Got told our/ any neuro ICU is not really an intensive care unit

Well, you wait till you run into someone with Rectal Optalitis. THat is when the nerve going from the eyeball to the *** gives you a sh**** outlook on life.

SINCE OUR UNIT IS COMBO, WE DO NOT HAVE THE SAME ISSUES THAT COME WHEN ONE HOSPITAL HAS NUMEROUS ICUs. TODAY YOU MAY HAVE A NEURO PATIENT, TOMORROW IT MAY BE AN OPEN HEART, OR YOU MAY HAVE A COUPLE OF MEDICAL OR SURGICAL ICU PATIENTS. THERE ARE PROS AND CONS WITH OUR SYSTEM, BELIEVE ME! BUT I DID WORK IN A LARGE SYSTEM FOR A YEAR. IN THAT HOSPITAL, THERE WERE 3 ICUS.....AND YOU DID FEEL THE "PECKING ORDER" THERE! BUT I BELIEVE THE WHOLE IDEA OF ONE UNIT BEING MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE OTHER IS SO FULL OF BULL! BE CONFIDENT IN YOUR CARE AND DON'T LET OTHERS INTIMIDATE YOU!
IT TAKES EVERYONE TO GET THESE FOLKS OUT ALIVE AND HOPEFULLY TO SOME DEGREE OF BACK TO THEIR OLD LIVES. THIS INCLUDES TECHS, THE SECRETARIES, THE VOLUNTEERS, THE NEW GRAD NURSES....

I can understa when other nurses say that their patients are more "critical" Because they usually have more drips etc. but they can usually see when their patient is starting to take a turn for the worse. a Head can be perfect one minute during your assessment then 10 seconds later they are herniating. I always challenge someone with the response "well when a patients brain herniates everything else turns off. not just one organ...everything."

What the heck does 'SOS' stand for? Sack of sh**?

I've worked in hospitals where the trauma docs wanted thier patients in the neuro ICU because the nurses had better skills.

Think about the need for a specific knowledge base when considering the statement that you just made. The brain is a very important organ.......argueably the most vital in terms of keeping the body alive. I made a comment in another section of this site in regard to CRNA school. I have worked in both units and although the body is screwed without proper brain function, the comments that I keep reading prove my point. When the brain is sick, you have the option of a handful of drugs and surgical procedures as well as recognizing neurogenic shock. I think the reason that a lot of school prefer CVICU experience is due to the fact of all the varying conditions that you need to know how to treat. A sick heart, a dying heart, a newly transplanted heart, all the electrolyte abnormalities that go along with different heart conditions, the equipment that goes along with a good/bad/sick/dying/transplanted........adult/male/female/infant. The fact that a variety of different hearts can be transplanted, placed on various machines (RVAD, LVAD, BIVAD, IABP, Artificial Heart, ECMO, external/internal pacing, ect) means that knowledge base to properly care for a heart is huge. Not too mention the need to identify and treat a wide array of rhythms that can possibly be caused from other organs. SO, the statement of Whats the waiting list for a brain transplant vs other organ transplant? in my opinion shows that you either fix the brain or you dont. With the heart its not quite as cut and dry and "just transplant it" that fixes everything. I worked in neuro for 8 years and I definately have respect for unique circumstances that arise, however I have never felt like I need to be on my toes a majority of the time as I have being in CVICU. To each his own I guess.

I did hearts and transplants as well. I have had many "neuro" cases who also developed comorbidities that lead to multiple system failures and the need for internal and external support. An advantage to hearts is the technology and the ability to measure what is going wrong and hardwire it so to speak. Buisy you bet, complex sure but frankly I left hearts because most of the cases are straight foreward and it was the same old drill. Only when you had a disaster case did you revert to even a few of your listed equipment. I think we both know that you don't use rvad, lvad, bivad, iabp, art hearts, ecmo and the old standards of pacing on each case.

The bottom line and the point of my message is that we should always respect the knowledge base of another discipline rather than degrade it when compared to "our" own. Bottom line... respect lasts longer than technology.

I do agree with that

Each are has its challenges, but I do agree that CV stuff requires a certain independence and knowledge base that you dont see in other units that often

I know no one has posted on this one in awhile, but I have to say, who ever said that neuro ICU's aren't real ICU's are nuts! I work in a coronary care/medical intensive care unit. Our other unit is a surgical intensive care unit, but we get neuro patients (every once in awhile with ventrics) on our side.
I love coronary care ... the patients heart stops, you code em! Septic? If it gets really bad, you code em'! Neuro.. the pt starts to herniate their brainstem.... sure you can code em, but it won't fix the problem... you're SOL! Worst night I have ever worked by far was the night that I had a patient with brain abcesses almost herniate their brainstem. That was tough stuff! Kudos to neuro ICU nurses! (They are trying to turn our hospital into a neuro center of excellence, so I guess our unit will have to get used to it...)

What a b----! The only reason people say that is because often times, the neuro patients end up staying in the Neuro ICU for longer periods of times than say a SICU or Trauma pt would. You often hear if they can talk & walk...they don't belong in the ICU. Well, in Neuro it's different. They actually do belong in the ICU because we have to do neuro checks q1hr and many still have EVDs in. So unfortunately, in my experience, sometimes I would get a really sick pt or other times I would get 2 "step down" type pts. That was my only issue in working Neuro. Also, a lot of post op cranis, just there to observe overnight & do q1 checks then send them out to the floor the next day. I prefer to work in Trauma or a busy unit with "real" sick patients. We generally don't have to deal with the step down type patients.

But...also, remember that if you've worked neuro then you have an amazing skill. I work with some great nurses & am still shocked at some of the stupid things they say about neuro patients! clueless. I'm so happy I had neuro experience...but am happy to have moved on.

But we all know how to take care of that very very sick neuro pt you described...and we know well.