Neuro--tell me why you do/don't like it!!

same boat here...looking forward to some responses on this thread...

For me neuro has so many questionable outcomes, any disease process can, but when the pupils change damage is done. I work in a 900 bed level 1 trauma hospital in a 18 bed neuro-intensive care unit. I have 11.5 years in cardiac and 9 in other areas. Try neuro, I have and I like it. To watch a pt wake up and F/C's, who has been comatose, nothing compares.

This will be a good thread. I have been a nurse for 21 years. MSICU and mix ICU for 18 years. I just made a switch to neuro icu and I hate it. Admittedly, a large part of these feelings came from my lack of confidence (as you will note from my posts on this site). However, i have finally come to the realization, that my assessment skills are excellent in any field, and I have diligently read up and been present in the rooms of the types of patients that scared me. I am no longer scared, but I still hate it. For me, it is the poor quality of life for the young people. I have dealt with many sick people. I have seen some agonziing deaths. But still it is easier for me to deal with a 72 y/o patient with choronic renal failure and heart fialure that fianlly succumbs to ARDS and dies, then it is to deal with a 20 y/o college student that is all of a sudden a quad. Sometimes death is easier to deal with than life. Also, it is hard for me to understand what i perceive as callousness and a lack of compassion in the younger nurses in the field. I'm sure this is a necessarry trait one needs to develope to remain in the area, but no thank you. I would hope that I will always be disturbed by a kid who's life is forever ruined. I am shocked by the nurses who complain because the girl in the halo is so needy that it is interfering with their smoke breaks. I wonder what is wrong with me. And i know that i don't belong there. I just put in for my transfer to MS ICU and will be very happy to get back to CVVH, swans, rotorest beds,PC ventilation, and every pressor under the sun. Doris

Road trips.

Hi all,

It looks like I am starting my nursing career in the Neuro ICU in a 44 bed unit. Ill be working on a brand new wing (huge ICU!!). Im excited. Im a new grad so I dont have any experience but im looking forward to it

bump

I've been 3 months in a neuro trauma ICU so my experience is hardly a worthwhile subject for conversation but there isn't a lot of input here so here goes my 2 cents for what it's worth. I can tell you that it's challenging and can be heartwrenching. It should bring a tear to the eye to watch a mother agonize over the son whose life will be cut short or forever damaged from a MVC. The work is hard. These pts need a great deal of assistance in movement. It often takes 3 people to do q2h turns. There is a lot of team work on a neuro unit so it's important to be able to go with the flow cuz there are all kinds of personalities to deal with. You have to be alert to the subtle signs of a neuro pt. going south which may not be easy because of their altered level of consciousness. They are often sedated. I'm still learning and will be for a long time to come. As one mentioned earlier, road trips are no fun. The nurse accompanies his/her pt. to all tests and there is usually at least one other pt. assignment that needs coverage. I don't know any nurse who enjoys packing up their pt lock, stock and barrel to head down to CT or worse, MRI.

It's all very intimidating and scary in the beginning. I'm finding that it's like a building that's built brick-by-brick. On my unit, new grads are encouraged to seek out other staff for help with questions or whatever when official orientation is over. On my unit, the help is always there. The ones that don't make it are the ones that expect too much of themselves and try to figure out things on their own.

The rewards are hard to define. All I know is that when I go home at the end of my shift, I know I used every skill I have to get the job done. It's a good feeling more often than not. Maybe in time I'll have something more concrete to answer that question.

I am a supervisor in a neuro/truama ICU, and I have done this for 16 years. The challenge of the neuro patient is the unpredictability. You can have 2 patients with the exact type of injury and yet you will have 2 completely different pictures, which means you are truly providing acute intensive care. The neuro nurse will know the exact moment that there is a change in the patient, positive or negative. Neuro patients don't follow a "recipe", every patient is a new experience and your skills at the bedside are honed and improved with each new thing you see. I am still learning neuro, and I don't think I will ever get to a point where I think..I am there.. I know it.
So..to answer the question, I love neuro/truama, and anyone who likes the idea of always starting every day with new unknown possibilities, will love it too. It's not for everyone, it is highly stressful and the human factors (families etc) can drain you emotionally, but the satisfaction as a nurse is awesome. GOOD LUCK!!

Nan1996 you said it well. I have been a neuro Icu nurse for 3 years. I have never been so challenged and rewarded at the same time in a job. Seeing a person come out of a coma compares to nothing else. It is amazing. Right now I am working in dialysis and work a day a week in my old unit, nothing compares to going to the Icu as far as working goes for me, I love it.