transitioning from Med surg ICU to Traum Neurosurgery ICU

[ICURN2011]

I am thinking of leaving my med/surg ICU position to a level 1 trauma/neurosurg ICU.

Stupid question but I just don't want to loose my skills with ventilated patients, am I still going to encounter ventilators in a trauma/neurosurgery ICU?

Where I work we are one to one nursing care, when I interviewed for the new position they said it is 2 to 3 patients per nurse, which makes me believe they are not ventilated, am I wrong?

Thanks in advance

[sapphire18]

I personally believe that no ICU should have a 3:1 ratio. To answer your other question, you will see many many vents in neuro/trauma icu.

[meandragonbrett]

You will frequently see ventilators in a Trauma ICU. All of your normal medical problems that you see in your current ICU will be seen in your Trauma ICU but they will be complicated by some sort of traumatic injury/surgical procedure.

[Snowbird17]

I hate to deviate the topic but this is interesting to me...All your patients are 1:1?

Back to your questions, plenty of vents in a neuro ICU. A low enough Glascow score alone will buy someone intubation.

[missnurse01, MSN, RN]

I also was surprised at the 1:1!!

Neuro is very different , maybe less vents but I know we are a 3 state referral center and I don't like floating over there. No narcotics , sedatives bc it could cloud Neuro assessment . So they are hurting , or extremely confused and screaming half the time. Usually hemodynamically stable , rare drip or aline, no swans. Unless they are actively dying.

It is a different world . But everyone likes different things so good luck !

Many icus do three to one , it's sad.

[nrsang97, BSN, RN]

I worked in a neuro ICU with high acuity. Rarely were we ever 3:1, and if we were it was bad staffing everywhere. We had many vents. Mostly we were 1:1 or 2:1. Some nights 13/16 patients were on vents.

I believe ICU should NEVER be 3:1.