fifiroo

I had a patient who had terrible tunneling abscesses to his perirectal area requiring BID dressing changes. He was in his 50's and had a family and all that but was just off, had a very childlike and dependent air (though previously being able to do all his ADL's prior to this hospitalization). Anyway, morning dressing change comes around and I have two others in the room helping me because he's too unstable (and obese) to be rolled to do it, we have to use the lift for each leg. Well, he was a lot more talkative and actually pleasant at this time and the three of us were almost enjoying his company for a bit, and I think he got really into being the center of attention. FMS had been leaking and we had to do a whole bed change. Well he starts going on about "aw, mama, I'm like a big baby, you gotta wipe me down! I done pooped ma pants! You gotta wipe me all up now!" On and on...and on. >. Cannot handle a grown man getting his butt wiped, acting like a baby, and enjoying it.

Same boat as you! Would love to hear any info anyone has. I have been considering talking to an admissions person there but I am still at least a year and a half away from wanting to start another degree. This program was recommended to me by my manager, who completed the MSN in leadership (our hospital's tuition reimbursement covers almost the entire cost of this program) :)

I'd be interested to hear the experiences of those who did go from NICU to ICU! I will be making the transition soon and am super excited! I actually just did two interviews for ICU for two campuses of the same organization (which is my current org). Got a very very good vibe from unit #1- smaller and probably fewer very 'sick' pts but the director herself used to support NICU so I think that helped her envision me on the unit. I think it will be a good transition for me to go to a smaller, slightly less acute mixed MICU/SICU. The second interview was a panel interview with the larger campus who seemed much more scrutinizing of my experience and who (at least as of now) haven't offered me the job. I think just like another poster said, emphasize your experience with the critical little guys. Probably helps to cast a wide net as well and apply many places ;-) good luck!

We use tegaderm to cover the whole site and a duoderm just beneath the hub to protect from pressure sores. We don't use any skin prep, just cleanse with betadine or clorhexidine and clean that off with a sterile saline wipe, then completely dry before placing the tegaderm. We secure the edge where the line comes out of the tegaderm with steristrips. For the sweaty kids... Well, we just change dressings pretty frequently and occasionally will secure the lifted edge of the tegaderm with another tegaderm, as long as the dressing is still occlusive over the insertion site. :). Interesting about the skin prep/barrier. Does that help protect the skin when the dressing comes off for changes??

This should be passed around all over the Internet. THANK YOU. It is the hardest thing to describe my day and you have helped me prepare my response next time someone asks!!

Two major hospitals in the area. I was on Rehab at Hospital 1 for 7 months, when I got offered an amazing (or so I thought at the time) position in the NICU at the Hospital 2, a Magnet hospital, so I left. I have been in NICU for 3 months now and am not loving it for several reasons - it's a level 3 but I am not seeing any acuity. It appears they keep their new hires with feeder-growers a long time before they give them anything more complicated. I have asked charge nurses to give me more acuity, but I keep getting put with easy assignments that are mind-numbing! That's why I left Hospital 1 in the first place, as it was my chance to see more acute patients! Feeding babies is fun, but it's not what I want for a career right now. Mostly, I am really missing Hospital 1 (better pay, better scheduling, better staffing, electronic orders, electronic clock in-which, btw, who does paper time cards anymore? Hospital 2!) How long would you stick it out? I want to move back to Hospital 1 and stay there for a long time now that I know how the alternative is, and they are hiring like crazy! If you were a hiring manager at Hospital 1, would you think I was crazy for reapplying within the same year that I left? Thoughts?