[nurseabc123]

Do I like working in the ICU? Yes and no.

Do I like cleaning up patients, dealing with some obnoxious/threatening family members, babysitting and getting grabbed/kicked by confused patients? No. Do I enjoy working short-staffed? (Taking care of 3 vented patients?) Do I enjoy have very few senior staff to look to for support? No. Do I like working every other weekend? No!

But do I like taking care of a fresh heart/AAA - very sick, titrating drips, giving multiple blood products, etc. Be able to critically think. Helping a patient/family die with dignity. Supporting my co-workers. Yes. Those things I like. Unfortunately, you can't pick and choose what you do. The negatives outweigh the positives.

[scorpiontail]

I've been working in the ICU's for the past 9 years. The first year was the worst and the scariest. The anxiety level when getting dressed, driving to work, clocking in and finally walking into the unit was CRAZY! This was the my first year in the MICU of a major county hospital in South Florida. If you took 18 of the sickest patients, one from each of the hospitals in your Tri-county area and put them on one unit then this would describe what I walked into daily. However it makes you stronger and it builds character. You are always going to have co-workers that make your days at work a little uneasy. The way past that is to focus on your goal everyday and then visualize yourself delivering your post-op patient to them as a CRNA. The work in the ICU is tough emotionally and physically. Sometimes I wonder how some older nurses do this for 15 and 20 years. Get all of that experience and don't forget because it is invaluable. Once a CRNA you will never go back to bedside and you just might wish that you grabbed a little more along the way. I think passing the CCRN will take a little more than 3 months. It depends on if you are just studying to pass a test or absorbing everything at work for the sake of gaining confidence and increasing your knowledge base. The latter will make passing the CCRN soooooooo much easier.

[graduate_2002]

Originally Posted by scorpiontail

I've been working in the ICU's for the past 9 years. The first year was the worst and the scariest. The anxiety level when getting dressed, driving to work, clocking in and finally walking into the unit was CRAZY! This was the my first year in the MICU of a major county hospital in South Florida. If you took 18 of the sickest patients, one from each of the hospitals in your Tri-county area and put them on one unit then this would describe what I walked into daily. However it makes you stronger and it builds character. You are always going to have co-workers that make your days at work a little uneasy. The way past that is to focus on your goal everyday and then visualize yourself delivering your post-op patient to them as a CRNA. The work in the ICU is tough emotionally and physically. Sometimes I wonder how some older nurses do this for 15 and 20 years. Get all of that experience and don't forget because it is invaluable. Once a CRNA you will never go back to bedside and you just might wish that you grabbed a little more along the way. I think passing the CCRN will take a little more than 3 months. It depends on if you are just studying to pass a test or absorbing everything at work for the sake of gaining confidence and increasing your knowledge base. The latter will make passing the CCRN soooooooo much easier.

I totally agree!

[proclivity]

to OP, nope didn't like it at all.

[jdiekhof]

I love the CVICU and taking care of the fresh open heart patients. However, in saying that the nurses I am surrounded by are great and I could not ask for any better mentors and friends than my co-workers. My manager is also wonderful at supporting her staff. My favorite position is in the OR, I worked in the OR prior to my ICU experience. I did a little bit of everything scrub, circulated and recovered. I just think you need to find a place you can surround yourself with the right mentors.