Which specialty forum is "telemetry?"

Generally speaking step-down and progressive care units are the same thing. They have very sick patients that may even be ICU type patients in certain hospitals. They could be on vents have multiple drips and lots going on which is why you may only have 3-4 patients. Depending on the hospital it can be a mixed population of medical step down and surgical step down patients, some hospitals have separate step units for each of these.

Telemetry means they are on a heart monitor continuously which is also seen as progressive care (or step down) because they require closer monitoring, more frequent vitals signs (usually q4 hours) among other things. Outside of California you might have up to 6 telemetry patients since a lot of them will be a&o x3, ambulatory. Typically these patients go for a lot of tests (ECHO, Stress, Cath Lab) and are also on drips so it can be considered a cardiac step down unit. Some will come back with sheaths that need to be pulled by the floor RNs who are certified to pull them. Most patients on a step down unit or tele unit will be on continuos heart monitoring though. Hope this helps.

What specialty forum depends on what kind of PCU it is. Cardiac, Surgical, Oncology, Stroke, etc.

none because 3/4 the patients dont even need tele on most tele floors

OP: The specialty is Medical-Surgical Nursing, where telemetry is the use of telemetry monitoring on relatively stable, but acutely ill patients.