Hey there, friend!
In this video, I'm giving you 3 things you MUST know when learning about mechanical ventilators
in nursing school.
If you're studying critical care in nursing school, listen up, because you have to know
these things!
Tip number 3 is a MUST KNOW, you do NOT want to miss it, so stick around until the end
and I'll tell you what it is.
It might just show up on one of your exams.
So, let's dive in.
So the first thing you HAVE to know when taking care of a patient on a ventilator is how to
do a great nursing head to toe assessment.
Patient's in a critical care setting, and especially patient's who are on mechanical
ventilation are very vulnerable.
They often can't tell you when something's wrong, it's YOUR job to figure it out.
And this is where your amazing nursing assessment skills come in.
You need to be assessing for mental status changes, possible pressure points where a
pressure ulcer could develop, monitoring their breathing and hemodynamics, making sure their
blood is circulating properly, that their ABG values are within an expected range, and
making sure the ventilator setting and alarms are set properly.
There is a LOT to assess for in a patient on a ventilator.
But don't forget, you are an AMAZING nursing student.
You know more than you think you do, so have confidence in your skills, be thorough, and
speak up if you notice if something just seems off.
To make this easier for you, I have a FREE cheat sheet to give to you that walks you
through the head-to-toe nursing assessment, step-by-step.
This is a full head-to-toe nursing assessment transcript that you can print off and use
as a guide while you're assessing your patients.
It's pretty stinking awesome.
You're going to LOVE it!
Now, MUST KNOW tip number 2 is to watch for infection.
AHH!
Friend!
If I could scream it from the rooftops I would!
You have GOT to assess your patient and prevent infections.
Don't be sloppy!
Your patient's, and especially your patient's on mechanical ventilators are really vulnerable
to infections, especially ventilator associated pneumonia.
Please!
Provide good mouth care to your patient's and follow your facility policy for suctioning
and taking care of the ventilator tubing.
We don't want condensation to build up in the tubing, because that can lead to lung
infections.
So make sure you're taking precautions to help prevent infections.
The last one we're going to talk about is the MOST important, and it might just show
up on your exam, so I'll get to that in a minute.
But before we do, I want to know, is critical care nursing your jam?
Or is there another nursing specialty you want to go into.
Maybe you want to be a pediatric nurse, or work labor and delivery, or in hospice.
Let me know in the comments what type of nursing you want to do.
Now, tip number three, is to ALWAYS have emergency equipment ready in the room at all times!
You have to make sure you have a way to get oxygen to your patient if they pull out the
endotracheal tube too soon, or if the power goes out, or something else crazy happens.
You MUST be prepared.
ALWAYS.
So if this happens, follow your facility policy (of course!) but typically you will call for
help, have a bag ready, and if their oxygen saturation drop, start manually ventilating
with 100% oxygen.
As a nurse, you are always critically thinking, planning ahead, and preparing for everything.
I hope these 3 MUST KNOW ventilator tips helped you out.
If they did, write LOVE in the comments, and subscribe so you never miss out on any other
MUST KNOW nursing tips that I've got for you.
And don't forget to get your FREE nursing assessment transcript.
It's a step-by-step head-to-toe assessment transcript you can follow and use as a guide
for your nursing assessments.
You are going to LOVE it!
So be sure to check it out, I put the link in the description below.
Now click on the next video in this series so you can keep rocking critical care nursing,
and go become the nurse that God created only YOU to be.
I'll see you over there.