too?

That is terrible... WOW. I had a patient on 50mcg/kg/hr of propofol and a 50mcg/hr fentanyl gtt yesterday. We routinely propofol our people unless their lipid profile is out of control, or if they are on propofol too long... then we switch to versed. Have used an ativan gtt too. Mostly though, propofol for sedation and fentanyl underneath for pain. Sedated patients can still feel pain. Precedex when weaning a difficult patient from the vent/extubating. We titrate the propofol however we feel according to what the patient needs- are you all allowed to titrate your sedation independently?

Hey! I am 23 years old with no attachments and would like to travel a bit before I do get attachments. I have been in a level II trauma center ICU for 1 year... we take sick people from the area hospitals and are able to care for most of our patients. Occasionally we send people to Boston, but really only if they need a transplant. We do open hearts and have a mixed cardiac/neuro/medical/surgical/etc ICU, so I have gotten a variety of experiences. I am planning on working on my CCRN over the winter (while hibernating) and contemplating the idea of travel nursing next year. Most places ask for at least 18months-2 years of experience. Will coming from a Level II center be detrimental to me? I have heard that I should go work in a Level I city hospital first and then go travel... I would just feel bad going through orientation with them and only staying for a few months! Many of the nurses I work with did traveling when they were my age and they are incredible, resourceful, independent, laid back nurses who are frazzled by nothing. I am still learning always but I definitely have the laid back and adaptable personality that would be beneficial to traveling. Any advice/info on traveling as an ICU nurse and experience level would be super helpful! thanks :-)