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Had an awesome time guest speaking on @lifeinscrub Had an awesome time guest speaking on @lifeinscrubspodcast ! This episode is jam-packed of all things CRNA school: πŸ“πŸ“š
β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €
πŸ’‰ My story & work experience prior to applying. 
πŸ’Š What ICU experience do I need?
🩺 What do CRNAs really do?
πŸ₯ Basic admission requirements. 
πŸ’‰ How to make your resume unlike ALL the others in a sea of qualified applicants.
πŸ’Š Straight up advice. 
🩺 Study schedule & can you work while in school?
πŸ₯My financial story. 
πŸ’‰ What did they ask me in my interview?
😷 My biggest tip for those who want to become a CRNA.
β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €
I’ve linked the episode in my stories & it’s episode 16 on @lifeinscrubspodcast ! 🩺 After you listen you can ask any questions here & give me your feedback! πŸ–€
β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €
β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €
β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €
β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €
#futurecrna #crnaschool #srna #srnalife #srnaproblems #srnatocrna #anesthesiaschool #anesthesiaschoolproblems #nursingschoolproblems #icunurses #icunurse #nursetobe #anesthesiaresident #anesthesialife
STUDY TIPZ πŸ“šπŸ“Œ πŸ™‡πŸ»β€β™€οΈ A common qu STUDY TIPZ πŸ“šπŸ“Œ πŸ™‡πŸ»β€β™€οΈ

A common question I get often, so here’s some of my study methods!

Probably the #1 question I get is what app I have on my iPad to take notes. 

But first the iPad sitch: 
YOU DO NOT NEED THE FANCIEST IPAD. 
I did a bunch of research and decided the base level iPad is absolutely FINE. If you are buying an iPad for school you are buying an iPad for SCHOOL. All you need is a note taking app and a few others on there, no need for fancy anything. You’re broke enough. 

I bought my iPad for about $330 and the Apple Pencil 1 (again, don’t need anything fancy that costs extra πŸ’Έ). I have a lot of people ask me about this so if you’re curious which one I have just comment below and I can dm you the link.

I use the app β€œnotability” to take notes. 
I can add the power-points to my iPad before class, and then take my own notes on them in class via my apple pencil.

Next lies my trusty whiteboard. My desk faces my whiteboard. I sit at my desk for hours every single day. I use my whiteboard in two kinds of ways, active and passive. 

When there is a suuuper difficult concept I try to draw it out. I try & put together an entire chapter/lecture/concept in one place. This is the part that takes forever. Because this is the LEARNING part. You learn as you tie everything all together in relationship with one another and once you understand that? You’ve learned the material. The next part is just maintaining and memorizing that understanding. 🧠

There comes the passive part. I leave my big drawing up on my whiteboard for days. While I could be working on something else, my whiteboard is always in direct view and I look at it often. Eventually it becomes so familiar I can β€œsee” the entire drawing in my head as I’m taking my test. 

More to come if you guys are interested! What study tipz do you use? πŸ“
ππŽπ‘πŒπ€π‹ 𝐋𝐀𝐁 𝐕𝐀𝐋 ππŽπ‘πŒπ€π‹ 𝐋𝐀𝐁 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐔𝐄𝐒 πŸ§ͺπŸ’‰πŸ©Έ save for reference! πŸ“₯⁣
Credit: @nclexrnpass 
⁣
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⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
#nclexprep #nclex #nclexstudying #nclexrn #nclextips #nclexquestions #nclexprep #nursingschoolprobs #nursingschoolproblems #nursingschooltips #futurenurse #futurenurses #registerednurses #cnalife #futurecrna #srnaproblems #srnatocrna #nurseanesthesia #nursesofig #nursesareheroes #nurseshelpingnurses #nursesdoitbetter #nurseanesthesiaschool #nurseonduty #nursestudent
Celebrating spring break & one more quarter of cla Celebrating spring break & one more quarter of classroom education, then it’s off to residency! 🌴🌴🌴

#crnaschool #srna #icunursing #futurern #ccrn #anesthesia #crna #nursingeducation #nurseblog #nurseblogger #nursingschool #nursingstudent #futurenurse #icunurse #criticalcare #scrublife #orlife #nursesofinstagram #nursingblog #ccrn #miamibeachparties #miamibeachlife #bikinibabes #bikiniweather #beachplease
Happy Valentine’s πŸ–€ I love you more than yest Happy Valentine’s πŸ–€ I love you more than yesterday, but less than tomorrow πŸ₯€
Happy #CRNAWeek ! To celebrate, here’s a gift fr Happy #CRNAWeek ! To celebrate, here’s a gift from me & @dnamasks 😷

Be one of the first to snag their new anesthesia bag collection! The winner will receive 1 tote bag, glam bag, & fanny! 

