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It is standard practice here in Oz that 99% of ICU patients have an IJ, sub-clavian or femoral multi-lumen central line inserted, or a PICC line if they are a long term patient requiring fewer infusions. The central line would have either three or fo...

Here is a link to the Qld Health current wages rates. To give you an idea, I am an RN, and I have been registered for four years, nearly into my 5th. So, to give you an idea, I am at a Gr 5 level, paypoint 5.

We generally run with a guideline of MAP >65mmHg, unless specifically indicated. When considering chatting to the docs about a fluid bolus, I consider the trends over the last 2-3 hours. What has the pt's urine output been, where is the MAP hove...

Our fresh hearts, whether a simple CABG or valve replacement, or more complicated by IABP or nitro, are always 1:1.

In our unit, and the other units I have worked in, a chest X-Ray is ALWAYS performed to verify placement before use. Sure, air boluses and aspiration and litmus test have their place in initial verification, but with a CXR you know for sure the NGT...

At the hospital I work at in Australia, pts on Bipap in Respiratory HDU are 2:1, but are watched very closely for a decline that will need ICU admission. We do have Bipap pts in ICU that are 1:1, but they generally have other issues going on.

I was recently *this close* in going to Alice Springs Hospital ICU for a secondment (couldn't go in the end as my hospital refused to allow any leave without pay, even though our unit is about 3FTE over). I think for a first time rural placement, it...

In our unit, we use T-pieces to deliver humified oxygen to a long term ventilated patient who is being weaned from the ventilator. We generally do first day 1-2 hours t-piece, then 2 hrs ventilator, and continue that for the day as tolerated, and th...

If you have an emergent newly admitted patient going into septic shock, very hypotensive and trending downwards, the TPN is the least of your worries. As others have said, the course of action would be to cease the TPN (and aspirate and flush the lu...

In the ICU department I work in, all admitted patients, whether overnight post-op, short term, long term, on or off inotropes; everyone has an arterial line. Never ever interrupt your inotropes, except to wean them down, it's too risky for the patie...

Pre-extubation, we immediately use paracetemol 6 hourly and use either 2mg boluses of morphine, or 20 mcg boluses of fentanyl (depending on the pt's age, kidney function, allergies etc) PRN. Once extubated, the pt has a PCI that delivers either 0.5m...

Hi Misscherie, as you have mentioned the Great Barrier Reef, this is a link for Qld Health payrates. In fact, take your tine browsing the whole Work For Us site, there is some great info in there. When doing your research about where to work, take ...

We use a bladder temperature line to the minitot for pts with an IDC with a temp attachment; naso-oesophageal temp line to the monitor on cardiac surg pts & pts without IDC temp attachment; and generally a themometer auxially or femorally other...

I also went into a med surg ICU as a grad, but I had the experience of a paramedic background. Best piece of advice I can give is ask lots and lots of questions! Don't be afraid to ask your CN's, senior RN's, doctors, physiotherapists, speech therap...

One of the current trials being conducted by ANZICS Clinical Trials Group in Australia & New Zealand is the CHEST study. The study is comparing the use of Hydroxy-Ethyl Starch (Voluven, Hespian) 0.9% Sodium Chloride, with 0.9% Sodium Chloride al...

In my last unit we were doing pre-op chlorhex washes on patients with MRSA and VRE, on behalf of OT for a trial that they were enrolled in. Unfortunately I can't tell you any formal results as the trial was still running when I left. Having said tha...

Our policy is to perform a full line and dressing change on CVL, IAL, PICC, and Vascath lines every seven days or PRN, but no fixed time on replacement of the catheter. Having said that, they generally are removed and reinserted every couple of week...

some of them (especially the SR's) you can cajole, ask, tell...but they still manage to be blissfully unaware of the concept of helping out Most are pretty good though, and will pitch in when asked.

To do a transport to radiology, we always have the RN and a wardie, and a doctor if the patient is tubed, or not if they are extubated. Tubed patients are transported on an Oxylog transport vent, with the wardie pushing the bed, RN guiding the bed a...

In the Australian ICU I work at, we set up, maintain, troubleshoot and take down the circuits. The ICU I work at uses the Prisma, at the last ICU I worked at we used the Aquarius. It's interesting how two machines that have the same end goal can wo...

In Australia, at the large public hospital ICU I work out, we are 1:1 for all patients. At the private hospital ICU I previously worked out, all vented and/or dialysed pts, or particularly confused pts were 1:1, the non-vented pts were 2:1.

In our unit we are lucky enough to have 1:1 care (in Australia). There are regular turn rounds with the wardies every 3 hrs, and I turn my patients side-back-side, unless contraindicated. We use slide sheets, so it is easy to get the patient into a...

CINAHL (cia Ovid) & Proquest are great databases, and Blackwell Synergy usually has some good stuff as well. Your library website will let you access these via a signin option. As I research from my home computer, I find it easiest just to sear...

Here is a map of the local area around the PAH to give you a bit of a guide to the local suburbs.. You are best to stay on the southside of the river, or the traffic can get very congested when you are trying to get across. The local areas immediat...

Hi Kelly, congrats on starting your degree, and I hope you get a lot out of it! I am also studying my RN degree part-time, I have done 3 years, currently in my 4th, with 2 to go. I live in Brisbane, and did my first three years externally through ...