 | Step-Down Telemetry (5 South)
Nurses on this 15-bed unit care for post-cardiovascular surgical patients, high-risk chest pain patients and other cardiac telemetry patients. The unit represents a new decentralized model for nursing care which supports nurses being present at the patient bedside. All patient care rooms are equipped with mobile computer stations that can be located at the patient's bedside so assessment and documentation of the patient can occur immediately in the patient's room.
The nurses on this unit receive expanded training including EKG monitoring, ACLS certification along with classes on chest tubes and post surgical care. As part of the hospital's expansion project, this unit will become part of a dedicated heart and vascular surgery specialty unit. To prepare for that role, nurses are expanding their education to include critical care so they are well equipped to take care of the vascular patients in the immediate post-op phase and to follow them through their discharge.
There are also opportunities for nurses to observe open heart surgeries to learn more about the procedure and different types of anesthesia. This enables them to better educate and answer questions from post-op patients and families about the procedures. It also allows staff to become more familiar with the cardiovascular surgery team. The step-down telemetry staff works closely with cardiologists, who are both knowledgeable and easy to reach, and who encourage nurses to expand their professional nursing practice.
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