Do you have nurse directed sedation with Precedex in your PICU? Is it JC approved? Just wondering if we can give Precedex drip for MRI with just the bedside nurse. Thanks for the feedback

I’m a mom of 2 and just obtained my CNA license. On Monday I start training for a job in the pediatric department of my local hospital. I’m super excited to be in peds but nervous for the job at the same time! I’ll be working 7p-7a. Any tips or advice on things I’ll need for the job? Thank you in advance!

Hi, all, I have applied for paeds training (ST1) in UK this year and expecting to be shortlisted. I am trying to narrow down the regions for preferencing. I have an interest in PICU, and wanna pursue it later. Would it be wise to look for regions with more established/advanced PICU at this point ? And if yes, what would you all suggest? Which region is better, and how can one end up in PICU? Thanks.

I failed my pediatric CCRN exam twice now! I only needed two more questions correct to pass. I used the AACN resources (lecture series and the questions). I honestly felt pretty ready for it. Does anyone have any ideas of what resources they used that worked!? I start school Monday so I need to focus on that and hopefully take it again in the future!

We are currently training too many fellows. Maybe 200 plus fellows graduate each year and if you look at pedsccm, there’s not enough jobs out there. I understand needing help running a large PICU and how cheap it is to pay fellows to do that work but we are saturating the market. Instead of having all those fellows, they need to hire APPs to help run the unit. In 10 years, we will have too many PICU Attendings that will end up underemployed taking jobs as Hospitalist or ED docs. Graduating residents, stop applying to PICU because there is no future here.

Hi all,

PICU patients have to move through the hospital a lot. To scans and whatnot. How does your hospital do transport inside the hospital? Who’s on the team? Transport vents or not? What works and what doesn’t work. Trying to learn more about different institutions

Thanks!

Hey everyone, looking to see if any PICU attendings have experience with locum work and if you'd be open to chatting. I'm in fellowship at a large academic center and with the job market being so tight, am looking at different options for jobs after I graduate. No one at my institution has experience with locum work and have generally dissuaded me from it, so I'm looking for perspectives from people who have actually done locum jobs. Thanks!

Hey, are there guidelines for resident:patient ratios in the PICU? I work in a 40ish bed unit and overnight we have two fellows (one for the admitted patients and one for new admits) and two residents (one for the admitted patients and one for new admits). Attending on site but usually off unit at night. No APPs at night.

It is SO HARD as a resident. Is this a normal staffing ratio or would more doctors/providers be typical?

Hello, I unfortunately failed my first attempt at certification. I used the AACN study plan using the videos/lectures, practice questions, etc. Failed by 6 questions. I am feeling very defeated and distraught. I felt so confident going in, any tips on retesting? Should I wait a long period or focus on what were my biggest struggles and take it again shortly? Wondering if anyone else has been in the same boat. Thanks

Hi everyone I am currently a NICU RN in a major level 4 children’s hospital. I have a 5ish year goal to eventually make it over to Neonatal/ Pediatric Transport. I know some people jump straight into NPT with just Neo experience which is definitely not what I want to do because I wouldn’t feel comfortable with that learning curve in that intense of a situation. Jumping from adults to babies was already steep enough in the beginning and Neo medicine I know is a little bubble of its own so I’d like to get some PICU experience before hand. Luckily we are a Level 1 Peds Trauma center so I will get to see a lot but we have a regular PICU and a CICU. I’ll see way higher acuity in CICU but get a more broad set of diagnoses in PICU. I’m more leaning towards applying to the general PICU but just wanted to see if anyone had any input for or against that thought process. Any insight on the learning curve from a Level 4 NICU to PICU if anyone here has done that and anyone’s journey into NPT would be well appreciated as well!

Hi! I am currently a PICU/PCICU nurse and am looking to move to the Raleigh area next year. Therefore, I am interested in hearing about different aspects of the Peds intensive care units at Duke and UNC: acuity level, patient populations, unit teamwork, staffing ratios, types of line options (days/nights/rotating)!

I am open and appreciative of any information about both institutions :)

Out of curiosity, does anyone know which spots didn’t fill? NRMP says 222/225 filled. I heard from the grapevine one of them is LeBonheur in Memphis. Anyone know the other two?

Hi! I’m currently a PICU/PCICU nurse in Iowa (our cardiac and regular PICU are mixed on the same unit). I have two years of experience and am looking for any and all insight about working at Children’s Colorado in Aurora in their pediatric ICUs. I will be moving to the area for my husband’s work in 2025!

I’m curious about pay, staffing/turnover, PICU vs PCICU since the units are split, the float pool options, unit vibes/camaraderie, day/rotating/night line availability, and really open to hearing anything else about working at CHCO.

