Code Blue in the Hospital: What to Do as a Nurse

Code Blue in the Hospital: What to Do as a Nurse

Advanced Nursing 2021

What is a Code Blue?

A code blue is called when a patient experiences unexpected cardiac or respiratory arrest that requires resuscitation and activation of a hospital-wide alert.

These cardiac or respiratory arrests are handled by the “code team” of the hospital. However, if a nurse is nearby, he or she will have to step in and begin immediately until the code team arrives.

There is Code Blue training for nurses so they can learn how to properly and quickly respond to these codes. If you haven’t taken one of these pieces of training, look for one near you.

When to Call Code Blue

The decision to call a code blue will happen in a matter of seconds, so you have to think fast. You will know to call a code blue when the patient isn’t pumping the oxygenated blood they need to survive due to cardiac or respiratory arrest. In other words, if their heart stops pumping or they stop breathing.

Before you call a code, make sure and do a quick assessment. Look for a pulse and signs of breathing. If either of these isn’t happening, that’s when you call a code blue.

When you call a code blue, the code team will respond. Keep attempting to resuscitate the patient until they arrive.

Role of Responders During a Code Blue

When someone calls a code blue, the following people will respond and begin the process of trying to revive the patient.

Here is what the first responders to a code blue will do:

1.   Call for help.
2.   Drop the head of the bead and remove the pillows so the patient is flat on the bed.
3.   Check the carotid pulse.
4.   Begin chest compressions.
5.   Bring the e-cart and other emergency equipment to the site.
6.   Put the backboard under the patient.
7.   Clear and manage the patient’s airway with an ambu bag or a pocket mask with a one-way valve.
8.  Turn on the AED/defibrillator and use it for pulseless patients.
9.   Verify that IV fluids and emergency medications are ready.
10.    Document everything.

Always check with your hospital and make sure you know their exact code blue procedures in case they are different from what is listed in this article.

Who is on the code team?

Your hospital might have different members on the code team. More often than not, these are the people that make up the code team.

•          Physician – typically the leader
•       Unit RN
•          Critical Care/ICU RN – might serve as the code team leader until the doctor arrives
•          Pharmacist
•          Respiratory Therapist – manages airways and respiratory assessments
•          Clinical Supervisor – the person in charge of communication between the physician and the patient’s family
•          ED Techs

What to Do as a Nurse During a Code Blue

Now that you know what a Code Blue is and who is going to respond let’s look at what you should do as a nurse during a code blue.

The most important thing of all is to stay calm and think quick. Mistakes could be costly, so take a deep breath and make sure you are doing the right things.

1. Practice First

Seek out opportunities to walk through mock code blues. Every chance you have to practice will make it so that your body and mind know what to do even when you are under the stress of the real thing.

2. Help Out During Code Blue

The best way to learn is to help out during a code. Keep in mind that if you have no idea what to do, it might be best to stay out of the way. But if you went through training and you know the procedures, begin helping. It will give you priceless hands-on experience.

3. Let the Doctor Be in Charge

Respect their authority and follow their lead. Your job as a nurse is to support them and the team. This might mean giving chest compressions or running and grabbing essential toils and supplies. When a code is called the doctor might use a defibrillator to shock the heart and make it pump again. There are also medications that they can give.

A code blue is a terrifying experience as a nurse. It’s stressful for experienced nurses and those on the code team, but even more for inexperienced or new nurses. Let’s look at what code blue is and how to respond as a nurse so that you are prepared.

What Not to Do During Code Blue

Just like there are some things you should always do, you need to remember the things to avoid too.

1. Do Not Yell

Keep your voice level and calm. It’s a very tense and stressful situation already, using a loud or excitable voice will only increase the anxiety and noise level of the room.

2. Do Not Guess

If you don’t know what to do, let someone else step in. This is not the time to make a guess and hope it is right.

3. Don’t Leave When the Team Arrives

Just because the code team is in the room doesn’t mean you get to leave. This is your patient and you were the last medical professional with them. They might have questions for you or need your help. Stay in the room.

4. Don’t Switch Roles

Communication is extra important during this critical time. If you are completing a task or in charge of a part of the process, don’t switch unless you communicate clearly and have someone take over for you.

Code Blue on DNR Patients

If you have a DNR patient, you won’t call a code blue. Typically, these patients have legal papers that say they don’t want cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or advanced cardiac life support (ACLS).

How will you know if a patient is DNR? It should be noted in their charts. Some hospitals will also put this information on their wristband.

