Admit One

Kati Kleber, BSN, RN, CCRN, is a nationally certified critical care nurse who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. The author of ANA’s Admit One and the self-published Becoming Nursey, and a blogger and podcaster on top nursing trends, Kati was recognized by the Charlotte Business Journal as “2015 Nurse of the Year.” A recipient of the Great 100 Nurses of North Carolina award, Kati has also been featured across a number of media outlets, including CNN, The Dr. Oz Show, U.S. News, The TODAY Show, and many more.

Section 1. Before Your Stay: Meet Your Health Care Team
The Nursing Team: Nurses and Others
The Nurses: General and Specialty Practitioners
Many Types of Nurses
Your Nurse’s Top Priority
Nursing Reports, Schedules, and Staffing
Report and Shift Change of Nurses
Responsibilities of Nurses
Nursing Interns and Students
Unlicensed Assistive Personnel
Unit Secretaries
Nurses and Nursing FAQs
The Medical Team: Doctors and Others
Attending Physicians
Consulting Physicians
Medical Specialties and What the Specialists Do
Surgical Specialties and What the Surgeons Do
Other Members of the Medical Team
More about Doctors
How Doctors Schedule Work
When Doctors See You
Physician FAQs
The Therapy Services Team
Physical Therapists
Occupational Therapists
Speech Therapists
Respiratory Therapists
Other Members of the Health Care Team
Pharmacists
Registered Dieticians
Chaplains
Licensed Social Workers
Case Managers
Families, Loved Ones, and Visitors
Section 2. Your Hospital Stay: Getting Admitted, Treated, and Discharged
Five Main Routes to Hospital Admission
Through the Emergency Department
Emergency Department FAQs
After Surgery
Through a Procedural Area
Inter-Facility Transfer
The Parts and Departments of a Hospital
The Emergency Department (ED)
Levels of Care
The Regular Nursing Floor
Admit One: What You Must Know When Going to the Hospital– But No One Actually Tells You!
Section 2. Your Hospital Stay: Getting Admitted, Treated, and Discharged (continued)
The Parts and Departments of a Hospital (cont’d)
Step-down Unit or Intermediate Unit
Critical Care, Intensive Care, or ICU
(Intensive Care Unit)
Pre-Operative (Pre-Op)
Operating Room (OR)
Recovery Room/PACU (Post-Anesthesia
Recovery Unit)
Procedural Areas
Other Areas for Tests and Scans
Some Assorted In-Hospital Essentials All Patients
Need to Know
Equipment Most Likely to Be Encountered
Interventions and Essential Information
Medications in the Hospital
A Few Words about Food in the Hospital
Hospital Stay FAQs
Some Basic Hospital Processes: Communication, Transfers, Discharges
Section 3. My Personal Advice: A Nurse Speaks to You and Your Loved Ones
Promote a Healing Environment
Rest
Establish a Spokesperson
Advocate for Yourself
Know Your Code Status
The Hardest Work That Nurses Do
Dealing with Information Overload
Coping as Part of Healing
What the Health Care Team Needs from You
Section 4. During Your Stay: Your Information
What Kinds of Information?
Important Questions to Ask as You Begin Your Stay
My Hospital Stay
Starting Your Stay
During Your Stay
Doctors Taking Care of Me and Their
Specialty (Daily)
Nurses Taking Care of Me (Each Shift)
Other Hospital Staff Taking Care of Me (Daily)
Going Home
Other Questions for My Health Care Team
Recommended Reading
Index