I am a nurse educator and I and create content specifically for nursing students and newly licensed nurses to support, educate, and encourage them as they transition to practice.
Let’s talk about the patient who “randomly” crashed
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Hey Reader, When I think about what separates a good nurse from a great one, it’s not who handles chaos the best. It’s who sees it coming. The best nurses don’t just respond to emergencies; they prevent them. You’ve probably felt it before 👉 The vitals are technically normal, but your patient looks... different. They look more tired than they did this morning. A little more confused. Breathing just a bit harder. You can’t quite explain it yet… and then a few hours later, they tank. Subtle deterioration almost always whispers before it screams, and learning to hear that whisper is part of becoming a really solid nurse. What that usually comes down to is pattern recognition. Noticing that a heart rate of 108 isn’t “alarming,” but it’s very different from their usual 70s while resting in bed. Realizing that urine output trending down over several hours matters more than one isolated number. Understanding that “they’re just not themselves” is sometimes your earliest red flag. 🚩 And I promise you, as much as it may seem like it, that skill isn’t magic, and it’s not about being naturally intuitive. It comes from A LOT of repetition, exposure, and being taught what early decline actually looks like. If you want to watch one of our most popular discussions on the FreshRN podcast with experienced RNs discussing rapid response team calls, click below 👇 We discuss things like reasons to call an RRT, unnecessary calls, and what to do once the team arrives. Enjoy! Best, Kati 🪴 |
Hi! I'm Kati.
I am a nurse educator and I and create content specifically for nursing students and newly licensed nurses to support, educate, and encourage them as they transition to practice.
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