ICU Nurses with OCD!!!

Specialties MICU

Published

Do all ICU nurses have OCD or something??! Cuz it sure seems like it! The people i work with in the SICU are so anal retentive and obsessive compulsive, i hate it. They are not friendly at all, they are a good example of nurses eating their young thing. As a new nurse i am finding it hard to live up to their expectations. Can anybody give me any type of advice/comments/anything about this pleaaasee???

LOL:lol2:

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Specializes in ER/Geriatrics.

I don't work ICU but just about every other area of nursing...I too keep my patients neat and tidy as well as their bedside....I keep them well medicated with lots of time for rest....I have nurses who say...man do you ever stop? If I am ever sick I want you to be my nurse....it rubs some people the wrong way...mostly because I make them look bad.

Liz

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Just remember that one day they too sat where you do now try not to let them get to you. You will make it and when it gets hard be one with the duck and let it roll off you back. Furthermore it is something I believe many of them have I would be interested to know if any papers have been written on the topic.

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To work in an ICU, with really sick people, you have to be a stickler. If they were a bunch of easygoing nonchalant nurses, many of their patients would die. They're like that because they don't have the time for BS.

They aren't friendly because they are busy. Work is not a place for socialization, and I don't think it should be expected. Just take care of your patients and don't worry about anyone else.

I, for one, appreciate nurses that are "OCD and anal retentive" because their patients get good care, and it's nice to follow them because everything is done. And this is coming from the most laid-back, friendly ED nurse in the world.

It is so nice to be understood. Thank you.

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i see what u are saying. i know work isnt really a place for socialization, but I'm trying to see the humanity in the ICU. Like helping out another nurse with their pt if they need it. Also whatever happened to the "holistic" care?? I dont see any signs of "caring". The nurses are so rough with the pts. I dont think its healthy for us as caregivers to be like this all the time. It's definitly a source of unhappiness and job unsatisfaction. Granted that maybe if i was a more seasoned, experienced nurse, i wouldnt have a such a problem with this. But since im totally fresh, a little kindness could go a long way from my fellow co-workers.

The nurses are rough on the patients because most of the patients are fighting for their lives..this is no time to be passive, if they are going to get better we have to work harder and the patient has to work even harder. You can not just let them lay there and be passive...sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind, other wise you do them no favor. You can use a holistic approach just not all at the same time..while they are critically and acutely ill you can address the spiritual needs and poss DNR or funeral arrangements, as they get better you can plan for needs such as rehab facilities etc. Don't wear your heart on your sleeve or it will get knocked off and broken, that happens enough with it in your chest. ICU is not for the tender hearted, you need to get a tough skin or leave it , you survive ICU you don't just work it.

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Specializes in ICU/CVICU.

Nurses in any critical care environment do not have room for error in my eyes. this being the case, one must do what ever it takes to take good care of their PT's. really, you should be concerned with YOUR pt care and not how the other nurses make you feel. Why are you a nurse, to be treated well, and have good buddies, or to help sick folks. It is nice to have a person or two that you can share how you feel about stuff.

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Specializes in ICU, Cardiac Cath/EPS Labs.

Wow!! You put it nicely...I'm excited to be starting my ICU Training next month!

Well, I'm a "new" RN in the ICU. Been off orientation for 30 days and yes, I am hypervigilent. The first thing I do is my initial assessment of the patient, then of the room. I cannot stand clutter in the patient's room. Full trash cans, excess or used supplies and items found in the patient's bedsheets send me over the edge. These patient's are sick, I need to be able to find the supplies I need without digging for them. You cannot have numerous chairs surrounding the patient's bed, what happens if the patient codes? Do you want to have to move everything out of the way during a code? If a patient goes bad I also do not need to search through unmarked, discontinued IV bags on a pole to find the correct line to use. Accurate I&O's are very important to many of our patients. I have floated to medical floors where RN's don't clear pumps at the end of their shift, monitor subtle changes in their patients and so on. During orientation I was given the most difficult patients, with the thought that I will then be able to handle anything when it comes around. It has been a great experience and I love it. It is a different mind set and not every one is made for the ICU. Find your bliss.
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:monkeydance:

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Specializes in Trauma acute surgery, surgical ICU, PACU.