Here’s how to enter:

1. LIKE & SAVE this post!

2. FOLLOW me @sassyanesthesia & @dnamasks

3. TAG 2 people that would love these bags! 

4. For a BONUS entry, I’d love to hear your anesthesia story, where you work/what department, or are you an SRNA and where are you in your program? πŸ“š
You can also share this post to your story tagging @dnamasks - (we can only see public story entries πŸ‘πŸΌ

*Ends at midnight on January 31, must be 18+ and in the US. Must complete all the above to be eligible, this is not endorsed by instagram.

#crnaweek2021 #crna #srna #srnalife #srnaproblems #nurseanesthesia #nurseanesthetist #nurseanesthesiologist #anesthesiology #nurseanesthesiology #futurecrna #srnatocrna #nurseblog #icurn #crnaweek #nurseanesthesia #crna #crnaschool #srnatocrna #nurseanesthetists
Tryna’ find which way is up πŸ™ƒ With this ultra Tryna’ find which way is up πŸ™ƒ With this ultrasound, and Crna School in its entirety πŸ“š Happy #CRNAWeek !

#crnaweek2021 #crna #srna #srnalife #srnaproblems #nurseanesthesia #nurseanesthetist #nurseanesthesiologist #anesthesiology #nurseanesthesiology #futurecrna #srnatocrna #nurseblog #icurn #crnaweek #nurseanesthesia #crna #crnaschool #srnatocrna #nurseanesthetists
HAPPY #CRNAWEEK ! 😷🩺🫁 Even though I am 1 HAPPY #CRNAWEEK ! 😷🩺🫁

Even though I am 18 months away from becoming a CRNA (😳) I am excited for what this career holds for me! This semester has been crazy, I feel like I say that every time, but somehow it really does keep getting harder as we go πŸ˜‚

This quarter we have been doing lots of cool things in our sim lab:
-Central & arterial line placements
-Epidurals & Spinals
-Ultrasound
-High fidelity mannequin simulations

And somehow I start my clinical residency in 5 months 😳 I’ve already gotten my first assignment that I’ll tell you guys all about really soon! Any CRNAs or SRNAs celebrating this week? πŸŽ‰

#crna #crnalife #crnaschool #crnastudent #nurseanesthetists #nurseanesthesiologist #nurseanesthetist #nurseanesthesiaschool #futurecrna #srna #srnalife #srnaproblems #srnatocrna #srna @aanaphotos #anesthesialife #anesthesiology #aana
Does looking at your office count as studying
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#crnaschool #futurecrna #srnalife #srna #srnaproblems #nurseanesthesia #nurseanesthetist #nurseanesthesiologist #nursingclinicals #anesthesia #icunurses #cvicu #cvicunurse #sassyanesthesia
For those who have been struggling with staying se For those who have been struggling with staying serious about COVID, wearing a mask, limiting gatherings, then this is for you. I’ve seen this trending, and it’s to show awareness of how COVID has affected so many people. 
β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €
I’ve talked to lots of my coworkers, and we can all agree that it’s hard for people to believe in something unless they have been affected by it. The goal of this post is to visually represent everyone that has been affected by this virus.
β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €
Post the hearts that relate to you:
β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €
❀️ Lost a loved one or friend to COVID.
🧑 Know someone who has lost a loved one or friend to COVID. 
πŸ’› Have taken care of a patient with COVID.
πŸ’š Have personally suffered from COVID. 
πŸ’™ Have a loved one or friend who has suffered from COVID.
πŸ’œ Have been an essential worker on the frontlines of this pandemic.
🀍 Have had a loved one, friend, or personally lost a job due to COVID. 
β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €
Here’s mine: πŸ§‘πŸ’›πŸ’™πŸ’œπŸ€
β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €
What’s yours? Comment below and share, or repost to see how your followers have been impacted too. πŸ’•
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#frontliners #frontliners #nurseonduty #crnaschool #srna #srnalife #anesthesiaschool #nurseanesthesia #nursingschoolprobs #wearfigs #awesomehumans #frontlineheroes #frontlines #frontlineworker #essentialworker #covidicu #nursesofig #nursesareheroes

Sassy Anesthesia

Nursing

Organizational Tips for the ICU

September 25, 2018May 4, 2019

Hey everyone! I’ve gotten a few requests for a post on how to plan out and organize your ICU shift for beginners. This post can definitely apply to experienced ICU nurses however, I wanted to tailor this post more towards the novice ICU nurse, still trying to figure out time management and the flow of the 12 hour shift. While every unit and nurse is different, I’m just going to go over my thought process to set myself up for success in the beginning of my shift.

So you sit down to get report. As I’m getting report I’m looking into the patient’s room and the environment. Are they vented, on drips, obvious line tracings on the monitor. Is there family in there? Make sure the offgoing nurse addresses everything you see. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to clarify any gaps in information.

