THERE'S rarely a dull moment working in the Critical Care Unit of a regional hospital like Central Gippsland Health Service, as nurses Jennifer Dennett and Anne Traill can attest to.
"We're a bit different to the Melbourne ICU nurses in that we learn to do a lot of different things ourselves,'' Ms Dennett, the nursing unit manager of the CCU, said.
"We fix things and make do and we're very versatile ... that versatility comes in handy and stands us in good stead.''
The work of nurses such as Ms Dennett and Ms Traill is in the spotlight this week as part of the Intensive Care Foundation's Intensive Care Appeal.
The appeal runs until April 27 and is raising money to fund life-saving intensive care research on behalf of the foundation.
Both Ms Dennett and Ms Traill have been working within intensive care for more than 20 years. Ms Traill is a clinical educator in the CCU and the emergency department and also a resuscitation coordinator.
Both women choose to work in intensive care for the challenges of working with the technology and to help make a real difference in the lives of the patients and their families.
Personal motivations also factor in for Ms Traill, who when she was five years old had her grandfather die of a heart attack on Christmas day.
"He had presented to hospital but was sent home ... this was before ECG machines were available in the ED and before there were special areas to care for such problems,'' she said.
Many years later Ms Traill is passionate about improving the health industry she works in.
She is the Victorian representative for the ACCCC resuscitation committee through which she has participated in the review and development of education programs.
Working in the busy CCU environment can throw up many challenges.
Ms Dennett recalls a time when a child who had drowned was brought into the unit and was being kept alive on a ventilator.
The Pediatric Emergency Transport Services team came from Melbourne to take the child back to the Children's Hospital, but fog meant the team couldn't get back out again.
The PETS team and the CCU staff worked through the night to look after the child until they could be airlifted.
Another event strong in their memory is of a man brought into CCU after the tuna truck he was driving exploded at Cann River and he was found under a two tonne pile of tuna.
The nurses said he was in CCU for weeks while he recovered - but the tuna smell lingered long after he left.
Working in the same community as they live in means sometimes the patients that come to CCU are sometimes people they know - which can present challenges.
"It's very difficult, you tread a fine line between being detached and emotionally separating yourself, but you also need to be caring and empathetic,'' Ms Dennett said.
"And also, you need to be there for them as their friend, they have that expectation you will be a friend and do a bit extra.
"You have those three balls to juggle but we do have the option of stepping away and letting others do the work.
"It's hard, but it's also rewarding because you see people in the supermarket, or down the street who you looked after and they thank you, and they remember you for years.
"It gives you a lot of good feedback.''
Ms Dennett believes CGHS has a good team of staff working in CCU, including four physicians, two medical registrars, 25 critical care nurses, as well as administration staff, medical students and nurses.
"We all function as a cohesive team and the reason we all work together so well is the support the physicians give the nurses,'' she said.
"It's something not always common and something that's built up over the years and something physicians should be congratulated on for having the trust and the faith in the nursing staff.''
The need for intensive care can arise at any time irrespective of age and state of health.
Patients are treated with a range of conditions from pneumonia to heart attack to severe trauma to infections.
The research funded by the Intensive Care Foundation is helping researchers unlock medical mysteries allowing Australian intensive care units to provide the best possible care for their patients.
The Intensive Care Appeal aims to raise much needed funds for intensive care research by selling Foundation merchandise in all ICUs across Australia for $3 an item.
Donations can be made by calling 1300 650 254 or visiting www.intensivecareappeal.com
Email a friend
Favourites
Del.icio.us
Facebook
Digg
StumbleUpon
MySpace
Reddit
Newsvine
LinkedIn
Kwoff
Twitter