In today’s episode, I run through a recent experience I had managing a patient who was deteriorating very early into my shift. I’ve started to care for patients who are a lot sooner into their within the ICU; in today’s case, only 4 hours, meaning a lot can occur. I breakdown not only what happened; but more importantly, I share how this particular experience was a culmination of a lot of what I’ve learned to date.

I’m back to work after a few weeks holiday; and as I turns out, 2/2 shifts I’ve either worked towards, or have performed an Extubation. Keeping along this train of thought, I thought I’d cover what we look at prior to extubating a patient; the differences between positive and negative pressure ventilation, the different modes we trial, and the procedure of extubation.

As I reflect on the vast array of experiences which have occurred over the last 6 months, I share with you a moment from the very first 10 Minutes of my first buddied shift. It was a heart warming experience I’ll remember for the rest of my career. I feel so proud to be a nurse, and to provide care during this dark moment of their lives.

In the short 6 months I’ve worked as an ICU Grad, I’ve come across a variety of nursing positions I didn’t know existed. Whilst I may not know a tonne about the specifics of their roles just yet, I take this opportunity of outline who they are, and basically what they do.

At the start of each and every shift I perform a variety of safety checks. In this episode I break down each check, and explain why I do it.

Following on from Part 1, I use the same scenario, to break down what I was looking at, and linking it directly to a Primary Survey.

Over the last 6 months, I’ve been developing my routine for starting each shift. To begin with, it felt like complete stimulus overload; not knowing where to look first. But over time, with experience, I’ve started to develop a routine that has worked for me. In Part 1, I outline the scenario, and walk through in real time what I’m looking at.

There are a few things I like to do, to make the transition from my shift, to the next, more seamless and efficient for the next nurse. It’s taken a solid 6 months to develop, but like anything, practice makes perfect. As I mention, not all are always achievable, but if possible, makes for a solid, and satisfying conclusion to your busy shift.

Most days, I have some form of contact with either family, or friends within the ICU; and with that, brings some challenges. In this episode, I outline a few of the unexpected challenges i've faced, and provide helpful hints of what I do in those situations.

The moment has finally arrived, after 6 months of waiting, I’ve finally experienced by first transfer to CT. I did it independently, and as many have already mentioned, this would have been the easiest CT of my career. Either way, I had a blast, and I can’t wait to share it with you.