The benefits of being a Telemetry Nurse

Summary

The speaker discusses their choice of specialty in the medical field, seeking greater responsibility and flexibility. They highlight the experience in a medical-surgical and telemetry setting, where they care for sicker patients than typically seen on a regular floor. The role involves starting with a limited number of patients, receiving reports from the charge nurse, and conducting comprehensive assessments. The focus is on anticipating patient needs to facilitate recovery and transition from the ICU to less intensive care settings, ultimately aiming for the patient's return home.

Takeaways

• 📚 The speaker chose a specialty for more responsibility and flexibility in their practice.
• 🏥 The medical environment discussed includes handling a variety of diagnoses similar to those found on a med-surg telemetry floor.
• 🤒 The patients seen are generally sicker than those on a typical med-surg telemetry floor.
• 👩‍⚕️ The practice starts with caring for two or three patients at a time, indicating a higher acuity of care.
• 📝 The nurse receives a report from the charge nurse before beginning their assessment.
• 🔍 A comprehensive patient assessment includes history, vital signs, and medications.
• 🔮 The nurse is expected to anticipate the patient's needs not just for their shift, but throughout the day and into the future.
• 🛑 The goal is to improve the patient's condition to facilitate their transfer out of the ICU to med-surg telemetry, and eventually to discharge them to go home.
• 💼 There is an emphasis on proactive care planning to achieve the best patient outcomes.
• 📈 The script suggests a structured workflow from receiving reports to conducting assessments and planning for patient recovery.
• 🏠 The ultimate aim is to see patients progress from the ICU to less intensive care settings and ultimately to return home.

Q & A

Why did the speaker choose to specialize in the mentioned field?

The speaker chose to specialize in this field due to the desire for more responsibility and flexibility in their practice, which was easily built upon their medical surgical and telemetry experience.

What types of patients does the speaker usually encounter in their practice?

The speaker encounters much sicker patients compared to those on a med surg telemetry floor, with a focus on intensive care unit (ICU) patients.

How many patients does the speaker typically start with in their practice?

The speaker typically starts with two patients, sometimes three.

What is the source of the initial patient report for the speaker?

The initial patient report comes from the alkaline nurse.

What is the process the speaker follows after receiving the patient report?

After receiving the report, the speaker goes directly in to see their patients, conducting a full assessment including history, vital signs, and medications.

What is the primary goal of the speaker's patient care?

The primary goal is to anticipate the patient's needs throughout the day and the future to get the patient better so they can leave the ICU and progress to med surg telemetry, and eventually go home.

What does the term 'alkaline nurse' refer to in the context of the script?

The term 'alkaline nurse' seems to be a typographical error or a specific term used in the speaker's practice, likely referring to the nurse who provides the initial patient report.

How does the speaker approach patient care in terms of anticipating future needs?

The speaker not only looks at the patient's current state but also anticipates what they will need throughout not just their shift, but also in the future, to improve their condition.

What is the ultimate objective for the patients under the speaker's care?

The ultimate objective is for the patients to recover sufficiently to be discharged from the ICU, progress to med surg telemetry, and then return home.

How does the speaker's practice differ from a typical med surg telemetry floor?

The speaker's practice involves caring for much sicker patients and includes a more intensive and forward-looking approach to patient care, focusing on long-term improvement and discharge planning.

What skills does the speaker emphasize in their practice?

The speaker emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive patient assessment, understanding the patient's history, vital signs, and medications, as well as the ability to anticipate and plan for the patient's future needs.

Outlines

00:00

🚑 ICU Nurse's Role and Patient Care

The speaker discusses their choice to specialize in intensive care unit (ICU) nursing due to the desire for increased responsibility and flexibility. ICU nurses handle more critical patients compared to those on medical-surgical and telemetry floors. The speaker's daily routine involves receiving a report from the charge nurse, conducting a comprehensive assessment of each patient, including history, vital signs, and medications. The goal is to anticipate patient needs not only for the current shift but also for the future, with the ultimate aim of improving the patient's condition to the point where they can be discharged from the ICU to a medical-surgical telemetry floor and eventually return home.

Keywords

💡Specialty

A specialty in the medical field refers to a particular branch of medicine that a healthcare professional chooses to focus on, often requiring additional training and expertise beyond general practice. In the script, the speaker chose a specialty for more responsibility and flexibility, indicating a desire for a more focused and advanced practice within medicine.

