How do you deal with ICU superiority complex?

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I have to float to ICU occasionally and I just don't jive with the put - downs even if they are not said to me directly. I know the put downs exist when the shift leader gives me my assignment and then wispers an aside remark, something to the nurse to her left. How do you deal with this superiority culture of we're ICU and anyone who floats here is a second class citizen? I feel it is hard enough to float, but it is one thing to be thinking should I ask so and so's opinion about my giving this med or should I not because I'll look more like an idiot in his/her eyes? Seriously, total mind trips, I just want to be supported that's all, not given the 'snub.'

Specializes in cardiac, post-op surgicals,critical care.

Don't let them get away with that superiority complex if they assign you a tough workload or give you patients with equipment that you aren't familiar with. I, too, have to float to the ICU/CCU occasionally at my facility, but luckily I have made a few friends over there to help me out.

The bad thing about any unit "cliques" is that they gang up on you and want to see you fail. That's a shame that nursing has to be that way, but you know how women can be. I'm glad that more men are coming into the field to put this woman-dominated profession on an even keel.

All I have to say to you is to hang in there and kill them with kindness. If that doesn't pan out, follow your chain of command to make things right.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ER.
i'm an icu nurse, and every time i float to the floors i have to deal with their nasty attitudes. i swear they give me the six worst patients, and they take the easy ones. i have to walk all over their three long hallways -- couldn't even give me six patients near one another so that i can see the call lights of each of my rooms from the same spot! and every time i ask a question, (like "where do you guys keep your iv solutions?") i get the rolled eyes and the smart comebacks like "you don't know that?! in the med room, of course.") we keep ours in the supply pyxis, and theirs are in the med room in a locked cupboard for which i don't have the keys, at knee level where i would never think to look.

i floated to the renal floor one time -- i was told i was going to be a sitter for a confused patient. ok. when i get down there, i'm told "you're the rn, you'll do all the care." ok. i can do that. "and we're going to give you another patient down the hall." i protested -- a sitter is a sitter. they stay with the patient at all times. i can't do that if i'm caring for another patient down the hall. i'll be the sitter or i'll take care of two patients on dialysis, but i can't do both. the charge nurse refused to speak to me for the rest of the shift. i was the sitter, but i was also the patient's rn. no one would watch the patient so i could eat lunch, go to the bathroom or even walk down the hall to the med room to get her meds. and then they complained that *i* had a "superior attitude."

nasty attitudes exist everywhere. it's not just icu nurses or renal nurses or charge nurses. anyone can have one. i swear to the heavens that i'm perfect in every way -- except occaisionally i have a nasty attitude that leaks through no matter how hard i try to hide it. unless you're someone who has been nasty to me repeatedly, it's not personal. i had a hellacious attitude the day my dog died, the day my father told me my mother had alzheimer's and the day i caught my husband cheating on me. try not to take it personally, and learn to deal with nasty attitudes. they're everywhere.

i have to really agree with this.

i do confess to pulling the icu diva routine every once and a while, but it's only if someone from another floor has given me a really really really hard time first. for example, if i've been playing musical patients all shift, and one of my patients completely crashes requiring 1:1 care, and my second pt is well enough to be transferred to tele. if i am giving report to a tele nurse who blows me off for hours (takes report and then only accepts the patient 4 hours later), who then gives me attitude because i didn't give the weekly vitamin k that is due in 30 minutes, then... i admit i will launch into an upset description of how my super sick patient on multiple pressors just had to take priority over the tele patient i was supposed to transfer long before the vit k was due. i sort of understand how that might be seen as an attitude by a super busy tele nurse, but i also see a failure to understand the prioritizing process and the critical thinking piece of... the vit k, if given several hours later, will in no way hurt the patient. i also occasionally pull an attitude with floor nurses who demand everything be completely perfect when you transfer a patient to them, yet when they transfer a patient to you, they don't even know the basic facts of what brought the patient to the icu and haven't given their meds all day "because the patient was crashing", yet they will write up an icu nurse in a second for not giving a med. i also have been completely dumped on when floated to other units. that really varies from one hospital to another, though. the vast majority of the time, i have had wonderful experiences with nurses from other floors both in report and as a float. unfortunately, it's the bad experiences that stick in your mind.

