What kind of patients do you handle?

yetanotheramanda · Oct 23, 2010

in addition to head injuries and tumors, we also see a lot of strokes- both ischemic and hemorraghic.

Any "head" patient is very likely to exhibit strange behavior, hence the haldol. In addition, patients who are under psychiatric care often end up in the unit and they bring their psych issues with them.

We do get some alzheimer's/dementia patients. A lot of older people are on coumadin and that frequently leads to bleeds...and they end up in the unit. Once in the unit they are hooked up to tele, iv's, SCD's, etc. The first thing they do is start pulling at things...especially their clothes. So, yeah we see a lot of naked old people! (also naked young people and naked middle aged people!)

many neuro units also take trauma patients (car wrecks, motorcycle accidents, gun shot wounds, etc). Unfortunately, in many cases, these people come to us through their own....um, stupidity. Driving drunk, stoned, too fast, reckless...falling off ladders/balconies, etc while stoned/drunk...

These people bring their own set of problems like substance abuse and impusivness. Add that to pain and a head injury and you are in for a wild time!

I hope that answers some of your questions

RevolutioN2013 · Oct 23, 2010

in addition to head injuries and tumors, we also see a lot of strokes- both ischemic and hemorraghic.
Any "head" patient is very likely to exhibit strange behavior, hence the haldol. In addition, patients who are under psychiatric care often end up in the unit and they bring their psych issues with them.
We do get some alzheimer's/dementia patients. A lot of older people are on coumadin and that frequently leads to bleeds...and they end up in the unit. Once in the unit they are hooked up to tele, iv's, SCD's, etc. The first thing they do is start pulling at things...especially their clothes. So, yeah we see a lot of naked old people! (also naked young people and naked middle aged people!)
many neuro units also take trauma patients (car wrecks, motorcycle accidents, gun shot wounds, etc). Unfortunately, in many cases, these people come to us through their own....um, stupidity. Driving drunk, stoned, too fast, reckless...falling off ladders/balconies, etc while stoned/drunk...
These people bring their own set of problems like substance abuse and impusivness. Add that to pain and a head injury and you are in for a wild time!
I hope that answers some of your questions

Wow - it sounds like the Wild West of the hospital, but fascinating all the same! How did you end up working in this unit? Did you seek it out or just get assigned there and then love it? What kind of experience is best to work in this area? What kind of personality is best to do well there? Thank you for your info & opinions!

litepath2 · Dec 20, 2010

I've been reading some of the posts on this board and your specialty sounds very interesting. Head injuries I understand and also tumors, but what other kinds of problems are handled in neuro? What about the posts that make reference to patients needing haldol? Isn't that for addicts? If so, why are addicts neuro patients? One post talked about little old ladies in various states of undress on the hall. Would that be an alzheimer's situation? Two of the threads I followed about "You know you're a neuro nurse if..." made it sound like you guys deal with psych patients and I couldn't figure out why that would be unless their behavior was the result of a tumor or effects of a head injury.

Ahh...welcome to the World of Newroe!

Aside from Doc's that prefer Haldol, and the dazed and confused 2'dary to Brain issues, Nursing is a total and equal agency opportunity!

Thoughts:

Sometimes psych patients have neuro issues and need tx.

Sometimes we create a psychosis.

Your Brain is a fragile organ.

Some drugs work, sometimes on some patients.

A lot of nurses do not like to work neuro for the very things you have observed via reading text. But I cannot think of a branch of Hospital-bedside nursing that doesn't deal with: addicts, psych-pt.'s, Morbidly obese unless it is just neonates.