Australian nursing - sorry non-nurses, you might not "get" this one.

SOOO, working in the PICU is quite different than working in the states...we have respiratory therapists in the states who look after the ventilators, understand them, set them up, clean em up, troubleshoot them, run our gases, etc....however, here in Australia it's all the nurses responsibility. My first week in the PICU, i had a crash course (and i mean CRASH course) on ventilators. Crazy. Now that i've been working for over a month, i feel pretty comfortable with them (I never thought I would - in fact, I almost didn't come over to Australia for this very reason). Nurses only ever have one patient, so it gives us time to do everything (meds, vitals, keep our patient from dying) and manage the vents! I actually prefer it this way because I finally see the big "picture" of my patient. I set up my first ventilator yesterday, which is not easy by the way.
We do have to double-check ALL MEDS (not in the states), so that's time-consuming, but in the end, a lot safer.
That's PICU nursing for ya!
Overall, it's WAY easier than in the states....especially if your patient is not on the vent.
Yesterday I went to the "ward" (aka pediatric floor) to take care of a kid with EVD's and then they didn't need me after 1pm, so I went back up to our overstaffed PICU all to sit around for the next 6 hrs and read.
Today I had an EASY SHMEEZY kid who didn't need to be in the PICU, so I planned our trips for the rest of our time here. Can't complain.
I decided we HAVE to go to Tasmania now (after talking to my patient's mom and Andrea back home) so we're gonna go in September~any takers???
Oh, and we get two, yes two "tea breaks" during the day AND a lunch. (i'm lucky if I get a 20 minute lunch back home) People drink hot tea here like it's water... they have converted me.
Ok, more nurse talk later AND pics of our HOT uniforms (my patient's mom today said the shirts look like a tampon wrapper...I'll let you ponder that before i send you pics!)