💡Medical Surgical

Medical Surgical, often abbreviated as Med Surg, is a term used to describe a type of nursing or hospital unit that provides care for patients with a wide range of medical and surgical conditions. It is a generalist area within nursing that contrasts with more specialized units. The script mentions building upon medical surgical experience, suggesting a foundation in diverse patient care.

💡Telemetry

Telemetry in a healthcare context refers to a department or unit that monitors patients' vital signs remotely using electronic devices. It is often used for patients who require close cardiac monitoring. The script mentions telemetry experience, indicating the handling of patients with potentially complex health conditions that require continuous monitoring.

💡Diagnosis

A diagnosis is the identification of the nature of an illness or other health condition through examination and analysis. In the script, the speaker notes seeing similar diagnoses to those on a med surg telemetry floor, but with sicker patients, emphasizing the severity of conditions treated in their specialty.

💡ICU

ICU stands for Intensive Care Unit, a specialized department of a hospital that provides highly focused and intensive care to patients with severe health conditions that require constant monitoring and immediate response to changes in their condition. The script discusses the goal of getting patients better so they can leave the ICU, highlighting the critical nature of care in this setting.

💡Med Surg Telemetry

This term combines 'Medical Surgical' and 'Telemetry' and refers to a specific type of hospital unit that provides care for patients who require both general medical and surgical care as well as remote monitoring of vital signs. The script mentions the progression of patient care from ICU to med surg telemetry, indicating a step-down in the intensity of care as the patient's condition improves.

💡Patient Assessment

Patient assessment is the process by which healthcare professionals evaluate a patient's health status through techniques such as reviewing medical history, checking vital signs, and examining current symptoms and medications. The script describes a full assessment as part of the speaker's practice, emphasizing the comprehensive approach to understanding and treating each patient.

💡Vital Signs

Vital signs are a group of clinical measures that provide an overview of a person's physical condition, including heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and body temperature. In the script, vital signs are mentioned as part of the full patient assessment, indicating the importance of these measurements in monitoring and managing patient health.

💡Medications

Medications refer to drugs or other substances used to treat or prevent disease. In the context of the script, the speaker includes medications as part of the comprehensive patient assessment, underlining the role of pharmacological therapy in patient care.

💡Anticipating Needs

Anticipating needs in a healthcare setting means predicting and preparing for the future requirements of a patient's care. The script mentions anticipating what patients need not just for the current shift but throughout the day and future, showing a proactive approach to care that aims to improve patient outcomes.

💡Alkaline Nurse

The term 'alkaline nurse' seems to be a typographical or contextual error in the script, as there is no recognized role by this name in standard medical terminology. It might be a misinterpretation or a specific term used in a particular context. Without further clarification, it's challenging to provide a precise explanation related to the video's theme.

💡Shift

A shift in healthcare refers to a designated period of time during which a healthcare professional is assigned to work. The script mentions considering the patient's needs not just for the current shift, indicating an awareness of the continuity of care beyond individual work periods.

Highlights

Choice of specialty driven by desire for increased responsibility and flexibility in practice.

Foundation built upon medical surgical and telemetry experience.

Encounter with a variety of diagnoses similar to med surg telemetry floor.

Caring for much sicker patients compared to other departments.

Starting with two or three patients at a time.

Receiving patient report from the alkaline nurse.

Conducting a full assessment including history, vital signs, and medications.

Anticipating patient needs beyond the current shift.

Planning for patient improvement and eventual discharge from ICU.

Goal of transitioning patients from ICU to med surg telemetry and then home.

Importance of comprehensive patient care planning for the future.

The necessity of understanding the patient's medical history for effective care.

Monitoring vital signs as a critical part of patient assessment.

Reviewing and managing patient medications as part of the care process.

The role of the alkaline nurse in the patient care reporting process.

The significance of patient care beyond the ICU, including med surg telemetry.

The ultimate aim of patient care: facilitating a return to home from the hospital.

Transcripts

I see you became my choice of specialty

because I wanted a lot more

responsibility and kind of flexibility

in my practice and that was built upon

very easily from a medical surgical and

telemetry experience we see a lot of

similar diagnosis to what you might see

on a med surg telemetry floor but we see

much sicker patients usually we start

with two patients sometimes three we get

our report from the alkaline nurse and

then I go right in to see my patients a

full assessment of the patient the

history the vital signs the medications

so you're looking at your patient now

but you also are anticipating what they

need throughout not just your shift but

throughout the day throughout in the

future how are we going to get this

patient better so that they can leave

the ICU and go to med surg telemetry and

then leave and go home