If I have two patients, I always go into the sickest patient’s room first. Now I know some people are the type to glaze over orders first, over assessing first. I was always taught to assess first, so the second that person is your patient, you know every square inch of them right off the bat if anything were to happen at the beginning of your shift. People love to code at the change of shift sometimes I swear. However, I can see if you know doctors are about to round, especially dayshift, that you would want to look at your orders quickly to address any questions. Both options are appropriate depending on the type of patient. Always be thinking ahead regardless.

While I’m in the room doing my assessment, this is the time at the beginning of your shift to do your safety checks. Ambu bag in the room, side rails up, bed alarm on, call light within reach if applicable. If you didn’t do line reconciliation with the offgoing nurse, pull up your MAR and verify that the correct bag is programmed into the IV pump running at the correct ordered rate and dosing weight. Are the bags or lines expired. ALWAYS make sure you have one canister hooked up to suction – I don’t care how healthy some 25 year old Olympian patient looks, everyone in the ICU is there for a reason (unless they’re med-surg overflow lol but STILL) and that is that they’re critical. I always look for where the code pedal is since they vary on different beds. Where’s your IV access – if you need to emergently push a med? Check and flush those lines especially peripherals. People get lazy with maintaining those if you have a central line. Get in the habit of doing all of this at the beginning of your shift EVERY TIME. When you’re new, you’re still so moldable…you can set up your routine that will become second nature for years to come. So you want to make sure you start off with good safety habits at this time. Don’t get distracted by all of the tasks you have to do right away unless they’re emergent. Make sure you get to know your patient, your room environment, and that it’s safe.

 

New icu nurse report sheet

 

So when I’m feeling pretty good about how my room looks I go and sit down at the computer and make a schedule for my night. I write out the next twelve hours on the back of my report sheet and go through the orders and the MAR – plugging in medication times and scheduled flushes, feeds, oral care, bath, etc. I’m someone that loves crossing things off a list. Makes me feel great. Sometimes there’s too many tasks in a shift and it’s easy to lose track of time or forget something. That’s why I love to write everything down if I can. Do this ESPECIALLY if you are new. There is no way to remember all of these tasks if you don’t write out a shift schedule for yourself. It will then become a habit and eventually you may not need to write things down. Notice my emphasis on forming all these great habits while you’re still fresh.

If you’re open for an admission, I like to prep my room the second I’m caught up on my other patient. Don’t be one of those people that doesn’t look in their other room until that new admit is assigned to you. You should be using that time to look up your new patient, not stock your room. If you’re on nightshift, bathe your first patient early in the evening, so that won’t be something you have to do later if you’re busy with the new patient. Dayshift won’t buy the excuse of you having an admission as a reason not to bathe your other patient.

Hm what else. Before the end of my shift I always have a 12 or 24 hour intake/output total, and specifically shift totals of anything we were concerned about (low urine output, high NG or chest tube output etc). If anything pops up throughout my shift that I have a question about I either write it on the whiteboard in the room or on my report sheet to cross off after it’s been addressed. Now obviously if there’s a major issue or question you’ll call the doctor right away. But for smaller questions/comments I write them down to pass on to dayshift or when the teamΒ rounds next. There is so much that happens in a shift that it’s so easy to forget a minor concern/question you had for the doctor.

Moral of the story is think ahead. Think in your head the 3 major issues your patient has at the beginning of your shift, and try to imagine any complications/emergencies that could potentially happen on your watch. Then think about what you would do in each scenario. If you plan ahead, you won’t be surprised/panicked if an emergency happens. And you’ll be calm and collected when it does. Any other questions for me write them below! Thanks for reading guys!

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TAGGED WITH: critical care, icu, intensive care, new grad, new nurse, Nursing, nursing school, registered nurse
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7 comments on “Organizational Tips for the ICU”

  1. Rachel
    August 1, 2020 at 10:19 am

    Thank you for this i know it’s okder but i’m staRting my first ICU job as an RN coming from Med- Surg as an Lpn and then rn. Thank you again for Sharing your life and advice.

    Reply
  2. Namae
    October 19, 2018 at 2:47 pm

    Thank you for going into details! Since I started my orientation, my head has been spinning. I dont even know where to begin! You’ve definitely helped me with my thought process in organizing tasks. Would it be possible for me to get a copy of your report sheet also?? Thank you!! πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • lipstickandlifesaving
      October 19, 2018 at 2:56 pm

      Yes and thank you so much!! Email me!! hello@sassyanesthesia.com

      Reply
  3. Rob
    October 7, 2018 at 4:14 pm

    Any way I can get a copy of your report sheet also, please!

    Reply
    • lipstickandlifesaving
      October 8, 2018 at 10:16 pm

      Sure! Go ahead and email me and I’ll send it your way!! My email is hello@sassyanesthesia.com

      Reply
  4. Angela
    September 30, 2018 at 12:29 am

    Thank you for this post! Is there a possibility you can upload what your report sheet template looks like?

