I'm starting internship with block 1 in the MICU. Any tips on books to read? Succinct ways to present the mountain of data generated every day on the monitors? Survival skills?

Thanks!

I'm starting internship with block 1 in the MICU. Any tips on books to read? Succinct ways to present the mountain of data generated every day on the monitors? Survival skills?

Thanks!

First, don't panic. Everyone knows that this is just the begining for you.

Make certain that you examine you patient. I know this sounds stupid right now, but people are often scared to touch a patient with multiple lines, etc. One of my interns missed a big bleed from a line because the blood had run down the patient's groin. He had to have had spread the patients legs to have noticed. Yep, that is what the attending did. Talk with the nurses. They will be big help in pointing out the problems.

Also, you will want to present trends instead of just numbers. If a patient's bp is 85/30, it makes a difference if it was 120/70 an hour ago, or 60/20.

Make certain you know what meds your patients are on. Check all the drips hanging, and the rates. One resident couldn't figure out why his patient wasn't waking up. He checked the drips, and found that the fentanyl drip from 2 days ago started for a relatively short procedure hadn't been stopped.

If you have any question or concern, ASK! You are not expected to know everything, not even alot of everything. If you screw up, admit it, learn from it, and try not to repeat the mistake.