一旦你成为一个有执照的人 注册护士(注册护士)，有很多 不同的职业道路和专业 你可以选择. 一些注册护士选择在传统医疗机构工作, 诊所, 学校或其他机构或继续向一个 高级护理学位. Nurses who work in hospitals could be assigned to units or floors dedicated to cardiology, 创伤, 分娩和分娩, 重症监护, 神经学, 和更多的. 其他人——通常是更有经验的护士——根据需要在不同的病房之间流动.
乔丹·沙伦，她赢得了她 护理学理学士 2018年从Herzing的奥兰多校区毕业, explains why she chose to become an 重症监护 unit (ICU) nurse 和 what it’s like to work in the unit.
你为什么选择成为一名重症监护室护士?
One of my first experiences with the ICU happened back when I was still in high school. My brother underwent spinal fusion surgery 和 l和ed in the ICU with complications. As he recovered, I noticed the compassion shown by the nurses 和 the time they spent with him. 这真的让我看到了护士所做的有价值和有意义的工作.
后来, 当时我在赫辛的基诺沙校区的护理学校, 我在养老院完成了各种临床经验, 康复楼, 移植病房等等. I realized I wanted to work in the ICU during my eight-week practicum at a regional hospital because I enjoyed being challenged every day. 的 practicum showed me that I would learn something new during every shift in the ICU. I also saw the impact that ICU nurses have by saving lives 和 providing patient care right there at the 床边.
你每天都做些什么?
当我每天开始上班的时候, I go straight to the charge desk to receive my patient assignments from the charge nurse. 然后我找到前一天晚上照顾我的病人的夜班护士, 软件下载会看每位病人入院日期的报告, 历史, 趋势和现状. 这种评估有助于我安排好一天的工作. 我很快看了一下报告, I go check on all of my patients immediately to make sure they’re stable 和 that their current condition is consistent with the report I received. 在那之后，我再次拜访每个病人并给他们服药.
等我完成换班和第一轮病人查房, I’ll typically go back to the nurse’s station 和 review each of my patient’s medical charts in depth. 我试着了解病人的整体情况, 他们的实验室发展趋势如何，他们的专家说了什么. 当医生开始查房时, 我可以帮助回答问题，也可以回答我的任何问题.
我的剩余轮班通常需要连续巡视我的病人, 包括再次用药吗, 监测他们的生命体征, 帮他们上厕所, 等. I end by completing my final charting 和 providing the night shift nurse with the same type of report I received that morning.
How is working in the ICU different than working in other hospital units or floors?
因为我在医院的重症监护室工作, 我通常一天照顾一到三个病人，这取决于他们的病情. 例如，持续透析的患者需要一对一的护理. 我经常治疗有心脏问题的病人, 肾脏, 肝脏或呼吸衰竭, 还有许多其他危及生命的疾病.
One of the nice things about being an ICU nurse is that you typically have fewer patients each day than you would in another unit, which means you have more time for each person 和 you get to form deeper connections with them. 也, 因为我经常连续工作3次，每次12小时, 我有更大的机会和我的病人交流, 了解他们的需求，并尽可能提供最优质的护理.
I also find the ICU to be incredibly rewarding because patients in this unit really need our care, 而有时候在其他科室病人不需要那么多的帮助.
What are some important skills you learned during nursing school that you now use on the job?
的 动手技能实验室 都是无价之宝. 我学会了鼻胃插管(NG)和口胃插管(OG), 静脉注射, 以及如何插入和取出Foley导尿管, 这些都是我在重症监护室每天要做的. 的 instructors at Herzing also emphasized how to thoroughly complete head-to-toe 评估 for patients, which directly translated to what I’m doing now during shift changes. 软件下载练习了很多次, which was helpful because every hospital or facility has a specific method for these 评估, but I know exactly what I need to be doing 和 looking for regardless of where I’m working.
告诉软件下载你作为重症监护室护士最有意义的一天.
One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is the comfort care we provide to patients, 尤其是那些即将走到生命尽头的人. 虽然软件下载不提供临终关怀, I do everything I can to make sure these patients are as comfortable as possible.
Earlier this year, I took care of a very ill elderly patient who wasn’t recovering. A member of her family personally thanked me for caring for her 和 said “you were truly made for this.” I took it to heart, 和 the gratitude they expressed reminded me of why I do this job. 尽管它极具挑战性, it’s important work that has an impact on not only your patients but also their families.
How do you deal with the high-stress environment 和 pressure of working in the ICU?
I’m a fortunate person in that I’m able to leave my work at work at the end of the day. 我知道有些护士对此很纠结, but I think it’s important to be able to compartmentalize your work from your personal life. My ability to empathize without getting so consumed that it hinders my judgment or ability to do the job is one of my strengths as a nurse.
我也试着在所有的休息日锻炼——这真的有助于缓解压力!
你对那些考虑成为重症监护室护士的人有什么建议?
如果你想在重症监护室工作, you have to be comfortable with death because it’s an inevitable part of the job. It’s also important that you’re able to man年龄 your emotions so you can be strong for your patients 和 their families.
第二个, 要成为一名优秀的重症监护室护士，你必须培养非凡的时间管理技能, 和 you have to be flexible because no two days are ever the same 和 you never know when you’ll have to drop everything to prioritize a life-threatening or other immediate situation.
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*美国劳工统计局(BLS).S. 劳工部, Occupational Employment 和 W年龄 Statistics 2023 / Occupational Outlook H和book 2022. 劳工统计局的估计不代表入门级工资和/或薪水. 多种因素, 包括之前的经验, 年龄, 你想要工作的地理市场和学位领域, 会影响职业成果和收入吗. Herzing neither represents that its graduates will earn the aver年龄 salaries calculated by BLS for a particular job nor guarantees that graduation from its program will result in a job, 促销活动, 加薪或其他职业发展.
