I have a perhaps lengthy message for all my med-surg and floor nurses, so don't mind me if I take a few seconds of anyone else's time. Feel free to read this, or skip it. I just needed to discuss a few thoughts.
As an ICU nurse, I have been following the talk of needing ventilators with trepidation. These patients who get sick enough to need pulmonary life support also need a lot more: Proning, nitric, high PEEP, hemodynamic support with pressors, etc.
Watching that discussion as an ICU nurse makes me nervous; the mortality rate for ARDS patients even before this virus and stress on the healthcare system was very poor: 50-90%, depending on the various factors. ICU care for these patients is difficult, stressful, and exhausting.
But a lot of med-surg, telemetry, urology, and float pool nurses have been feeling like their contributions won't be important enough. They've been feeling like the greatest needs for patients will be ventilators, and they should be learning more, to be prepared for that.
Rest assured, my friends, the need for you and your skills you have NOW will be the greatest.
The WHO currently estimates that 20% of patients who get COVID-19, will need hospitalization. Of those, 1-5% will be critical.
The WHO currently estimates that 20% of patients who get COVID-19, will need hospitalization. Of those, 1-5% will be critical.
Most of the patients needing hospital care that will survive this will need YOU.
YOU, med-surg and floor nurses, are going to be the backbone of this pandemic. YOU will keep patients through the night, maintain their oxygen with your fabulous respiratory therapist team members.
YOU, med-surg and floor nurses, are going to be the backbone of this pandemic. YOU will keep patients through the night, maintain their oxygen with your fabulous respiratory therapist team members.
You will give them meds, reassure them, and keep them from ever needing ICU in the first place. YOU will be the ones that will see them through this, and will discharge them home, and prevent them from ever needing a ventilator, from ever needing to meet me and others on my team.
All of you, every single one of you, YOU will be the reason the majority of people in the hospital go home to their families. You, not me, the ICU nurse. YOU, the med-surg nurse, will see the most lives return to their homes and survive this.
Do not discount yourself because you are "just a floor nurse".
You are the backbone of hospitals, always have been, and you will see us through this, and you are important.
Don't you ever forget that.
You are the backbone of hospitals, always have been, and you will see us through this, and you are important.
Don't you ever forget that.
@threadreaderapp unroll please