    Reply
    • lipstickandlifesaving
      September 30, 2018 at 12:31 am

      Hey Angela! Thanks so much for reading. Email me and I’ll send it to you! My email is hello@sassyanesthesia.com πŸ™‚

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Marissa.

I'm a first year SRNA. Here you can find some education & motivation, along with a touch of sass to keep you sane in a difficult but rewarding career path. Thank you for stopping by!
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Had an awesome time guest speaking on @lifeinscrub Had an awesome time guest speaking on @lifeinscrubspodcast ! This episode is jam-packed of all things CRNA school: πŸ“πŸ“š
β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €
πŸ’‰ My story & work experience prior to applying. 
πŸ’Š What ICU experience do I need?
🩺 What do CRNAs really do?
πŸ₯ Basic admission requirements. 
πŸ’‰ How to make your resume unlike ALL the others in a sea of qualified applicants.
πŸ’Š Straight up advice. 
🩺 Study schedule & can you work while in school?
πŸ₯My financial story. 
πŸ’‰ What did they ask me in my interview?
😷 My biggest tip for those who want to become a CRNA.
β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €
I’ve linked the episode in my stories & it’s episode 16 on @lifeinscrubspodcast ! 🩺 After you listen you can ask any questions here & give me your feedback! πŸ–€
β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €
β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €
β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €
β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €
#futurecrna #crnaschool #srna #srnalife #srnaproblems #srnatocrna #anesthesiaschool #anesthesiaschoolproblems #nursingschoolproblems #icunurses #icunurse #nursetobe #anesthesiaresident #anesthesialife
STUDY TIPZ πŸ“šπŸ“Œ πŸ™‡πŸ»β€β™€οΈ A common qu STUDY TIPZ πŸ“šπŸ“Œ πŸ™‡πŸ»β€β™€οΈ

A common question I get often, so here’s some of my study methods!

Probably the #1 question I get is what app I have on my iPad to take notes. 

But first the iPad sitch: 
YOU DO NOT NEED THE FANCIEST IPAD. 
I did a bunch of research and decided the base level iPad is absolutely FINE. If you are buying an iPad for school you are buying an iPad for SCHOOL. All you need is a note taking app and a few others on there, no need for fancy anything. You’re broke enough. 

I bought my iPad for about $330 and the Apple Pencil 1 (again, don’t need anything fancy that costs extra πŸ’Έ). I have a lot of people ask me about this so if you’re curious which one I have just comment below and I can dm you the link.

I use the app β€œnotability” to take notes. 
I can add the power-points to my iPad before class, and then take my own notes on them in class via my apple pencil.

Next lies my trusty whiteboard. My desk faces my whiteboard. I sit at my desk for hours every single day. I use my whiteboard in two kinds of ways, active and passive. 

When there is a suuuper difficult concept I try to draw it out. I try & put together an entire chapter/lecture/concept in one place. This is the part that takes forever. Because this is the LEARNING part. You learn as you tie everything all together in relationship with one another and once you understand that? You’ve learned the material. The next part is just maintaining and memorizing that understanding. 🧠

There comes the passive part. I leave my big drawing up on my whiteboard for days. While I could be working on something else, my whiteboard is always in direct view and I look at it often. Eventually it becomes so familiar I can β€œsee” the entire drawing in my head as I’m taking my test. 

More to come if you guys are interested! What study tipz do you use? πŸ“
ππŽπ‘πŒπ€π‹ 𝐋𝐀𝐁 𝐕𝐀𝐋 ππŽπ‘πŒπ€π‹ 𝐋𝐀𝐁 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐔𝐄𝐒 πŸ§ͺπŸ’‰πŸ©Έ save for reference! πŸ“₯⁣
Credit: @nclexrnpass 
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
#nclexprep #nclex #nclexstudying #nclexrn #nclextips #nclexquestions #nclexprep #nursingschoolprobs #nursingschoolproblems #nursingschooltips #futurenurse #futurenurses #registerednurses #cnalife #futurecrna #srnaproblems #srnatocrna #nurseanesthesia #nursesofig #nursesareheroes #nurseshelpingnurses #nursesdoitbetter #nurseanesthesiaschool #nurseonduty #nursestudent
Celebrating spring break & one more quarter of cla Celebrating spring break & one more quarter of classroom education, then it’s off to residency! 🌴🌴🌴

#crnaschool #srna #icunursing #futurern #ccrn #anesthesia #crna #nursingeducation #nurseblog #nurseblogger #nursingschool #nursingstudent #futurenurse #icunurse #criticalcare #scrublife #orlife #nursesofinstagram #nursingblog #ccrn #miamibeachparties #miamibeachlife #bikinibabes #bikiniweather #beachplease
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