I’d love to hear from non-nurses as well if you have any input!!

TIA!! <3

Hey everyone - about to start working toward my CCRN - Pediatric. What do you recommend for studying to ensure a successful outcome? Appreciate any tips!

Hi! I got offered a job as a new grad nurse in a PICU with a ratio of 1:3. Is this ratio normal for PICU or should I be worried? It’s a 12 month residency program with 13 weeks orientation.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated! Thank you

What is nursing really like in the PICU?

Hello all, I’m looking to get a quick rundown of PICU nursing. I’m applying for residency and interested (from my own research) but never got to shadow PICU , only general peds. Wondering:

• day to day tasks
• types of patients you’ll see
• things you should know
• things to consider before accepting job in PICU
• red flags of PICU
• life on the unit
• what you’ve learned since working in PICU
• considerations that make PICU special/different

stuff like that! I’ve googled and watched every tiktok out there but wanna hear from real people :)

Does anyone have any experience working as an attending in the PICU at Kaiser in NorCal or SoCal? How does it compare to working at an academic place?

Any picu attending here can give me an insight about how attending life is, and what is the pay range of a picu attending. Also want to know what are the best program to consider for a picu fellowship.

I would really appreciate all the help.

Hi, I am a newer PICU nurse and have only been working on a small 15 give or take bed unit. I had a kid who had no orders to be NPO, a regular diet was ordered. There was an order put in at 6:15 am for IV morphine and versed to fit a cast that morning with a rep who was coming in. When I was leaving the unit to go home I got a call from the charge nurse and doctor asking why I gave the kid food… there was a snack in the room all night so I guess the kid woke up wanting to eat it. (Also was getting PO pain meds every 3 hours.) I felt so dumb because I should’ve know better that even a bedside “light sedation” we should stick to npo out of caution but I was running around all night with a bunch of other patients as well. (I know surgery is strict NPO at midnight.) I got 3 admits that night alone. My director was told this and my assistant director apparently stuck up for me saying- “she had no orders for that- she had regular diet orders.” They ended up being able to do it with just morphine.

Is this just a know better do better issue? Or this DR messed up and felt dumb and wanted to put it on me? (She loves a good power trip) also now realizing I do not trust working with this doctor at all and she is the MAIN one on. I am trying not to obsess over this but it’s eating at me..

Please anyone give me standard protocol for DKA management.

Any online course available for picu. I am a pediatrician. I usually work lot in NICU . But want to work more in PICU . Is there any online course available?

Has anyone transitioned from adult ICU to PICU? I’m wondering how different they are and how hard the transition would be.

I have been a nurse for 2 years (1.5 year in med/surg and 6 months in icu). I learned I like the ICU but I am getting burnt out from the adult world. My patients are heavy so I come home sore even though I’m 24. Also seems like many of the adults don’t listen to the advice we give them then they come back for the same reason (skipping dialysis or continue to smoke etc..)

Thank you for your input.

What are some good PICU/pediatric journals which accept case reports, any help is appreciated?

Any recommendations to give current graduating residents who will be starting ICU fellowship in the summer? I.E. books to read, articles, papers, videos..

I’ve been working in the NICU (level 3) for about 2 years and absolutely love it, but am finding it to be a bit repetitive. I advanced very quickly in my unit and love the highly acute patients and resuscitation nurse shifts. However I am still young and would like to challenge myself. I am concerned because I am very well aware that the PICU is completely different than the NICU and it would be like completely starting from square one. I was wondering if someone could give me a run down of what it is like working as a nurse in the PICU?

a free educational resource for pediatric surgery with a good library of mcqs, videos, charts

https://pediatricsurgery.club/

I’m a fairly new PICU nurse and I am in search of some guidance from seasoned PICU nurses willing to help me gain some confidence and improve my performance and skills. I was under the impression that I was doing well only to learn that how I perceive my performance is not the same as how others perceive it which was disheartening to say the least. It’s not a safety concern, it’s just not being at the clinical level that it’s believed I should be. What do I do going forward? How do I help myself to become a stronger PICU nurse?

Im newly hired at a small community hospital with very....strange practices. I wanted to ask if anyone has had similar experiences with similar management of a DKA pt.

The intensivist stopped checking gasses when the pH was 7.2 and not fully corrected. Additionally he allowed the pt to PO a full regular diet prior to being fully corrected and while still on the insulin drip.
My question is, has anyone else ever had an intensivist be this liberal with management? And if so, have the explained why they would stop checking gasses and allow a regular diet prior to correction?