For more details about Advanced Nursing 2021, visit: https://nursing.nursingmeetings.com/

7 Effective Study Strategies for Nurses

                                         7 Effective Study Strategies for Nurses

                                                    

You study to get into nursing school, you study while you’re there, and you’ll study for the NCLEX to get out and get a job. Nursing school is all about studying! While it’s no one’s favorite activity, effective study techniques are vital to your success as a nursing student and a working nurse. Instead of getting frustrated by the books, be kind to yourself and focus on healthy study habits.

1. Make a study plan.

Before diving into your books, make a plan. Review your class syllabi and mark each of your exam dates on your calendar. Keeping an updated planner is essential to staying on track with assignments. Be sure to spread out the work, and plan time each week to complete your readings and workload. Having a solid plan to follow can also help you avoid burnout.

Your future self will thank you!

2. Calendar your time.

Stick to your study plan and know how to manage your time. Set aside specific hours each day and week to focus solely on studying. When you’re studying, actually study. No more multitasking. When you have an end time set for your study session, it’s easier to focus and use that time wisely.

Your planner or calendar will keep you on track, but try to do a little studying every day, even if it’s just 15 minutes. This helps you form good habits and retain information. But most importantly, plan—yes, plan—your downtime. When your mind knows that a time for relaxation is ahead, it helps you stay focused when it’s needed most.

3. Form a study group.

Everyone studies differently, but everyone can also benefit from a study group. We all have different strengths, so instead of forming a group with just your best friends, mix it up. Make sure you have students with a variety of skills and expertise. Aside from the academic help, studying with others builds in encouragement and support. You’re all in this together. (Plus, the connections you make in nursing school will only benefit you in your future career.)

4. Know your learning style.

When sitting down on your own for some textbook learning, it’s important to know your personal learning style. How do you best retain information? Are you an auditory learner? A visual learner? Should you take notes as you read? Or highlight and revisit later? What about both? Hardly anyone learns just by reading the textbook once.

5. Forget memorizing, focus on comprehending.

Even if you’re a stellar student, recalling vast amounts of data can be difficult. Whether you’re keeping track of anatomy terms, a long list of symptoms, or medication side effects, brute force memorization often doesn’t cut it. Instead, focus on truly understanding the info. Ask yourself questions about it and try explaining it out loud. The key to learning is comprehension and association. This will serve you better in the long run, and help you more come exam time.

6. Reward yourself and take breaks.

As contrary as it sounds, study breaks can be just as important as studying. Your brain can’t take in too much information at once, especially when you’re stressed about a test tomorrow. Cut yourself some slack and add some balance back to your life. Did you finish that study guide? It’s time to take a break from the books and go have a snack.

7. Don’t forget about the patients.

No one goes into nursing because they want to study 24/7. But while you’re in school, it may feel like all you do is study and work. Fight nursing student burnout by focusing on why you’re becoming a nurse: to help the patients! Maintaining a positive mentality will keep you on track with your schoolwork while making it more enjoyable. None of your professors are trying to torture you, they’re just trying to prepare you for the real nursing world ahead.

For More Details About Advanced Nursing 2021, visit: https://nursing.nursingmeetings.com/

5 Tips to Survive Nursing School

5 Tips to Survive Nursing School

Advanced Nursing 2021, Tokyo, Japan

The road to qualifying as a nurse is not an easy one. You could spend as little as one year at nursing school or as long as eight, depending on the qualification you’re aiming for. Either way, nursing school is not for the faint-hearted, and it can seem like a daily battle.

You’ll likely need to put in more study hours than other students, meaning less time for extracurricular activities or work. Budgeting can be tough for student nurses as they often have many extra costs but less funds. These include buying nursing scrubs, , but also have less time to take up paid work than other students. Nursing school can also be an emotional rollercoaster as you’ll no doubt see some upsetting scenes on your clinical experiences. You’ll have to quickly develop a strong stomach and thick skin while remaining empathetic with your patients but also have less time to take up paid work than other students. Nursing school can also be an emotional rollercoaster as you’ll no doubt see some upsetting scenes on your clinical experiences. You’ll have to quickly develop a strong stomach and thick skin while remaining empathetic with your patients.

Whether you’ve just enrolled or you’re part-way through your course and finding it challenging, we’ve put together our five top tips for surviving nursing school.

1.      5 Tips to survive Nursing School Get Organized

It can be tempting to ditch the books for an evening with friends, but skipping study will just set you back and cause stress. Student nurses have a lot more to juggle than other students, with a high number of study hours and clinical experiences to complete successfully.

Make study part of your daily routine by creating a timetable for the week and scheduling the same time each day to hit the books. Set a clear purpose for your study and check tasks off as you complete them. This will give you a sense of achievement and will motivate you to keep going. Avoid setting huge targets which will take months to achieve as you’re likely to get demoralized and give up. It’s a good idea to set new goals at the start of each semester. Do you want to improve your grades in a particular class? Are you determined to master a specific skill in your clinical placements? Don’t forget to make your goals SMART — Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.

