ICU Nursing

[CardiacDork, MSN, RN]

I do not know what has changed in recent months. I have always had a love-hate relationship with my job. I’ve always had a little bit of anxiety going in to work, expending the unexpected.

Recently though this has taken a turn for the worse. My sleep is in ruins. I keep waking up, I only sleep 4-5 hours of interrupted sleep.

My eating habits have worsened. I rely heavily on food for comfort, and it’s taking a toll on my physical health, further deteriorating my emotional state.

I am constantly anxious and on-guard at work. Either I’ve come to realize how truly easy it is to commit a mistake, or I’ve become obsessed with making sure I do everything as perfect as possible.

I cannot stand my manager. I cannot fathom him. He is all about the numbers, and picks favorites. Our unit is always the one that is floating and staffing for other units, other units have it easy. Other units don’t struggle the way we do to take time off. Our manager doesn’t approve time off until a few days or a week before the new schedule comes out, and he almost always tries to find a way to cancel your time off.

Then we get stuck covering other units and their time off because we are all staffed to work the unit.

We are self scheduled but I’m so over the schedule not coming out until the weekend before the schedule rolls out! That’s ridiculous. I am also constantly moved around and my work days changed.

I have so much resentment, anger, and an anxiety.

I keep fantasizing about quitting but then I hear how much more bad other hospitals have it with tippled ICU assignments and it scares me because the max right now we get in the ICU is 2:1 for all ICU assignments unless they are an impella.

I am just so tired of the culture of bullies and back talk. Some nurses on days thinking they know everything and yet they are the ones that make the most mistakes. They are the bosses pet and I’m so sick of it. I’m also sick of covering for other units and being the b**** ICU of the hospital.

I don’t know what to do. I’m so sad. I’m so angry. I’m so anxious. I need OUT!!! But I am also scared.

I will be vested very soon, meaning their retirement contribution I will get to keep.

I should have my BSN in August 2020.

Right now I’m an RN, CCRN with five years experience.

[guest769224]

Maybe consider transferring to a less stressful unit, away from critical care.

[Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN]

I’m also feeling very much the same way, looking to leave critical care nursing.

[CardiacDork, MSN, RN]

1 hour ago, Okami_CCRN said:

I’m also feeling very much the same way, looking to leave critical care nursing.

I want to leave bedside. I need a break.

[L-ICURN, BSN, RN]

9 hours ago, CardiacDork said:

I want to leave bedside. I need a break.

I had a counselor tell me once that you sound like you already know the answer to what's bothering you the most.

If it's only a short time (a few months), then stay long enough to get vested. Then start pursuing other areas of nursing. It sounds like your manager is tough to work with, and unless higher-ups say something or he has a mass exodus of nurses from his unit, he's not likely to change any time soon.

[CardiacDork, MSN, RN]

20 hours ago, L-ICURN said:

I had a counselor tell me once that you sound like you already know the answer to what's bothering you the most.

If it's only a short time (a few months), then stay long enough to get vested. Then start pursuing other areas of nursing. It sounds like your manager is tough to work with, and unless higher-ups say something or he has a mass exodus of nurses from his unit, he's not likely to change any time soon.

It’s actually like a few days. ?

I’ve been thinking about case management but I need my BSN but I won’t have that until the end of Summer 2020.

End of Summer 2020 I’ll have over six years of experience, BSN, RN, CCRN.

I’m sure the possibilities are endless.

I’ll be in graduate school in Fall 2020.

There has got to be something beyond this ICU. I know this is not the be all and end all of nursing.

[LovingLife123]

My hospital only does a 2:1 ratio in ICU, so it’s not everywhere that triples. I know some local hospitals do triple, I can’t fathom why though, it’s so unsafe and I’m sure has high turnover.

I would be livid over the schedule and cancelling PTO time. That would be immediate grounds for me to quit. It’s completely unprofessional and disrespectful to the employees. How do you plan a vacation? How do you make any plans in advance?

Do you work out at all? Even just a little bit of cardio? I mentally feel so much better when I get my heart rate up and those endorphins released.

[Green Tea, RN]

5 hours ago, CardiacDork said:

I’m sure the possibilities are endless.

Examples? I'm just curious.

[L-ICURN, BSN, RN]

5 hours ago, CardiacDork said:

I’m sure the possibilities are endless.

I’ll be in graduate school in Fall 2020.

There has got to be something beyond this ICU. I know this is not the be all and end all of nursing.

I hope so, because lately I've been thinking there's got to be more to this?

[myoglobin, ASN, BSN, MSN]

Okay first my standard mantra. This is another reason why every facility needs unions. One of the things that unions require is that managers approve vacations by a certain time, and if they are denied specific criteria must be met. Also, why do so many ICU's involve working with "miserable people" relative to other units (in my experience anyway)? I've always thought it was the "type A" self selection bias effect. That is to say people more drawn to detail, and perfection (who often tend to be OCD types that I think about constantly murdering) are also drawn to ICU. Of course there are exceptions, but it has been a trend in my seven years in ICU verses several in PCU and medical surgical.

[ms boogie, BSN, MSN]

Hi cardiacdork. I have 2 words for you. Outpatient dialysis. I practiced in critical care for years and I found the perfect nursing job in outpatient dialysis. It is cake and the best kept secret in the nursing world. The pay is amazing (can you say very well sought out specialty) and we are closed on Sundays, nights and major holidays. The best kept secret in the nursing world. And, I have masters degree. My only regret is I wish I found it sooner.

[babychickens]

I Like what a previous poster said. Unions are the answer. I don't know where you're located but if your hospital is union, start there. If not, stick it out and try to move to one that is. Please don't let one disaster of a manager ruin your outlook on nursing. In the meantime, do you have a safe nurse you can vent to? Yeah, cardio's great and all but whining is so much less work. ?