First day in ICU!

heimanb · Dec 18, 2003

That's great! I'm glad you had such a positive experience, and hope it gets even better from here. I'm still in school, but plan to work in cardiac ICU after graduating. I've heard that critical care nurses tend to be given a little more respect since they are often required to make lifesaving decisions before the MD can intervene. It's too bad that the countless, equally important decisions made by nurses in less intense circumstances aren't equally appreciated by all. It must be remembered that each and every team member working with a patient has the power to help or hinder the client in their healing process.

Again, best of luck--

Ben

Tweety, BSN, RN · Dec 18, 2003

Good luck!!

We have some trauma docs that will laugh and joke on trauma med-surg. If they have a patient in the cardiac unit they act likes jackasses. I hate when they don't treat all professionals equally.

Repat · Dec 18, 2003

Not only where you work, but what gender you are. I work with two nurses who are men, and they definitely get more respect. Anyone else notice this?

Trauma Columnist · Dec 18, 2003

I'm a female nurse who works in the ER - our docs respect us and are very nice to work with. Certainly everything isn't always wonderful, but overall my experience has been positive and I've worked here for 7 1/2 years.

jackieliz · Dec 18, 2003

Yup--I've definitely noticed a gender thing. I don't think I've ever heard a surgeon yell at one of our male nurses. Frustrating, we all work just as hard!!

butterphlyrn · Dec 18, 2003

I too have noticed a gender difference in my hospital. MY husband is also a nurse and actually we work in the same unit.

The female doctors we work for expected more out of woman nurses because we are suppose to be smarted then men, so they are hard on woman nurses and pretty much let the men off the hook and many issues.

The male MD's treat the woman nurses as sex objects. I have rather large breast. I don't wear things to work that accentuate them but male doctors look at my breast before and during talking to me.

But I do have to say on a whole I do think we get respected more in ICU than we do else where. I use to work on a step down CABG unit and a Step down ICU before going to ICU and I noticed that once I got to ICU doctors that normally won't talk to me on any leval were having personal converstations with me. HMMMMMM!!!!!!!!

Geeg · Dec 18, 2003

Male pts think of us as sex objects too. When I went into my male pts rm and introduced myself he said: "There are certainly some pretty nurses, here." So I said: " Luckily , the nurses here are very smart, also."

Tweety, BSN, RN · Dec 18, 2003

I sometimes think the docs respond to who gives them the most attention. Some females are a bit off putting or even timid around docs and the males approach the docs on a different more friendly more confident level and the docs pick up on this. (Some males have egos that need to be stroked by a doc, not to bash my own sex, but I've seen it.)

I tend to talk to docs only professionally and not to chit chat. I worked with a female that would bat her blue eyes "high Dr. So & So". Docs don't give me the time of day and talk to her like an old friend.

I think ICU nurses need to have the confidence to communicate with the docs to tell about a more sicker patient and thus develop a better rapport.

I don't think docs consciously treat people better, but pick up on "vibes" from the person. Males, females, ICU nurses perhaps give off different vibes. Partly it's learned behavior.

We have a lot of female docs at our hospital, and a lot of female residents. I don't see them letting the males off the hook more than the females, or being more harsh on the female nurses.

Not that docs are sexist or treat females as sex objects. It's just hard to generalize.

Noney · Dec 19, 2003

Looks like I stirred the pot and started a genger discussion! Oh well something to talk about. I'm female. I don't really genger is that big of a deal to most "professions", but there's always a few.

I'm on my way in for day 3.. I think I'm going to like this.

We'll a have a fresh CABG coming in today, so I should get to "play" with a swan today.

Noney

MarkHammerschmidt · Dec 19, 2003

http://www.icufaqs.org - FAQ articles for the new ICU nurse.

Sheri257 · Dec 19, 2003

Originally posted by Geeg
Male pts think of us as sex objects too. When I went into my male pts rm and introduced myself he said: "There are certainly some pretty nurses, here." So I said: " Luckily , the nurses here are very smart, also."

Good one! :roll