SILVERSTEIN 10 is a 35 bed adult cardiac surgery unit with telemetry capabilities for cardiac monitoring. Of those 35 beds nine have the ability to be monitored as Intermediate Care, allowing a higher level of care to those patients with specialized care needs.
The population consists of pre-and postoperative open heart surgical patients including but not limited to those undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft, Aortic Valve Replacement, Mitral Valve Replacement, and Thoracoabdominal aneursym Repair.
In addition, those patients who receive heart and/or lung transplantation are cared for postoperatively. Primary nurses work with Nurse Practitioners and an interdisciplinary team to meet physical, emotional, educational, and discharge planning needs of the patient and families to promote an optimal level of wellness.
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Dulles 6 is a 28-bed unit that is geared primarily toward the Surgical Orthopedic and Trauma population. The unit and staff were relocated to this newly renovated area from the Silverstein building four years ago. The staff is comprised of 24 RNs, 15 CNAs, 4 unit secretaries, and 1 support associate. Our patients have mainly undergone traumatic and/ or orthopedic injuries, and subsequent surgeries, as well as other surgical repairs.
With the assistance of the Dulles 6 Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, and the use of our personal gym, we are able to provide the best in patient outcome post-operatively or otherwise. In addition, Dulles 6 maintains excellence in nursing care and to best care for our special population; we provide Telemetry and Trauma Certifications, continuing education, and national and local conferences. We promote and support continuing education from our CNAs enrolled in nursing school to our RNs in NP and other MSN programs.
Dulles 6 participates in interdisciplinary collaboration through daily Orthopedic Rounds, with collaboration and input from our Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Discharge Planner, MD, RN, and our CNS.
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Ravdin 9 is a 38-bed surgical oncology unit with telemetry capability. We specialize in the nursing care of patients undergoing surgery for head and neck, oral, urological and gastrointestinal cancers as well as other benign disorders.
Our unit has a balance of both 24-hour length of stay procedures as well as patients that undergo complex reconstructive surgery that require intensive patient education and discharge planning. Examples of our expertise in patient education include teaching patients and families with tracheotomies, enteral feedings, ostomies, foley care and pain management. We pride ourselves in practicing a primary nursing care delivery model, which positively affects patient outcomes.
Our team is comprised of registered nurses, certified nursing assistants, and secretaries with experience that ranges from new to practice to 20 + years. Our registered nurses belong to many professional organizations, and many are certified in ACLS and Medical Surgical Nursing. Staffs are involved in unit and departmental committees. Professional development includes annual retreats and opportunities for attending professional conferences for continuing education. Self-scheduling offers opportunities for individuals to balance professional as well as personal needs. We have a unit recognition committee that recognizes professional accomplishments and organizes both unit parties as well as outside social activities.
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Transplant (Rhoads 4) is a 28-bed unit specializing in Transplant and General Surgery. The transplant population consists of patient’s status post liver, kidney, and pancreas transplants. Some patients receive one of the aforementioned organs and others may receive both a liver and kidney or kidney and pancreas at the same time. Rhoads 4 also cares for patients participating in the pancreas islet cell transplant clinical trials. Included in our transplant population post-operatively are the donors who generously donate an organ to family, friends, and even strangers. The nursing care provided to these patients includes systems assessment and monitoring, pain management, wound care, psychosocial support, and discharge planning. Teaching patients and family members about life after transplant is a large part of our day. Specialized teaching about the role immunosuppressive medications and risks for infection play in daily life is done with every patient and takes and multidisciplinary effort. We work with transplant recipients from the day they receive the phone call that an organ is available for them, throughout life to keep the patient healthy.
Rhoads 4 has been very busy this past year because so many patients received the “Gift of Life”! In 2004, there were 184 kidney transplants, 133 liver transplants and 7 pancreas transplants. It is our hope that this pace will keep up throughout 2005. Also, in October last year, three of our nurses took the newly formed transplant certification examination. Each nurse is now registered as a Certified Clinical Transplant Nurse (CCTN).
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Silverstein 12 is a 39 bed surgical telemetry unit.
We serve the gastrointestinal surgery population with expertise in post operative Bariatric Surgical Management and a wide variety of surgical oncology procedures ranging from Hypothermic Isolated Limb Perfusion to Whipple procedures.
Other service lines include the Vascular surgery population which offers patients the latest technological advances in endovascular stenting techniques.
We also care for trauma patients with the incredible support of one of the world finest trauma centers, recognized for excellence in trauma care.
The nursing staff is comprised of a registered nurse and certified nursing assistant collegial mix, and supported by unit secretaries, certified nursing assistants and a support associate. We strive for a 5 to 1 nurse patient ratio and focus care on interdisciplinary management style.
Additionally, we provide walking rounds at change of shift to ensure patient needs are met. During the day interdisciplinary service rounds occur with the physicians, nurse practioners, physical therapists and clinical resource coordinators to help ensure that the patients receive the highest quality of care.
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Founders 5 NTSICU is comprised of a 14-bed unit focusing primarily on the care of neurosurgical, neurotrauma, and liver transplant patients. Our nurses are on the front line caring for patients with subarachnoid hemorrhages, arterial venous malformations, epidural hematomas, subdural hematomas, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, brain tumors, hepatic failure, liver transplants, and multisystem trauma patients.
We work closely with nurse practitioners, physician assistants and our attending to provide optimal care for our patient population.
Neuro Trauma SICU nurses are trained in using the most up to date technology. Our nurses are BLS, ACLS, and Critical Care Course and Trauma Nurse Course certified. Many of our staff members hold instructor level expertise in these areas. Continuing education is strongly emphasized in this intensive care unit. Pursuing an advanced degree is highly encouraged.
To keep our practice current, our CNS arranges weekly lunchtime in-services on multiple topics. We are proud to host an annual Neuro Trauma Symposium held every January. We also participate in tri-annual Trauma Symposiums sponsored by the Trauma Center at Penn.
Neuro Trauma SICU nurses are actively involved in bedside translational nursing research. Several of our staff members hold positions as translational nursing research fellows. They are involved in the process of writing grants and submitting research proposals for our bedside projects. In the summer of 2005 we hope to add neuro cerebral micro dialysis to our multimodality-monitoring model in a research form for our SAH population.
We are a very diverse group of individuals with the common goal of delivering the highest level of care to our patients and their families. Our staff ranges from new graduates who are trained in our Gateway to Critical Care Program to 25-year SICU veterans. Our broad experiences as a unit contributes to many teaching moments that leads to excellent clinical skills as well as quality care of the patients. There is always something new and exciting to learn here in the Neuro Trauma SICU and Penn.
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Rhoads 1 is a 24-bed, surgical inpatient unit. The populations currently served include primarily thoracic surgery patients and vascular surgery patients. This includes patients with lung resection, VAT procedures and bronchs, carotid surgery, bypass surgery and grafts, post-angioplasty and stent patients.
We frequently admit high acuity plastic surgery patients as well. We currently admit patients that require telemetry, arterial pressure monitoring, frequent neuro assessment, frequent vital signs and flap checks. The Rhoads 1 nurse’s care includes critical care nursing management, assessment and monitoring, chest tube management, pain management, wound care, patient/family education, psychosocial support, and multidisciplinary discharge planning.
Conceptually, the unit is intended to function as a short stay high intensity post surgical unit. Additionally, the unit is based on the Universal Bed Concept, wherein, instead of moving patients around, the monitoring and the level of nursing care changes in response to a patient’s medical needs. Other hospitals throughout the nation are beginning to respond to the 21st century, addressing patient safety concerns by implementing acuity adaptable environments.
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