teaching hospital VS. traditional hiospital

Specialties MICU

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Specializes in ICU/ER.

What are some differences? Do you still do things like run vec, and do multiple bedside procedures in a traditonal ICU?

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Specializes in Nurse Anesthesia, ICU, ED.

As being in a teaching hospital, the one difference that I have noticed and been told about, is that the new residents/house officers are often given first priority in practicing "nursing" skills. For instance, the new HO's may be asked to do foley cath's, IV's, NGT's.

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I have worked in a teaching hospital for the past 15 years. We work closely with the residents and help train/guide the first year ones a bit but we dont mind. Although we do dread July 1st, after a few weeks we develop a working relationship with them and can figure out which ones are good and which ones are clueless. There is always a physician around which is nice. As far as the patients and interventions, we treat such a variety of patients. Our hospital has an SICU and MICU. Thats it so we get open hearts, abdominal surgeries, kidney transplants, traumas, etc. and use CVVHD, IABP, LVAD, ICP/EVDS, swans, and name the gtt -we use it. I love knowing how to take care of the diverse population of critically ill pts. We also have lots of nursing students, and precepting them keeps us sharp.

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Specializes in Cardiac.
As being in a teaching hospital, the one difference that I have noticed and been told about, is that the new residents/house officers are often given first priority in practicing "nursing" skills. For instance, the new HO's may be asked to do foley cath's, IV's, NGT's.

Not at my teaching hospital!

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Many of our trauma and surgical patients are transfered from non-teaching hospitals, our patients tend to be sicker and from a wider area.

We have many teams of doctors working with our patients. I have to explain to families about the various teams. There is never simply "the doctor".

Doctors are generally there in the building. I have never had to call anyone at home or use an answering service.

Organ transplants, severe burns, and anything really specialized you will find here too.

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Right after I started thinking ADN someone turned me onto the show 'Scrubs', which I love. I have to ask, since it seems to be set in an ICU of a teaching hospital, is real life anything like the show? :)

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Specializes in SICU.

I've never seen Scrubs but it's been my experience that the show, any show, is RARELY like real life.

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I don't like teaching hospitals. Just a preference. I prefer a large (700+ beds) teritary referal center which has a focus on cards/pulmonary where residents are not around. Just my .02

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I don't like teaching hospitals. Just a preference. I prefer a large (700+ beds) teritary referal center which has a focus on cards/pulmonary where residents are not around. Just my .02

Everyone has to learn somewhere...we did.

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I simply stated my view. I didn't say we didn't need somewhere to learn.

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Specializes in Education, Administration, Magnet.

I just started working at a teaching hospital and it will take me some time to get used to it. There are so many interns, residents, fellows around, I get confused all the time. There is the rule we have on who to call for an order, who can we call for a critical value, etc. But the residents are so much nicer are more respectful than the doctors I used to work with in a small rural hospital.

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Specializes in ER.

I have worked at both, and prefer the small hospital.

Having done the tertiary care thing before, for right now I like the close relationships you can develop at a smaller facility. Not just with the docs, but with housekeeping, other nurses, administration (kind of), patients, everybody. We DO get the critical care but it's a few times a month instead of every day. You get to build a reputation, and know who you can count on for what in an emergency. You also get to be a jack of all trades if you do nights and weekends, and get a lot of say in how the unit runs. In my larger hospitals only a select few knew what was coming up as far as changes, and had any input.

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