ICU nurses attitude toward med-surg nurses

Nurses Relations

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In the facility where I work, ICU nurses have this ability to make non-ICU trained nurses feel small whenever we transfer a patient to their unit. I was transferring a patient one day, and the ICU charge nurse brushed me off as I was giving report. I cannot understand why ICU nurses need to have the "i know it all and im the best nurse' attitude. Is there a need for them to feel they are smarter than the rest of us? I just dont get it. nursing is not about competition. but ICU nurses make other nurses feel that way. and its sad! what can we, med-surg nurses, do to help change this culture? I wish ICU nurses take to heart the poem "Desiderata".

Specializes in CTICU.
ICU nurses have this ability to make non-ICU trained nurses feel small whenever we transfer a patient to their unit.

Just remember that noone has the ability to MAKE YOU feel anything. How they act is up to them. How you react it totally up to you. If they are being short, ask what their problem is - do they want a briefer report? etc.

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Specializes in ICU, CV, Occ Health.

Can you post it?

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

You are the only one with the ability to make yourself feel the way you feel. No one esle has that ability. As an ICU nurse, I would appreciate if non-ICU nurses would not generalize all ICU nurses as know-it-alls or uppity, I'm neither. I recognize that there are strong nurses everywhere in every area of nursing.

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Specializes in ER, education, mgmt.

I have to say that I have seen this...they eye rolling while giving report, the hostile questioning "why did you do THAT?". When I worked the floor, the behavior was much more apparent than as an ER nurse. Fortunately, over the years, our hospital has developed a "customer oriented" culture and this has improved tremendously. Just be patient- hopefully the nurses that engage in this behavior will grow up a little and if not it is their problem.

On the other hand, sometimes we can use these moments to teach our colleagues. As an example, last year when giving report to the unit on an 83 y/o woman with a bleeding pelvic fx the nurse continued to question me why she needed ICU. "Why is she coming here? All she has is IVfluids and her regular po meds?" At first I was put out from her haughty attitude with her whole year of nursing experience- but then I explained to her why this condition warranted ICU care. She simply was not aware. The patient died the next morning.

You would never see this behavior with physicians so why should our solidarity and professionalism be any less?? Remember we all have the same goal- to make sure our patients receive excellent care.

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I float to all floors in the hosptal ICU, Med Surg, and some whacky post ER holding depo. You all speak truth.......It is about mutual respect. I have seen a ICU nurse brow beat a med surg nurse expecting him to have ICU information. I've also experienced a very scared, uncertain medsurg nurse who was giving me a little to much information. Play nice people. Be kind even when you don't feel like it.

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Specializes in CMSRN.

I agree you do not see this behavior with physicians but you will see a similiar behavior. (I did the other day, it was weird, and these were older well established surgeons, not the point here :D)

I have experienced this issue between MS and Unit but only once. But it is common where I am.

One thing that made it improve some time ago was when a new grad started working MS. This was her second career and her husband was an ICU nurse for 20+ years. He hated medsurg. She did too but what he complained about was the nurses. She ended up reeducating him as to why things were the way they were and it was not the nurses to complain about. And she helped let us know what goes on in his unit. What made it work was this couple was logical and intelligent so they could easily see each others side with the info given. They eagerly explained both sides of the issue without being caddy. It worked. At least somewhat.

The biggest thing here is communication. Sometimes you need to hear the otherside. Does not excuse rudeness but it helps to understand it.

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I totally agree with Meandragonbrett. I have never worked at a hospital that required ICU nurses to float to med-surg. To be honest with you, I would flat out refuse as well. I only take care of patients if they are on a cardiac monitor. That is part of my comfort level. I will go to tele, step-down, ER, PACU, but not med-surg. As Meandragonbrett said, it is impossible to turn off the critical care nurse mindset. You can't go from micromanaging the lives of two critically ill patients to taking care of 7-8 med-surg patients. I think that any hospital that would expect a critical care nurse to do that is ridiculous.

FWIW, I totally respect med-surg nurses. There is no way I could juggle that many patients. Med-surg nurses work hard and have a lot of knowledge about tons of patient conditions/diseases. Give me my two crashing patients and I am happy.

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Wow. I am not even sure how to respond to that, and most of what I could say is merely assumptions about your hospital and would be unfair generalizations. So I will refrain from trying to fully negotiate this post.

I guess an easy way to boil it all down is this...In a lot of hospitals non-ICU nurses don't get floated to the unit...so why should the ICU nurses get floated out of the unit?

On the rare occasion we get a non-ICU nurse to come.....we don't expect them to take a patient assignment. That would be unsafe. Why are we then expected to take a full load on the medsurg floor...regardless of how "easy" it might be of an assignment. I have no problems going and helping turn, clean up, meds, labs, vitals, accuchecks, etc.....just as we ask of people that get floated to help us out.

That's just my perspective.

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I can't answer this question as it pertains to your particular situation, as I'm beginning school this fall as a pre-nursing student. But what I can share with you, is that my experience has been, no matter what field you work in, there will always be someone there to make you feel small. I'm an absolute quilt addict and involved with a number of quilt guilds, and there are many women there who make me feel unworthy and unwelcome. I'm second in charge of my daughter's PTO, and again, there are those there who give me a difficult time. Every job, every organization, every school I have ever been in, there has always been someone.

In my opinion, there is one clear and simple solution to getting past the insecurity that I feel when others look down upon me - study up and be so confident in myself and my own knowledge, that no one's opinions can shake me. That is not to say act arrogantly...but if you are completely sure and confident of your part of your job, and whatever it is you need to know about theirs, it won't matter what kind of attitude those ICU nurses give you.

Know that no one can allow you to feel small without your permission - if you have done what you are supposed to do, to the best of your ability, then the problem is not yours to be troubled over.

Good luck to you!

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YES, there are a few ICU nurses that demean MS nurses. I have a few co worker in ICU who are narcissistic. Their Illusion of grandeur pass well beyond MS nurses to new MDs. Their number of experience and "knowledge" of the field makes them think they "know it all". NOT even that, Just the label of them being "critical care" nurse makes them feel they're much prestigous. I am an ICU nurse and to hear this nurses in the unit talk about how much of a "dingdong" this nurse or doc makes me sick to my stomach! ICU plan of care outcomes are so much different from MS. In the ICU, vital sign stable may mean that MAP =/> 60mmhg and in the MS that may mean SBP>90. Each unit approach crisis in different mode. If you're a nurse regardless of area of occupation you must have that critical thinking capabilities. Some develop those skills naturally and for some it takes time. Its because you have that experience and skills, that doesn't make you superior to the rest. You can make that talent a tool to help others grasp and understand and NOT feel inferior to you.

I started my nursing in MS/ortho then to PCU and finally to ICU. I gain tremendous knowledge in each unit from the nurses that I worked. I look at those nurses as my colleage and confidant and NOT a counterpart because we all have the same GOAL at the end of our shift.

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Those ICU nurses that think they're "it", usually have a personality and EGO problem. I personally think they're nothing but bullies. They're so insecure about themselves that they pursue evry oppurtunity to step on something/someones shoe just to get well high and above. We're all nurses why can't we just be supportive of each other. :crying2:

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I guess I have been lucky. 99% of the ICU nurses I have met were great. Great people, great nurses, great friends and I felt lucky to know them. I have run into about 5 that resemble the people you describe. However, when it came down to it they seemed to be the same 5 that had terrible personal problems, they couldn't get along with parents, spouses, lovers or children. So I chalked it up to them and their problems.

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