TITLE Medical Resident Elective in the PICU
Effective Date: October 30, 2006
GUIDLINES
The preceptor program is designed to support educational experiences for the medical resident completing an
elective in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. The preceptor program serves to enhance collaborative teamwork
and mutual respect by utilizing the abilities of select experienced staff members as role models and educators.
When precepting a medical resident, the staff nurse will serve as a role model for nursing practice and will be
accountable for the care of assigned patients. The staff nurse will determine what nursing care will be assigned
to the medical resident based on the resident’s level of preparation and experience. Learning activities and
course objective information for the resident will be available for the staff nurse from the faculty supervising the
resident.
PROCEDURE
Responsibility
PICU CNS / Unit
Manager
Action
1. Asses the learning opportunity for the elective candidate.
2. Review with the resident their expectations and objective for their time in the
PICU. The resident should come prepared with a list already outlining their goals
/ expectations.
3. Assign a nurse preceptor to the resident based on learning needs and preceptor
expertise, either on days or nights.
Shadowing Resident
1. Discuss the need and educational opportunity of an elective in the PICU
shadowing an RN, with your Chief resident and/or medical director and the PICU
unit Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS).
2. Before meeting with the PICU CNS, create a list outlining your objectives and
goals for your PICU elective and be prepared to schedule your shifts for either
the 2 or 4 week block of time you will be in the unit.
3. The resident will complete, depending on a 2 week or 4 week elective rotation,
72 hours in two weeks or 144 hours in 4 weeks. This equals 3, 12 hours shifts a
week. These shifts can be completed on days or night and excludes any time
spent with PANDA.
4. Review in-patient standards of care with your nurse preceptor and familiarize
yourself to the nursing responsibilities in the PICU as required by OHSU and the
Oregon State Board of Nursing.
http://ozone.ohsu.edu/healthsystem/nursing/soc/pcc.shtml
http://www.osbn.state.or.us/OSBN/pdfs/npa/Div31.pdf
5. This is a nursing rotation in the PICU and as such you will be held accountable
for assuming the RN role in regards to patient care: turning, oral care, skin care,
bathing, giving meds, drawing labs ect. You will not be writing orders or
otherwise directing the medical care of the patient.
PICU RN
1. Discuss the orientee's learning needs, background, and experiences and
develop a learning plan. The resident should come prepared with a list outlining
their goals / expectations.
2. Review in-patient standards of care with the shadowing resident and familiarize
them to the nursing responsibilities in the PICU as required by OHSU and the
Oregon State Board of Nursing.
http://ozone.ohsu.edu/healthsystem/nursing/soc/pcc.shtml
http://www.osbn.state.or.us/OSBN/pdfs/npa/Div31.pdf
3. Provide a learning environment in which the resident will become familiar with
monitor setup, safety checks, creating a plan of care based on assessed patient
needs, running pumps, checking drips, nursing charting, starting IVs, dressing
changes, skin care, medication administration, taking off and transcribing orders,
or any other nursing based procedures.
4. The precepiting RN still maintains full patient responsibility and duties and shall
oversee all patient care provided by the shadowing resident.
Charge RN
1. Patients will be assigned to the RN/Resident team based on the learning
experience a specific patient may present. Nurses orienting new hires or senior
Immersion students will have priority in choosing assignments, followed by the
resident/RN team. Primary nursing assignments preempt any orentee as set
forth in the Primary Nursing Guidelines.
Bibliography:

Elma, Stephanie A. Chumley, Heidi. Medical Teacher. 28(4):341-4, 2006 Jun.
Originator/Author:

Lori Moss BSN, RN, PICU