Medical or Surgical nurse transfering to MICU,,, what was your experiece?

detroitdano · Feb 1, 2010

I was a nurse extern (also called tech/student nurse associate/whatever your hospital feels like) on a medical surgical floor for 2 years. It's not the same as an RN, sure, but we shared plenty of the same tasks and I was expected to know what and why my patients were on certain medications.

Having been out of that area for 9 months now, I wouldn't say I've lost much. You still remember all your basics, and your assessment techniques are far more advanced in the ICU but they include all of what you were looking at in a medical surgical setting.

I went to a medical ICU so I see a lot of the same style of patient, and end up transfering/receiving a lot of patients to/from my old unit for that reason. Makes it fun to call and get or receive report as I know all the nurses down there.

Without that experience there's no way I'd be the nurse I am today. It did nothing but good for me, but I would never return to that setting. Too much of the same dx's over and over, sometimes they'd have 8:1 patient ratios, far too many docs to keep track of (interns, residents, attendings, consults, etc.), and you just plain don't have time to sit down and figure what YOU could be doing for your patients. When you're so slammed that you're basically a pill pusher and nothing more, that's unsafe to me. I've seen so many med errors on a GPU because nurses simply don't have time to sit down and reverify 8 5-6 page MAR's between 1900 at shift start and 2100 when your first pills are coming due. You have to put a lot more trust in whoever verified them earlier and sometimes that means taking a big risk.

geekgolightly, BSN, RN · Feb 14, 2010

I worked for 6 years on various floors, and I think that while some experience is good, 6 years is overkill.

How was the transition?

It was hard. I was used to knowing the answers and being the go-to girl. I have been in ICU nearing two years now, and I am still constantly asking questions. I am used to it now, but it took a good nine months of being in ICU for my ego to adjust to being the newbie.

was it easier because of some nursing experience?

I think it was easier in some ways. I knew how to care for a patient and I have excellent assessment skills. In other ways it was harder. I was used to being out of school, so I wasn;t in the "study or perish" mode. You need to be in "study or perish" mode to make it in ICU.

have you learn more?

Holy crap! Have I ever!

Do you regret it?

No! I love love love it in the ICU.

Would you go back to medical/surgical?

Not if I can help it. I always knew I would love ICU, I was just scared to make the jump. I love thinking critically and I love fighting against death. Saving patients from otherwise certain death has been richly rewarding.

Aside from that, I see MedSurg as a suckers game. All of those patients demanding hot tea and families ****** because you aren't serving them fast enough, things missed because you don't have the time to do the job you should be doing. No way would I ever go back. In the ICU you are given the opportunity to give excellent care to two patients. When I am tripled up, I am reminded of why I will never go back to the floor.