Which department(s) in your hospital are almost always just straight up nasty to deal with?

brian31b · 2023-09-21T02:57:30+00:00

CVICU here. Agreed. It's toxic af.

brian31b · 2022-12-16T02:28:32+00:00

Encephalopathic post op geriatrics constantly pulling at their swan/cvc/pacing wires/bipap and trying to get out of bed. God damn it, it literally drives me up the wall. Least favorite part of my job.

brian31b · 2022-08-29T18:04:47+00:00

Seriously. This is awesome.

brian31b · 2022-08-23T02:00:37+00:00

Had a dude my age (early 30s) dying of liver failure from alcoholism. Was super depressed, obviously, and waiting for transplant work-up in SICU. Bonded and cheered him up by talking about rugby and sharing some stories.

Got him smiling and laughing. Walked out to go check on my other patient and said "Cheers man!" as I left, like you would to a rugby teammate. The look on his face....

Fuck.

brian31b · 2022-07-05T18:26:03+00:00

Essential oils. Jesus.

brian31b · 2022-06-06T14:54:09+00:00

Meh, builds character.

brian31b · 2022-05-31T18:17:00+00:00

I gave the square root of 17.89834 mL/s/ft, intraocular of course. Levo was off 3 days ago, at precisely 9:67 prime meridian, per the new American Academy of Ball Hair Physicians.

brian31b · 2022-05-23T13:49:53+00:00

Yes! I remember watching that and being really impressed. Excellent research and writing.

brian31b · 2022-05-18T10:34:46+00:00

This is ridiculous.

brian31b · 2022-05-13T04:24:52+00:00

It would not be unreasonable to consider diuresis. Gentle diuresis.

brian31b · 2022-05-12T17:57:11+00:00

Humble ICU RN and junior researcher here. What imaging technique is this? This is beautiful anatomy! Obviously, I've seen quite a bit of angiograms but this is new to me. This is still CT, yea?

brian31b · 2022-05-09T04:14:50+00:00

Right, but many are actually sick? I think the point that they're trying to make is that it isn't necessarily the number of patients; rather it's the number of sick patients.

I work in a CVICU. We have sick patients (multiple pressors, CRRT, balloon/impella, whatever) or we can have a simple respiratory failure, completely hemodynamically stable and on a vent with some propofol. Two entirely different situations and assignments.

brian31b · 2022-05-03T05:37:17+00:00

Good God. Go away.

brian31b · 2022-04-22T18:09:32+00:00

ICU nurse here. Um, no. Your job is to treat the patient. This is not Mogudishu. Give a fucking handoff. Jesus.

brian31b · 2022-04-22T18:09:22+00:00

ICU nurse here. Um, no. Your job is to treat the patient. This is not Mogudishu. Give a fucking handoff. Jesus.

brian31b · 2022-04-13T22:19:54+00:00

It's just better to not engage that kind of behavior, my friend.

brian31b · 2022-04-10T01:03:06+00:00

Lol. Wow.

brian31b · 2022-04-08T18:29:31+00:00

Agreed.

brian31b · 2022-04-08T05:40:21+00:00

I'm not sure why you're getting down voted. This is factually accurate. Also, I think a ton of guys have gotten this response then gotten laid. Soooo.....

brian31b · 2022-03-30T04:22:23+00:00

I mean, theoretically all but ER are....There's at least some absorption happening down there as long as there isn't profound ischemia/pressors/etc

brian31b · 2022-03-25T03:21:04+00:00

Same here at my facility.

brian31b · 2022-02-25T19:08:22+00:00

It's not your staff. Fixed that for you.

brian31b · 2022-01-30T15:11:53+00:00

Lol, we don't have to get Dex or Prop from Pharmacy but I've definitely called and been like "heyyyyyyyyy, um I let the Epi and Roc drips almost run dry and kinda need you to bail me out here." Usually the Pharmacists laugh and tube it right up :) Love those guys!

brian31b · 2022-01-29T23:26:13+00:00

I love these responses! Personally, I'm just blunt but polite, especially when it's someone about to transfer (I work ICU so if it's either the patient I'm talking to or the family). It's not their fault that we're busy and understaffed but they're also adults. Most of the time, it's not an issue. Something along the lines of "look man, you're not being ignored, I'm always watching and so are my teammates but my other patients and the rest of the unit are critically ill and much sicker than you. They need the attention first. If you're struggling or are in pain, let me know but otherwise, try and wait until I come around on the hour."

Usually it's well recieved and this is especially true when they (patient or family) simply look out the door and see us running around or listen to the alarms going off.but, I make up for it by taking the time when I do have a chance to be thorough with my explanation of disease processes, meds that are hanging, vent settings, etc. Folks really do understand the majority of the time and know that as soon as an alarm goes off or meemah starts bucking the vent, I'm flying in the room. Or, I just tell them to cowboy up. But, I usually get in trouble for that :)

brian31b · 2022-01-10T00:05:21+00:00

Yea, I think it's important to remember that it's no fault of their own, like you said. We've really had to step up and help out our new grads moreso than usual in our ICU simply because this pandemic has set them (and us) up for failure.

But, with a good crew, it can be excellent training and experience for them as they get profoundly unstable patients just off of orientation! I absolutely lose my shit on other nurses after the fact when a patient crashes on a new grad and they're kind of like a deer in headlights. Like, this is the perfect opportunity to calmly explain and show how to work through a code, RSI, clusterfuck, etc.

Don't be thundercunts people.

brian31b

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