DogLover17

Just wondering how many schools the majority of people applied to. Some people I know applied to 10+, others only 2-3.

You need to contact the schools to ask. My PCU experience does count because we were titrating inotropes, had arterial lines and Swans...just wasn't considered ICU by the hospital because our only ventilators were chronic vents and we weren't technic...

Almost all ICD's I've seen will ATP pace before. We had a guy come in in VT storm and it would ATP pace x 10 (!!!) before shocking. (His request--Had some serious PTSD from ICD shocks and eventually had the ICD turned off completely.)

I thought we were always 1:1...but then I realized all of my hypothermia patients had an IABP! 1:1 during the cooling phase, but usually if we have a hypothermia the other patient is pretty stable.

Veterinarian. I was in school studying animal science and taking pre-vet courses and my parenrs told me they'd cut me off if I didnt switch. I liked the flexibility of nursing so I switched to that (with a lot of work, it wasn't easy to just switch i...

We have nurses who do the same thing. However, our policy is that the patient must be assessed within 30 minutes of arrival to the unit. I assess, look over my orders and make sure there's nothing that has to be done immediately, and then bathe them....

I passed with one year of step-down experience. It wasn't easy though. Look at the AACN blueprint and see how much you see on your unit and study appropriately.

deleted, I was very wrong. Love learning from this site!

One question I'd encourage you to ask is the turnover rate on the unit. Right now on night shift we typically have 2-3 new grads (who are extremely capable), a few new to ICU nurses but not new nurses, and one person with more experience. It's really...

My post-op CABG last week had a very similar issue (no hydralazine though) and the NP thought it could be from the propofol. When I asked her for a broader understanding why she didn't give me an answer. A few days later I found out he was a very hea...

A nurse practitioner I highly respect told me, while I was working in a high acuity step-down unit, that when you start to get bored or comfortable it's time to move on. For me it was about a year and a half, others less time.

I'm not a new nurse but newer to ICU and still on orientation, and even though I have a few years of experience I have never (***knocking on wood like crazy***) had a patient I was caring for code. I've been involved in a few, usually doing compressi...

When I was in high school/college and going to the doctor frequently (2-3x a year for probably 5 years) complaining about abdominal pain/issues the doctors' frequently asked if my clothes were too tight. Turns out it was celiac disease, but I did fin...

I didn't use any other resources. I honestly don't have a hard time with standardized tests though. She definitely covered an appropriate amount of resources but really just the practice questions. The SAW from the AACN empathetic_cynic mentioned is ...

Switch preceptors. Talk to your manager, charge nurses, educators, anyone you can to get a new preceptor. This is your career and your job opportunity, you deserve the best!

One of the most experienced nurses on my unit (like, 25+ years in ICU) recently had a patient self extubate. Respiratory therapy saw the patient (90+ years old, post surgical, very weak prior to surgery and more so after) contort himself in an extrem...

I did her review, passed on the first try. It was helpful because it was a comprehensive review of multiple systems and I have only worked in cardiology, so the info on neuro, renal, etc was excellent for me and she really breaks down stuff that you ...

At my hospital you can test out of the tele courses if you feel comfortable, so that course would probably be good.

It's up to your supervisor really, since it's their e-mail address you're providing. My supervisor has no problem with counting orientation hours towards it. I haven't heard of anyone getting audited for any of the exams.

We wore all white scrubs for a while, and they did not look professional with all the stains I accumulated...

Rhythm strips are important definitely. Will your new unit be cardiac surgical or more medical? How long is your orientation?

I just interviewed in a CVICU and got the job, so I don't have too much advice considering I've never been on the other side but here's a little. My main suggestion is to be yourself and stay positive. Look up interview questions (there are TONS out ...

Just wanted to given an update--I just got hired into my dream job with a ton of room for growth! I'm very happy I held out for the job I wanted. I am so lucky that I already had a job I really liked and could wait to move until I found the next best...

Sorry in advance for the extremely long post: I'm going to be moving to a new city for my boyfriend's job soon and greatly looking forward to it. Some background--I've worked on a cardiac intermediate unit (LVADs, PA catheters, titratable drips, hear...

Well, I didn't get the job but I'm not too upset about it. Just hoping I can find one in that area soon, not getting my hopes down yet that my "dream job" (not sure what my dream job actually is) is out there!