I Dont Knoow?!?

Okiecruffler · Feb 23, 2004

No doubt I'm about to raise some hackles here, but I've worked NICU and PICU. NICU you get more or less the same pt day after day, the neonate with resp difficulty. Alot of sit around time as they usually don't handle stimulation well. PICU we see it all, bad hearts, lungs, GI, never any down time.

nurseiam · Mar 11, 2004

I would have to agree, mostly. In the NICU you see head, heart, lung, and or gut in one form or another. The PICU seems to have a bigger variety! I'm just waiting to do the switcharoo! I have been in the NICU for 5 years, I still learn everyday but I am worried about the abuse cases......

Okiecruffler · Mar 11, 2004

I love my post op heart kids, they keep you jumping all night, and I have a special place for the hemoc kids, but I'm a trauma dog at heart. To many years watching ER I suppose. So I see most if not all of our CMH25 kids. Nothing is as enraging as sitting at a kids bedside who has multiple skull fractures and hemorrhaged retinas listening to yet another version of the "2 month old who rolled off the couch" story. But I also think I give the best care to these kids, because I realize that I'm all they've got. The ones that really break my heart are the drownings, most of the time to very nice families who just let down their guard for a few minutes.

purplemania, BSN, RN · Mar 11, 2004

are your relatives nurses? Do they really know the differences between the types of care in these units? I would talk to the nurse manager (s) to get their input then go with my heart. Remember, all jobs are temporary. Some may last years, but none last forever. It is your option.

LesJenRN · Mar 11, 2004

Are you really 15? If so, you might not want to focus so much on this issue. You will have lots of different experiences in nursing school and you never really know what you might end up enjoying the most.....Usually you will need to put in time on a med/surg/peds floor before going into critical care.