All Hail ICU Nurses

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This is a huge shout out to the mega-talented ICU nurses. All of you do what many of us aspire to do with our lives, but some of us will never get to do. You work with the sickest of sick, with the most complex interventions possible. You save lives on a daily basis. You have more knowledge and skills than many of us could ever comprehend. With your intelligence, confidence and nursing skills, you make a huge difference in the lives of all you care for, in a way that no other nurse can. You are the true definition of success in nursing. Thank you for doing what some of us, including myself, will never be able to accomplish.

All Hail ICU Nurses!

ICU Nursing is not my gift or place in nursing so that is why I admire them so. The knowledge and skills they have just baffle me, since I do not possess them myself.

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Specializes in Hospice.
So true! I lost two grandparents this year.

One had rapidly declined while in the hospital, and given his age decided to move to comfort care, and he died that afternoon. I hadn't known he was in the hospital even -- my parents called me after he passed away. He was not appropriately medicated. My parents told me he had really suffered, was struggling with his secretions and struggling for air. That was pretty devastating for me to hear, and I really wished he had trained hospice nurses because that should NOT have happened.

My grandma did have an amazing hospice team. She was released home with a hospice consult, and she had frequent visits from the RN, coverage for HHAs, and even got visits from the chaplain. She and my grandpa (not the aforementioned one) had been married for 67 years and raised five children in that house. She passed peacefully in that house.

All hail hospice nurses! :nurse:

I am so sorry for your loss, Here.I.Stand. Even sorrier that your grandfather sufferred towards the end.

I did not post to toot my own horn, I posted because the OP has no idea what REAL DEDICATED nurses do despite their speciality. Before I got into hospice I thought , "How hard could it be ?" Ahhh, ignorance is bliss. Hospice is harder than anything else I have ever done.

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Specializes in Hospice.
Don't get too riled up, guys. This is OP's M.O., her way of seeking attention because she is currently miserable in her own career and has some skewed, glorified version of what ICU nursing entails.

Sincerely,

A proud ICU AND med/surg nurse.

I went back and looked at other posts written by the OP, and so now I know what you mean. Very sad!

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This is a huge shout out to the mega-talented ICU nurses. All of you do what many of us aspire to do with our lives, but some of us will never get to do. You work with the sickest of sick, with the most complex interventions possible. You save lives on a daily basis. You have more knowledge and skills than many of us could ever comprehend. With your intelligence, confidence and nursing skills, you make a huge difference in the lives of all you care for, in a way that no other nurse can. You are the true definition of success in nursing. Thank you for doing what some of us, including myself, will never be able to accomplish.

All Hail ICU Nurses!

Oh, purplegal... :jester: :laugh:

I guess that depends on one's definition of success. Personally, I think that any type of nurse who does his or her job well, is a success and deserves accolades. As much as I respect and appreciate my ICU coworkers (and I do), I don't hero-worship them more than any other specialty.

Many folks think that my specialty is a demanding one, but I think it's the easiest thing I've done since I started my nursing career. Why? Because it fits my strengths well and I love it. Med-surg on the other hand, darn near killed me. I take my hat off to skilled med-surg nurses.

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Specializes in CMSRN, hospice.
ICU Nursing is not my gift or place in nursing so that is why I admire them so. The knowledge and skills they have just baffle me, since I do not possess them myself.

Not saying we shouldn't respect other nurses for their unique skills and abilities, but it can't be good for your mental well-being to blatantly cheapen what you CAN do. It sounds like being told you aren't cut out for the ICU made a really negative impression on you. Try to focus on the positive feedback you've received from professors and supervisors.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
I am so sorry for your loss, Here.I.Stand. Even sorrier that your grandfather sufferred towards the end.

I did not post to toot my own horn, I posted because the OP has no idea what REAL DEDICATED nurses do despite their speciality. Before I got into hospice I thought , "How hard could it be ?" Ahhh, ignorance is bliss. Hospice is harder than anything else I have ever done.

Thank you. Hearing that he suffered was even harder than hearing he was gone. And I know you didn't post to toot your own horn, but I felt like tooting it. :)

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ICU Nursing is not my gift or place in nursing so that is why I admire them so. The knowledge and skills they have just baffle me, since I do not possess them myself.

"What looks large from a distance, close up ain't never that big" - Bob Dylan

I think you are seeing the ICU through rose-colored glasses. Based on past posts, it seems like you WANT it to be your place. You are certainly capable of learning how to be an ICU nurse, but it's not people prancing about proclaiming how gifted they are. They roll up their sleeves and get to work, just like every other area of nursing.

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"What looks large from a distance, close up ain't never that big" - Bob Dylan

I think you are seeing the ICU through rose-colored glasses. Based on past posts, it seems like you WANT it to be your place. You are certainly capable of learning how to be an ICU nurse, but it's not people prancing about proclaiming how gifted they are. They roll up their sleeves and get to work, just like every other area of nursing.

How is that possible when not even lower acuity hospital jobs will hire me?

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Specializes in Psychiatric and emergency nursing.
This is a huge shout out to the mega-talented ICU nurses. All of you do what many of us aspire to do with our lives, but some of us will never get to do. You work with the sickest of sick, with the most complex interventions possible. You save lives on a daily basis. You have more knowledge and skills than many of us could ever comprehend. With your intelligence, confidence and nursing skills, you make a huge difference in the lives of all you care for, in a way that no other nurse can. You are the true definition of success in nursing. Thank you for doing what some of us, including myself, will never be able to accomplish.

All Hail ICU Nurses!

Try being an ER nurse and managing two ICU holds while attempting to care for three other ER patients; this was a day that managed to lead me to question life choices. I also recently transitioned from ER nursing to psychiatric nursing, and there are some fun times to be had on a psych unit, too. Regardless of how your post was intended, to glorify one subset of nurses while simultaneously (albeit unintentionally) belittling another specialty - regardless of other said specialty's awesome skill set - is sure to ruffle a few feathers. Tread carefully on that ice there, purplegal.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.
How is that possible when not even lower acuity hospital jobs will hire me?

Could it possibly be your attitude or the fact that yoh still insist on working as a tech even though you have a RN license?

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Could it possibly be your attitude or the fact that yoh still insist on working as a tech even though you have a RN license?

Actually, I do not "insist" on working as a tech. I would much rather prefer not to. The reason why I am working as one is because I am wanting to land a job as an RN at this employer and had figured that being an internal candidate would give me an advantage. However, this does not seem to be the case. It also seems like there would be a good chance of never working for this employer again if I were to leave. It's very frustrating, because internal candidates generally have a better chance than external. I keep my tech job in the hopes that I will (soon) land a nursing job I do want and not have to settle for ones that I don't.

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I have gotten at least 10 rejections from the employer I am trying to gain a nursing job at! There's a very real possibility I will never work in one of their ICUs!!! Therefore, congratulations to those who are able to do so because it certainly does not seem to be in my future!!!!

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