Surgical nursing handbook?

[momof4ndocswife]

I'm a new nurse who is presently working 12 hr night shifts on a busy general post-op surgical floor. (Soon moving to days, however!!!) I feel so very overwhelmed/dumbfounded :bugeyes:at times and have days when I feel plain stupid.... like I don't remember anything from nursing school, although I was an "A" student with 2 separate BS degrees (in biology from a long time ago and most recently in nursing).

On some days, I honestly feel like I need to go back and re-take Med-Surg again but.... I honestly just don't remember ever discussing some of the surgeries, procedures, and situations that arrive on our floor from the OR.

I wondered if there was some type of practical handbook for post-op surgical care for nurses that anyone would recommend? 'Something I could have on the floor with me to look up information to define what surgical procedures are done on patients and what should be monitored.. other than the obvious: VS, post-op bleeding, labs, respiratory, etc?

I've been looking around on the internet, but all I keep coming up with are the huge general nursing medical-surgical textbooks.

Suggestions, anyone?

thanks, Jeanie

[RN1989]

Check out the medical/nursing sections of a good bookstore like Barnes & Noble. There are quite a few pocket guides on various subjects that are small enough to carry with you. The subjects vary from basic nursing knowledge to tidbits and pearls of wisdom for various types of specialties. One of them is usuall called PDQ for the _____ and the others have more generic names but I have a collection of them because I find them valuable when you have a brain fart or when teaching others.

There are also several textbooks on core curriculums for both medsurg and icu along with curriculums for procedures. I have several of these books by various authors/publishers/nrsg assoc. and all of them have excellent info. Of course these are more for your offduty hours as they would be quite cumbersome to lug around at work.