[rammom73]

I have been an LPN for 14 years, working with pediatric vent patients in home health, being a treatment nurse for 100 patients in a LTC facility and a charge nurse on an acute care unit in a LTC facility. I currently am in my 4th semester of an LPN to ADN program at a local community college and thought that I should broaden my nursing skills and spoke to a unit manager of the TICU unit at local hospital explaining I was in school and wanted to take an RN position on her unit. Well long story short she made a position for me and I have there 6 months. After reading all the post I have to agree with most of them. The first 2 months I left work crying many times, I was working 12 hour day shifts and having been a nurse for so long was expected to know everything with only 6 weeks orientation even though I had never been in a critical care setting. I switched to nights because I couldn't continue working 3 twelves a week and have 2 nights class & weekend clinicals. I have to say nights is much better but I still see why nurses chose to leave ICU. There was 21 graduates hired to our unit in July, these now interns still are coupled with an experienced nurse and another intern so can't be counted in our census but have been when we're short.
Our unit has a 3:1 ratio and occasionally a 2:1 ratio with no PCA's, the nurses are it, we do our own transports, transfers and admissions plus patient care. You are expected to keep up with all documentation which is still old fashioned paper style and if you don't read your emails from the unit manager every shift you might miss the one about the ever changing forms used for procedures, admissions, home med reconciliation, etc.
I don't want to throw off the new grads but the obvious lack of on hands patient care shows, I constantly take assignments following some of the couplets and find patients sitting in dried feces and urine, supper trays untouched at bedsides, peripheral IV's infiltrated, documentation not completed and this is under the supervision of our experienced nurses working with them who happen to also be assigned patients due to short staffing. I don't know what the solution is but hiring an influx of new grads isn't the answer. My dad & mother-in-law recently both were on my unit and I have to say the feedback from them wasn't positive.
Right now I am torn between going back to home health until I graduate or staying in TICU to gain more experience; the money at the hospital is less & the benefits stink so why would nurses want to make a career there especially in the ICU's where it is so stressful?

[Hellllllo Nurse]

Originally Posted by RN/BSN/JD/ESQ

I feel very sorry for all of you.

I work at a very large, very well-known academic medical center (with Magnet status). I work in one of the surgical ICU's (there are several). We have 20 beds. The manager is a dream, and often leaves the office to pitch in on the floor when needed. I know every one of our RN staff (there are about 70), and I can honestly say that there is not one unhappy, negative, and/or ****** soul in the bunch. Everyone helps each other; everyone pitches in. We have extremely high acuity. We have new grads, and they are well-preceptored, even though some have made it clear that they are headed to CRNA school.

We have 24-hour in-house coverage by attendings, fellows, and NP's (as well as residents). Many of our attendings and fellows have PhD's in addition to their MD's. The docs treat us respectfully, like partners, and our professional opinions are valued. Any doc that is less than respectful to the nurses is "talked to" by the medical director of the unit. It usually happens once a year, and not again.

We are very well paid, and the benefits are likely among the best in the US. Frankly, I love going to work. I can't believe that my unit is unique; there has to be others who love their jobs. If I ever were as unhappy as some of you, I would be headed for the exit door. I wish all of you the best (and no, we're not hiring at the moment).

I've been a nurse for 14 years. I didn't think a place like you dsecribe really existed. I must say, I'm very envious.

What state are you in?

[wabisabi]

Sometimes it's because we get tired of torturing people to death for a living. (8 years in SICU, MICU, CCU)