Keep your notes organized and review them after each class. Whether you use a laptop or a paper and pen, be sure to store your files in a way that makes it easy for you to access the information you need at a later date — your future you will thank the past you at exam prep time!

2.      5 Tips to survive Nursing School Take Care of Yourself

It can be easy to drown yourself in study, classes, clinical experiences, and research. Nursing school requires a lot of hard work and commitment, but it’s important to make time to care for your health and wellbeing. If you’re functioning on a few hours sleep because you were up late cramming, your performance will be off and ultimately could risk someone’s life. Equally, if you’ve skipped meals, had no exercise and your stress levels are sky high, you’ll be of no use to anyone.

Sign up to the gym or work a daily run into your schedule. Getting out in the fresh air will clear your mind and re-energize you for study. There will be plenty of extracurricular activities to choose from at nursing school, from sports to theatre. Get active — physically, and socially. Taking time away from the books will make you more effective when it is time to study.

Don’t skip meals. If time and dollars are tight, you might think missing out on lunch is a good way to save on both. Your brain won’t function at its best if your body isn’t well nourished. When you’re on clinical experience in a healthcare setting, you’ll likely be on your feet for long periods, and your brain will be working overtime to take in all the new information. It’s crucial to keep yourself well-nourished if you want to perform at your best.

3.      5 Tips to survive Nursing School Plan Ahead for Clinicals

A core element of your program will be clinical experiences. You will spend time in a healthcare setting and will start to learn the practical skills you’ll need as a nurse in supervised learning sessions. Clinical experience is your opportunity to put what you learn in the classroom into practice and to gain real-world experience of nursing.

Get the most out of your clinical experiences by planning well ahead. Find out where you will be placed and do some research on the organization. What kind of medicine will you be involved in? Will you be in a Trauma 1 center, or have you been placed on an end-of-life ward? Read around the area of medicine that is most relevant. Talk to other nursing students who have completed their clinical experience at the same setting and gain insight into what to expect. The more prepared you are, the more you will learn. Don’t be afraid to take notes and a list of questions with you. The Medical staff you work with will appreciate the preparation you have put in.

Plan for the practical and logistical aspects of attending your clinical experience too. Where is it? How do you get there? Is there parking? What do they require you to wear? Is it necessary to buy scrubs and must they be a certain color?

4.      5 Tips to survive Nursing School Stock up on the Essentials

A few simple pieces of equipment will make your life as a student nurse much easier and more enjoyable. You will likely need some pieces of medical uniform, such as nursing scrubs and nurses shoes. Find out from your college what the requirements are. Each clinical setting may have their own rules, so don’t forget to check with them too. A pair of comfortable nursing shoes can be a lifesaver when you’re on your feet all day! 

Invest in a good backpack which can take the weight of your books. Backpacks are better than totes as they tend to be stronger, more comfortable to carry, and they have multiple pockets and compartments which are useful for storing all your essentials. Make sure there’s space for your laptop or notebook, stationery, personal items such as tissues and a hairbrush, snacks and a water bottle.

Treat yourself to a new watch. Many of us rely on our cell phones to tell the time, but it may not be appropriate either in class or in a clinical setting to keep whipping out your phone. If you’re going to be a perfectly organized student, you’ll need to keep an eye on the time, and a watch is the most professional way to do so.

5.      5 Tips to survive Nursing School Ask Questions!

When are learning something new, it can be daunting to risk looking dumb by asking a “stupid” question. The chances are, if you’re prepared and well-organized, your query will not be seen as stupid by your peers, your professors, or the professionals in a clinical setting. Remember, they all had to learn too, and there’s a good chance many other students have asked the same question before. You’re here to learn. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to do so by being too afraid to ask a question.

It can be helpful to write down questions you want to ask ahead of time — especially if you’ve researched the organization you will be attending for your next clinical experience. Of course, this is not always possible. So, if you have a spontaneous question, take a moment to think it through before you ask it. If you still want to ask the question after a brief moment of reflection, it’s probably worth asking!

Stick with It — 5 Tips to survive Nursing School You Won’t Regret It.

Nursing school is tough. It can be financially difficult, emotionally draining, labor-intensive, and intellectually challenging. But the goals we find hardest to achieve are also the most rewarding. Imagine yourself walking across the stage at graduation, your head filled with all the knowledge you are now learning. As a qualified nurse, you’ll be helping to save lives and supporting people through some of their most difficult experiences. Nursing is an incredibly rewarding career. If you are ambitious and committed to a career in nursing, stick with it — you won’t regret it.

For more details about Advanced Nursing 2021, Visit: https://nursing.nursingmeetings.com/