ICU burnout?

[infinitynotzero]

Hi there,

I've been working as a new graduate in an ICU for a year now. I'm completely turned off by my job. I got into nursing wanting to become an ER or flight nurse, but jumped when the ICU position was offered to me. Obviously I'm not a pro in the ICU yet, and I'm okay with that- but my frustration is not solely the complexity of the patients. I feel that I understand the pts. needs and patho/drips/machines etc. fairly well and enjoy that the most about my job. I'm having a hard time understanding if I'm turned off by ICU completely or if it is just my facility... we are constantly short staffed, and get tripled frequently. I feel that the care that even the more experienced nurses can provide in these conditions is lacking. Often many of the staff stay two hours late to document, and on a bad day, four hours late. Is this common for all ICU staff? What are your experiences in ICU or with ICU burnout?

[Iliauna]

.'...

[goodbadugly]

California and New York are unionized. They protect their nurses with strict staffing guidelines and have plenty of help, ie: lift teams, doctors in house, pharmicist all night, etc...

They make you take a lunch break of @ least one hour and in New York, they made us take a sleep break of 2 hours. Now the ER is different, That is control chaos to say the least, and that is putting it mildly. Try to give me sixteen pts and i'll tell you were to put them and then put them there. That's crazy you would be trreated like that and put up with it; for the lady that commented below.

Nursing is hard work..angels of God are not suppose to have easy jobs, or everybody would be an Angel...a Diety...

It's a calling, a chrisitan vocation.. Somebody has to do it...

Joseph