[PeachPie]

Originally Posted by SmilingBluEyes

I am disgusted that despite the trend toward increased morbid obesity in our populations, of all ages, we don't have more safety equipments and laws in place to protect nurses and other caregivers from dire and career-ending injuries in the FIRST PLACE!

Amen.

[Fire Wolf]

Why do nurses leave the ICU? Of those intending to leave, >50% expressed poor working conditions as the reason. Are there steps that can be taken to reduce turnover and help ensure a stable and qualified workforce?

I worked in ICU for 7 years and really enjoyed it, but I was getting burned out. It seemed that there were younger and younger patients coming in with MI's, overdoses, or terminal cancers.

The last week that I worked I ended up having two of my patients code at almost the same time. One survived and one did not.

My last patient turned out to be an 8 month old baby that had meningitis and we had to LifeFlight the little thing out. There was no place to place the baby except the adult ICU and I was soooo overwhelmed.

I have almost zero pediatric experience, except for what I learned in nursing school ages ago. The ER nurse, thank heaven's, had been a ped's nurse so she came and worked with me in the unit as we stabilzed the baby for transport.

The parents neither one spoke English and we had to use an interpreter, but the fear and the pain in the parents eyes were perfectly translated. The worst part was that the mother had brought the baby to the ER the day before. The ER doc said she had "a bug that is going around" and sent the mother back home wth a Rx for antibiotics and there wasn't even any place open on a Sunday in their little town to fill the prescription.

We sent the baby out by helicopter that night on life support and she died a few days later.

I was just burned out.

[CaliRN2Be]

Hey Everybody.. I got a question. A friend of mine works in Vegas as an RN. I am just now finishing up my pre-reqs before entering into the nursing program. Anyways, she told me it would be good for me to at least spend a couple years when I first get out of school in ICU because it would give me lots of experience and after I worked in ICU I could work in any dept. I am not so sure of this becuase I don't think I could handle gory blood. SO my ? is what do you guys think about this suggestion. And also would you say working in ICU you see a lot of that stuff?

[RNsRWe]

Originally Posted by CaliRN2Be

Hey Everybody.. I got a question. A friend of mine works in Vegas as an RN. I am just now finishing up my pre-reqs before entering into the nursing program. Anyways, she told me it would be good for me to at least spend a couple years when I first get out of school in ICU because it would give me lots of experience and after I worked in ICU I could work in any dept. I am not so sure of this becuase I don't think I could handle gory blood. SO my ? is what do you guys think about this suggestion. And also would you say working in ICU you see a lot of that stuff?

I would suggest reading through all the posts in this thread, and you should get a pretty good idea what the opinion is on new grads coming into ICU as a stepping stone to something else.

[lee1]

Originally Posted by soliant12

The smart ones go on to advanced practice.

And then to what? The ones that I have seen that wanted to stay in critical care are now just "residents" and treated as such. Oncall, 10-12hr days, 5 days per seek, weekends, etc. That only lasts but so long also.

[lee1]

Originally Posted by pyrolady

Hi - I'm new to the board but wanted you to know that I just quit management in a hospital. Why? Because no matter how loud certain managers hollered (aka me) nothing was ever done about short staffing. You know, I sometimes don't really believe there's a nursing shortage - I think it's a self imposed (by institutions) staffing shortage. The leaner they run, the more they get as a yearly bonus for keeping cost under control. Our ICU would sometimes run 3:1 with telemetry overrides !!! But of course, if someone "important" was there it was practically 1:1. If you can scarf up the nurse for that kind of staffing for "VIP's" then it's there for everyone....EVERYONE is a VIP to me. I got so tired of having them float off my techs to other parts of the hospital to "fill in" because I had an "extra" nurse on my telemetry unit (5:1 for three nurses and 6:1 for the other - mind you they handled about 6 - 12 discharges and an equal amount of admits per day). We constantly received people who should have been under closer watch (one day we finally got someone transferred after begging and lo and behold he coded one hour after he left the unit!). I'm sick of hospitals making an extra buck from short staffing. I told all of my nurses personally that when you are called and asked to work on your day off, the answer is NO THANKS unless it is really something you feel like doing (and for heaven sake DON'T explain why you can't, it's YOUR DAY OFF). If it is desperate and I call you, I will tell you so and then it is still truely YOUR option. I think that until we, as nurses, stop bailing out the hospitals when they are short ( because they will find the nurses if they have to) then we will see change. For heaven sake - they can't operate without us !!! You should see the panic down in the staffing area when there aren't enough to go around and the ER is full, wings are full, and people are still coming !!! Somehow or another agency just seems to appear then BECAUSE the regular nurses are not bailing them out yet again. We are TOO NICE and TOO consciencious, and TOO caring and MANAGEMENT KNOWS AND TAKES ADVANTAGE OF IT !!! Been there, seen it, DID NOT DO IT, left to take a higher position so my nurses can be treated they way they should be as much as humanly possible. YOU are the backbone, you deserve to be praised (I did constantly) and thanked (yup) each and every day for all that you do, INCLUDING even showing up ! I am taking some of my nurses with me to my new place, because they want to follow me there - Sunday we have a party together - they are my everything.

It's nice to read that you really cared. Nurses will for the most part, go that extra mile for someone like you.
Tell us, did you get a bonus as a manager for coming in under budget???? That is a big gripe that I hear from nurses especially if they know what a manager's bonus consists of. Short ordering par supplies, shorting staff/ancillary staff, etc. What percentage of your bonus was it? How was the bonus configured? I have heard that mangers get bonuses based on patient satisfaction scores, personel goals that are met, budget issues, etc. I would like to know if managers get scored on nurse retention/ nurse satisfaction that they are directly accountable for????

thanks

[shastacicuRN]

Running non stop for over 12 hours and when having to travel with your patient to MRI or CT, and coming back 3 hours later and realizing no one was watching your other patient.......also being continually short staffed.

[FossilRN]

I answered this thread on impulse after a really bad (but not unusal) shift. I really do like my job. If I had to put my finger on why I may leave eventually it would be burn out. I will not be able to do my job physically much longer. I turn 50 this year and I am in good shape. I go to the gym, ski, walk, bike, etc. but my back is killing me constantly anymore. I am 5'3" and 125 lbs. This has progressed this past year to the point that I have to admit that it is a problem. We have no help at work. We have no help to transport, lift, turn, push beds, get patients up, etc, etc, etc. If we have a PT consult MAYBE they will show up to get patients out than you are stuck getting them back in. We have no equiment to help. Sometimes we have a nurses aide (if they are not pulled) and maybe a house orderly. I can't help but always think that if I were in a traditionally male profession it would be different. I just physically can't do it like I used to. Add to that the emotional burnout. It just ****** me off that we are put in this position. Not only is it not fair to us but it is very unfair to the poor defensless patient who is a captive in the unit with no help. Will this be me someday? The whole scerario gets very depressing. I am very lucky in that I don't work full time anymore. I pick and choose my extra shifts and don't have any trouble just saying no. My sister works as an RN full time plus on a busy telem unit, lots of 12 hour shifts. It really helps us both to get on the phone and vent. However, when I hear her I think, been there, done that. I joke (not) at work that I would have to have a starving baby at home to ever be desperate enough to go back to that full time. Why should our patients have to be put in such a vulnerable position??? I just go in and do the best that I can.

[jaymz]

why?
Because of money hungry for profit hospitals, that's why.

[geekgolightly]

this thread is depressing and terrifying.

wanting to bring some hope in here. im a nurse with neuro and tele experience and want to work ICU and i dont have plans for anything "bigger." still waiting for that right opportunity for me. im trying to be very careful about what i pick and when.