Hello and welcome to my unit!
I’m Tanna Walker, MSHA, RN, NE-BC, Manager of the Surgical Intensive Care unit, also known as SICU. We are located on the 9th floor of the Critical Care Tower Vanderbilt University Hospital.
The environment on our unit is fast-paced, challenging, and embraces a strong team collaboration among nurses and providers.
We care for critically ill adult patients 18 years and older who are recovering from various surgical interventions and procedures. Our unit is unique because of the diversity of the patient population. We care for liver transplants, emergency general surgery, vascular, thoracic, orthopedics, surgical oncology patients, and frequently care for trauma and OB patients. This diversity provides endless opportunities for learning and skillset expansion.
One of the perks of working on my unit is the excellent culture of teamwork. Staff are always collaborating to help with busy admissions or patient assignments and to find creative solutions to unit problems. We encourage staff to participate in shared governance to actively improve our unit culture and the quality of care we provide. There are many paths to professional growth in the SICU.
Our nurses are successful because they have strong critical thinking skills, effective communication with our multidisciplinary team, and the desire to continually provide excellent patient care.
We orient new nurses to our unit by providing a 10–14 week orientation based on individual needs. Orientees meet regularly throughout orientation with our Unit Educator and CSLs to ensure their success.
We encourage professional growth.
If your career goal is nursing leadership or advanced clinical practice, the Surgical Intensive Care Unit can help by giving you experience with the highest acuity of surgical patients and incredible opportunities to grow your career.
If you have any questions about my unit, please email me at tanna.walker@vumc.org or visit Work at Vanderbilt Health to explore open nursing positions.
Unit/Area Index