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Specializes in ED, ICU, PSYCH, PP, CEN.

we have a ton of float and agency nurses in our ER. We are always super nice to them because we appreciate their help. This attitude starts with the charge nurse and trickles down the food chain. Not every place is so nice. I once had 3 ICU nurses openly make fun of the way I pronounced esophageal varices as I was transferring a med/surg pt to them. I was crushed, but I am over it now. People that put others down do it because they have low self esteem, or because they never learned how to play nicely with others.

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I have worked in a hospital setting for 25 years (the last 2 as a nurse) at three different hospitals. And I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt there is absolutely a lot of strong personalities in the ICUs and YES they do let you know they are (they think) superior. They tolerate PCU nurse but we still are not included in their "elite" group. And after being a nurse I can also tell you that nurses DO eat their own. I hadn't heard that saying until I started nursing school and thought it was just a silly saying. Since nurses are compasionate caring people they would be nurturing and understanding of the new kids on the block. The saying is true. I'm not saying that evey nurse everywhere is this way. What I am saying is sadly there are way more on the "dark side" than not. As a fairly new nurse I have to say if I had known then what I know now I would NEVER had gone into nursing. I love my patients and I really love taking care of them. But between the nasty attitudes and the patient:nurse ratio I truly regret changing careers to go into nursing. Gold stars to those who float, it's a tough thing to do.

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I handle this same situation by being prepared, confident, and keeping my mouth shut for the first couple of hours (this is definitely the hard part). I've spent 22 years handling trauma as a medic and I've probably seen more codes then most ICU nurses (including on the battlefield).

But I am still a fairly "new" nurse and when I get floated to ICU I need to make a good impression. Moving quickly and starting my pt. care routine, instead of socializing shows the regular staff that I am competent and CONFIDENT. If they know that you are ready to work, know where things are on the unit, and focused on your Pt's. they will usually cut you some slack.

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Specializes in PCU, Home Health.

We had an ICU nurse float to our tele floor the other day- Our unit rep got a thankyou card for all of us to sign. We made sure she knew we were glad to have her help. (I train in the ICU next week- I do not feel qualified to float there yet!)

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Hi there - the ICU level of training and knowledge is usually at a higher level than most nurses therefore we know we are the best!!!!

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Specializes in Cardiology, Oncology, Medsurge.

[banana]

Hi there - the ICU level of training and knowledge is usually at a higher level than most nurses therefore we know we are the best!!!!
[/banana]

Best at convoluted code above your egotistical statement.

The funny deal with this statement is the fact that we all are specialists to our own floors. I know tremendously talented med-surge nurses who are at an even par with anyone in ICU. And oh how the ICU nurses beg the bright nurses that work telemetry to work in their department. No thank you very much, I've got better things to be doing than to be on a stinking EGO trip!

Some people are just plain nasty. I work as a lpn in a va clinic. I think that attitudes are everywhere. We are all here as nurses to care for the Pt. Nurses seem to forget that sometimes.

:yeahthat:

Bottom line, address the needs of the pt; not the need of the boosting of your ego!

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
Hi there - the ICU level of training and knowledge is usually at a higher level than most nurses therefore we know we are the best!!!!

What you're best at is being an ICU nurse. Good on you.

I bet I'm a better med-surg nurse that many ICU nurses. I know many ICU nurses that couldn't do what I do: head-to-toe assessments and manage care for five to seven patients - every single want and need, monitor their vitals and labs, that have the potential to do all sorts of things, including turn bad or be in near-critical guarded condition, or in fact critical condition and rescue them.

Also, I certainly couldn't do what ICU nurses do. But that doesn't mean ICU nurses are the best nurses or better than. It just means they have the training to be the best nurse they are in their field.

I'm no better than a school nurse, or a camp nurse, or a public health nurse, or an LPN in a nursing home. Nor am I less than an ICU nurse, an ER nurse, a CRNA, a flight nurse, or a brain surgeon. We're all skilled professionals of equal value to the patient.

There's room for us all.

I hope you're talking tongue in cheek and actually don't think you're superior. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that your joking. :lol2:

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I think she was joking, that's how I took it.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
I think she was joking, that's how I took it.

Me too, but not everyone did, so I put my two cents in. I'm sure you've figured me out by now, I like to put my two cents in. :lol2:

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Me too, but not everyone did, so I put my two cents in. I'm sure you've figured me out by now, I like to put my two cents in. :lol2:

I notice you like to edit your posts alot. ;) :monkeydance:

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