Baptist Heart Institute
The Baptist Heart Institute, located within Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis, offers career opportunities encompassing the full spectrum of cardiovascular care from non-invasive cardiology to transplant services. The Baptist Heart Institute has 42 critical care beds and since its opening in 2001, approximately 1,100 open-heart surgeries have been performed there yearly. More than a dozen heart transplants and ventricular assist device procedures have also taken place during that time.
Transplant patients are always cared for in the cardiopulmonary transplant unit (CPTU) in positive pressure rooms, which protect the immunocompromised. Nurses in this unit also care for all vascular and thoracic surgery patients, as well as cardiac medical patients requiring ICU level of care in our units. Nurses in these units actively participate in the nationwide Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Impact initiatives to reduce complications, time spent on mechanical ventilation and length of stay in critical care. Baptist was the first organization in IHI to work on two initiatives – a Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) bundle and balloon pump bundle.
The cardiovascular step-down unit is a 42-bed unit where patients are transferred following open heart surgery. Some of the procedures provided for patients include temporary transvenous pacing, as well as Zoll-external pacing. The CV Step-down Unit can provide remote monitoring and can perform cardioversion on patients. The unit titrates vasoactive intravenous infusions that do not require more-than-every-one-hour monitoring, and administer research medications under research protocols.
The Heart Institute’s step-down is different from other step-down units, as it admits the patients from the CVICU and they stay in the unit until they are discharged home. This allows nurses to bond with their patients until they can be discharged. Watching patients progress can be gratifying for the nurses. The CV Step-down Unit is patient-centered and focused on combining kindness with clinical expertise to help patients progress through their illness.
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Cardiovascular Nursing at Baptist DeSoto
Cardiovascular Nursing is a growing specialty at Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto in Southaven, Miss. Serving South Memphis and Northern Mississippi, the cardiovascular program opened in 2001 and had over 200 surgical cases during the past 12 months. The growing program has attracted cardiovascular nurses from around the region.
With the opening of the new patient tower at Baptist DeSoto in the fall of 2006, cardiovascular services will move into the new, advanced facility. Nurses hired to work in this unit can expect a thorough orientation program with a strong classroom component, but one tailored to the individual needs of each employee that emphasizes hands-on experience at the bedside with an experienced and qualified preceptor.
Other Cardiovascular Nursing Opportunities at Baptist
Cardiology nursing is an important specialty at Baptist. With heart disease being a leading cause of death in the Mid-South, cardiology services are present at all Baptist hospitals. Patients requiring specialized cardiac care, including catheterization and surgical intervention, are often cared for at Baptist Memphis, Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi (Oxford, Miss.) and Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle (Columbus, Miss.).
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