Question about ICUs

Hello,

I am planning on moving to Sydney soon from the US. All my paperwork is in order and visa is ready to go and I have interviews scheduled for ICUs. I currently have 2.5 years experience in a ICU in a large teaching hospital. I have figured out that there are no respiratory therapists and I am okay with that and comfortable managing a vent. Can anyone else offer any advice on what I can expect? Is dialysis managed by the RN or is there a dialysis RN or tech that sets it up and runs it? I have experience with CVVH and can troubleshoot if needed but have not ever had to set one up. Are there any good resources that I could look to for common drugs used? I guess I'm just looking for a good description of they dynamics of the ICUs there?

Also, how are the accommodations provided by the hospitals in general? Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks very much for your help in advance. I can't wait to get there!!!

joyfull26

In my ICU (in Newcastle, not far from Sydney but more 'rural' even though we are a level 6 ICU), we do CRRT and the dialysis nurses do haemodialysis. Hope that helps.

Hey Joyfull,

I'm another US import into Australia just over 6 weeks now, working in acute care in Melbourne. Though I do not work ICU, I wanted to ease your mind about the medication questions. I too was really worried about how the heck I was gonna learn all these new names of meds, but I've found that many doctors and nurses just use the generic name anyways, which is pretty much the exact same as the US drugs. And even after 6 weeks I've picked up the brand names of many common medications (e.g. Maxalon is what we know as Reglan, Panadol is the Aussie equivalent of Tylenol, etc.)

http://www.mims.com/

That is also a great online resource for looking up medications. We have a MIMS book on our unit and I use it daily to look up meds that I'm not familiar with on the ward. You may be able to order a book of your own to look over before you make your way to Australia.

Hope that helps and good luck on your big move down under!

Hi I just noticed your thread about moving to sydney. I am a nurse from the USA as well and hope to be moving to sydney next month to work in the ICU. Do you have arrangements to go there yet? I am excited but nervous at the same time! I have alot of the same questions about how ICUs are run in Australia. I am going over myself and do not know anyone, so it is a little nerve-wrecking. When do you plan on going to sydney?