Oooh, I felt this keenly today.

Neuro pt (closed head injury), slow to wake up but wriggles in the bed. You boost him up, get him looking nice, and five minutes later he is wriggling down. Restrained to keep him from pulling foley (again). Trach, PEG, waiting a bed in neuro ward.

He weighs 100 kg (220lbs). People have been heaving him, turning, him, etc, just so he looks straight in the bed. We have mechanical lifts, but they are not suitable for someone with lots of poo, or who wriggles THIS much. And people have been going home with sore backs.

I refused to play the ICU game, and let him be a not-so-pretty patient wriggling down the bed. He was clean, he was turned, cared for. But he didn't LOOK pretty.

Some days, I get what all the fuss is about. Some days, I don't.

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Specializes in ICU,CCU, MICU, SICU, CVICU, CTSICU,ER.

I have been an ICU nurse for a while now and have precepted experienced ICU and new grads as well. Let me first say I feel its very unfortunate your co-workers, and especially your preceptor, belittle you and make you feel unwelcome.

ICU nurses are mostly type A personality people. We are anal-retentive because we need to be hypervigilant in caring for our very ill patients. The "little things" that are focused on, such as an untidy room, reflects in a persons care given to the patient, in my opinion. A basin full of misc. supplies on a window ledge is disorganized and unsightly. Patients and families see clutter and may interpret that into substandard care or lack of caring. As a new grad you are still (and will be for many months yet) focused on tasks to be perfomed on the patient. There is little forward thinking so far, and that is a natural progression in becoming a professiopnal nurse. Your co-workers have no doubt moved beyond the novice stage in many areas and as a result may have forgotten what it felt like to be raw. That's their problem and that's too bad for them! But keep this in mind: Every RN in the world is a novice at something. The novice to expert transition is a continuum, not a final destination. Maybe one day you're co-workers will realize that all 'newbies' need nurturing. Keep your chin up!

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I refused to play the ICU game, and let him be a not-so-pretty patient wriggling down the bed. He was clean, he was turned, cared for. But he didn't LOOK pretty.

Some days, I get what all the fuss is about. Some days, I don't.

Good for you! I spent a year working in an ICU, and sometimes it seemed the nurses were more interested that the patient looked pretty than the patient get some rest. For many patients, we could be boosting them every 10 minutes. (OK, I know I'm going to get flack for this).

One time a nurse spent 5 hours messing with the patient, culminating in her deciding (at 4 AM) that the patient (who weighed about 300 lbs) needed a larger bed. The poor patient got no sleep that night as we wrestled him to a different bed.

I decided I wasn't OCD enough. A wrinkled sheet did not put me over the edge. I now work in a nice pleasant med-surg unit where people actually talk to each other, and still the patients get excellent care.

Oldiebutgoodie

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Here's a good one I observed on my unit today regarding OCD behavior. I had to give report to a nurse who is particularly unpleasant ALL the time; I have had patients complain about her, and have been told by other nurses that she has been written up numerous times.....she is still here, so evidently all the writing up in the world won't get rid of this gal (henceforth referred to as G.)

After I gave report, I was waiting for my night shift cohorts to finish so we could leave to go to a meeting together, and I happened to notice that G.

had obtained a couple of our antiseptic wipes, and was wiping down the telephone in a very detailed fashion. I thought to myself, "Probably not a bad idea." She then began to wipe down the counter space where she would be camping out during her shift....again, a good idea.

She then, after finishing with the counter, started cleaning the telephone

AGAIN!!! Uh, hmm.......didn't you just do this, G.? My word, is this actual OCD behavior I am observing, characterized by the ritualism and repetitive task stuff? We cannot assess our patient until we have cleaned the telephone multiple times?

Amusing......

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