Tomorrow "The Big Day"

London88 · Aug 18, 2003

alansmith52,

There is no need to defend your perspective because you are entitled to your opinion, and you did not make any negative statements about ICU nurses. One of the factors which influenced my decision to go to anes. school is that I work in a unit with unrestricted visitation, and the stress of dealing with families for a whole shift is more stressful than taking care of my patient who is hooked up to every piece of technology available. I enjoy the clinical, and technical aspects of ICU/CCU nursing, hence my decision to go to anes. school where I can focus a lot more clinically without the continuous stress of the families. I have no problem working under clinical stress, but can do without the additional distractions.

ticu · Aug 18, 2003

gotosleep,

I was simply commenting on ability of anesthesiologist to contribute to recovery of the patient after completion of OR procedure but while the patient is still in hands of the anesthesiologist. This opportunity is, in my opinion, often wasted, although there are of course anesthesiologists who care about recovery process and continuity between OR and ICU and are able to deliver patients in better, stable condition because of that.

I was not making statements about performance of anesthesiologist doing his/her "thing" during surgery or making general comments about profession, etc. Seems to me that anesthetist who would be also an expert in ICU recovery process (hardly somebody with 1-3 year experience), would be better serving their patients, that's all...

versatile_kat · Aug 18, 2003

On a calmer note ... congratualtions on school Matt. I'm envious!!! Hopefully I'll be joining you soon as another SRNA.

sweetdreams · Aug 18, 2003

Matt,

Good Luck to you. I start school on Wednesday. I too feel like I'm at the threshold of a long awaited dream. Am anxious to start but apprehensive at the same time. Sort-of like being at the top of an expert ski slope, adrenalin flowing, hoping you have the skill and talent to survive the run.

I also echo your sentiments. "for a constant motivation I have decided that if there is ever a day I am sick of studying. I will go straight to the local ICU and remind myself of the alternative."

Although I always enjoyed the crappy gifts during nurses week, that and the cheap pseudo-hangover I got while driving home after four or five consecutive night shifts.

Dave:smokin:

sandman · Aug 18, 2003

Sweetdreams

You will be in class with 4 of my former co-workers from Via Christi. Make sure and give them all a hard time for me!

sweetdreams · Aug 18, 2003

Sandman,

I'll do my best......lets see...... OK. (1) note to self: bring remote control fart machine to class.

sweetdreams · Aug 18, 2003

Sorry about the immaturity of my previous post... just another prime example of

" why just a year of ICU experience is NOT enough for many people who apply for CRNA school..."

sandman · Aug 18, 2003

if you have the same chem instructor as last year, he'll be encouraging that kind of behavior!!! He's one wacky dude (I mean that in a good way)

meandragonbrett · Aug 18, 2003

Matt,

Good luck man! Stick with it and keep us posted on how you are doing and how school is going!! Congradulations!!!!

Brett

Athlein · Aug 19, 2003

Alansmith52,

Your posts were funny - and true! Those who are most critical of RNs leaving the bedside are often the same ones who feel trapped in that same job description.

I have been a nurse for a decade, and the changes I have experienced in that relatively short period of time are staggering. Pay is higher, but morale is much lower. Patients are sicker, but staffing is shorter. There is so much emphasis on following policy and procedure that critical thinking has been thrown out the window.

Here's a great example: a seasoned nurse insisted on changing an artline tubing down to the hub of the catheter("It has been three days, you know! That is our policy") on a multiply-infected IVDU with a devastating head injury. Sure enough, as soon as she got started, the patient lurched out of bed, spraying blood everywhere, screaming his head off. Now what do you think that ICP was during this fiasco? Other families in the unit are totally freaked out (that unrestricted visitation, you know), the patient and nurse are a bloody mess, and the neurosurgeon has to be called (so much for lightening his sedation to check neuro status). But hey, that artline tubing sure looked new.

I am eager to start in a specialty of nursing that demands critical thinking skills and innovative approaches to patient issues. And yes, it is most assuredly nursing practice.

I take great care of my patients, and I readily acknowledge that there are some real rewards to critical care nursing. But there are not enough LornaDoones in the kitchens of the entire US healthcare system to keep me at the bedside in an ICU any longer!

School starts in a few days...woo-hoo!

dontae · Aug 21, 2003

Congrats to all of you. I totally understand using the ICU as a motivation and reminder of why you're doing what you're doing. Let's face it, people do things for their own personal reasons and it is nobody's place to judge them for it. On a lighter note, what's a lorna doone? Again, congrats. I'm so envious. I'll be there soon though.

Dontae

athomas91 · Aug 22, 2003

ripping our own -- our professionalism apart - for what - to argue who is more suited to care for a critical patient

all the "experience" in the world can never top "experience + further education"

NA is the pinnacle of nursing - congrats to you on your graduation

and shame to those who want to argue about not liking ICU

i worked CVICU and ER - personally CVICU bores me for the most part....... but you see - i have the right to that opinion.....

and as far as recovering patients ---- anesthesia just like all others has its "less than perfect" workers - i have worked w/ ICU nurses who didn't know atropine from lido......