Code Bell
Boston, MA
Female, 34
I have been in the nursing field for 12 years. I have worked as a RN in an adult medical-surgical unit, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU). I went back to school to obtain my masters and now work as a nurse practitioner in a Pediatric CICU. These kids are sick. The issues can be straightforward or extremely complex. No patient is the same and no day is routine. I am lucky- I love my job (most of the time).
The CICU is a cardiac intensive care unit. We treat kids that were born with cardiac disease. Not the kind of disease that adults acquire from eating too much Burger King but the kind that you are born with (congenital). Most specifically - missing parts of your heart, things in the wrong place, holes, etc. The majority of the conditions require surgical correction to live.
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Yes. Since I work in a place where kids have heart disease that may require many interventions over a course of years and because I have worked in the same place for 10 years- I have had many opportunies to bond with patients and familes. I have taken care of many patients since the day that they were born and continue to care for them as they grow. It is wonderful to see how the kids thrive after surgery! Many times the parents bring them to the hospital so that we can see them when they are feeling well after they are healed!
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NPs can not pronounce a person dead- that is purely a physician thing. I have been involved in numerous code situations and redirection of care (removal of mechanical/chemical life support) that have ultimately ended in a patient dying. Even though there are many healthcare providers involved- the physician is the one that always updates the parents.
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Back pain is pretty common - mostly with caring for aduts because of all of the manual labor. Foot pain is pretty common from being on your feet all day long. I think that the favorite shoes to wear are Dansko brand shoes. I love them. They give the best support.
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Freelance Writer
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Zookeeper and Animal Trainer
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Physical Therapist
What's the most dramatic "before-and-after" improvement you've ever seen with a patient?
I worked with adults for one year as an RN in an infectious disease unit. In that year- I learned alot about adult behavior in the hospital. Some adults are IMPOSSIBLE to deal with. They can be rude, everything is a bargain, and it is back breaking labor. I think that everyone has a niche- and working with adults was just not for me.
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It has been years since I have been in the NICU- I can ask some of my NICU colleagues to get a better response BUT my gut feeling is that there isn't much of a relationship between being admitted to the NICU and being lower income. AND I don't think that lower income mothers are less vigilant about prenatal care. Many of the reasons of being admitted to the NICU have nothing to do with being lower- income or being less vigilant with prenatal care. For example: - have a fever as a newborn will buy you an admission to the NICU (requires septic workup) - having a congenital defect (cardiac, pulmonary, etc)- has no bearing on prenatal care- they are just a fluke. - multiples (usually born early and require some extra help with feeding and possibly respiratory- the lungs are one of the last things to mature in utero)
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I am not sure of the rules of nursing practice in New York. In Boston - I think the longest shift one is allowed is 16 hours. At least that is what my experience as been.
This is the chain of command I have always followed:1st Charge Nurse2nd Nurse Manager3rd Nursing Director
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