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???

Two separate issues:

1) Obsessive cleanliness.

Here is a TYPICAL patient in my ICU. A-line, ventric (sometimes two), Swann-Ganz through a cordis, intubated. Maybe with a second arterial line in the femoral artery for his catheterization. Getting NSS with 20mEq K maintenance fluids, boluses to keep his PAWP up, usually a pressor. Propofol. Maybe an insulin gtt. Foley, of course. NG tube, tube feeds. Don't forget the cardiac leads, the pulse ox, and all the wires connecting to the pressure transducers.

Now, if his neuro status changes, I have to pack ALL of that up, and take him down for a head CT, stat. (Or even better, when the docs do rounds at 6:00 in the morning, the senior resident will order one then.) Then I have to come back up, and untangle all the lines that the ICU gnomes snuck in and knitted together in the ten minutes down in CT. Is it any wonder I'm compulsive about neatness. (Not to mention that my old preceptor would drive in on his day off just to kick my a$$ if I left a messy room.) Believe me, I'm as lazy as the next guy (as long as the next guy is extremely lazy.) Being compulsively neat just saves effort in the not-so-long term.

2) Nit-picking the other shift. It's a good thing. And not to be mean - just the opposite. When I first oriented in a stepdown unit, all I got to my face was "you're doing fine." I was FOUR MONTHS off orientation (that involved a different preceptor every day some weeks, we had so many GN's at one time) before I found out that people had concerns with what I was doing. They never told ME. They told each other, and they told the CNS. It wasn't until I sought out the CNS for feedback that I was told any of this. Hello? If you had told me something was wrong, I would have FIXED it! But when you told me I was doing fine, I guess I (surprise!) thought I was doing fine.

The ICU I'm in now is famous in the hospital for being hard on orientees. But I was MUCH happier being ripped as an orientee, fixing it, and knowing I was ready when I came off orientation, than I was when everybody was lyingly polite to my face. I had some problems on orientation (who doesn't). My preceptor was straight-up with me about it. I worked on that area, and fixed it. I only make the same mistake twice if nobody tells me it was a mistake the first time.

If you want people always to be nice to you, go somewhere that making a mistake isn't going to get somebody killed.

Specializes in Cardiac.
ICU nurses can be nice. I am an ICU nurse, but I believe its hard and not a place for new grads.. Please not misunderstand.. I was a new nurse once too. The ICU is a dangerous place and its true we dont have time to teach a new nurse..

Huh....my hospital had time to train a new nurse. It's called a preceptor! The whole thing is called a preceptor program! Would you believe that these things exist? I was offered 6 months of orientation, but I pulled myself off 2 months early. I'm doing just fine, and so are all the other new grads that I graduated with (and they are at other hospitals).

Back to the topic, I've always been OCD myself! When I have to do a precedure with conscious sedation, or swan insertion, I don't want to have a big ol mess in the room. I need at leats a 2x2 area to chart! Plus, we have housekeepers that come around regularly and I don't want to be messy and have them clean up and then look at me like I'm lazy! It's just better prepared have a clean room when the poop hits the fan.

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.

:monkeydance: Please, I work as a ICU nurse, and we don't need these anal retentive, psychotic nurses. They are the ones who don't leave the patients alone so that they can get much needed rest if that is at all possible. To be honest, they bother patients. Having someone on propofol who is wide awake, because they are afraid that they won't be able to assess them neurologically. Constantly petting, talking to, changing linens for no apparent reason. Come on, give me a break.

Leave the cleaning to the housekeeper, and the stocking to the stockers. You should be taking care of your patient, not doing every one elses job.

Specializes in ER, Peds, Charge RN.
:monkeydance: Please, I work as a ICU nurse, and we don't need these anal retentive, psychotic nurses. They are the ones who don't leave the patients alone so that they can get much needed rest if that is at all possible. To be honest, they bother patients. Having someone on propofol who is wide awake, because they are afraid that they won't be able to assess them neurologically. Constantly petting, talking to, changing linens for no apparent reason. Come on, give me a break.

I can't figure out what in the world you're talking about. I have yet to meet a nurse, any nurse, especially a Critical Care nurse, who changes linens for the fun of it... and if someone isn't properly sedating their patient, they need education. It has nothing to do with being orderly or proactive.

You seem to be a generally unhappy person judging by your previous posts, so I'm not so sure I should have even addressed this.

Specializes in US Army.

If you want to see OCD in full effect, come by the operating room... OCD rules this area. We are considering installing a Lexapro salt lick at the front desk... or maybe some aerial spraying of Paxil.

Specializes in Med-Surg Nursing.
Leave the cleaning to the housekeeper, and the stocking to the stockers. You should be taking care of your patient, not doing every one elses job.

When you workNights in a small community hospital's 6 bed ICU like I do, I AM the housekeeper and the stocker! And on Night shift, I am the Respiratory Therapist as well.

I need to respond because I think it is NOT ok, to treat someone badly and use the excuse that you work in a stressful environment. Doesn't that make it a bit more stressful!!

Nurses sabotoge themselves constantly, and It is my biggest complaint about our profession.

We serve no one, not ourselves and certaintly NOT our patients when we have this belief.

I see this all the time in the ICU, and will never fully understand it. Being rude to another nurse for WHATEVER reason is NEVER justified because you are "right" or have more expereince...even if you are an ICU nurse.:nono:

Specializes in Adult Critical care.

I have been working in SICU/trauma unit for so many years and yes, icu nurses can be anal about leaving their pts room clean and everything else in order. But, thats what you need in an acute setting such as icu-be organized and in order. Its not a place to take for granted, and be easy on things.

I'm sorry if you feel like you are being berated by your supposedly "mentors". . .don't take it personally. Take it as a critique of your performance. . . .be challenged by their critique. You maybe saying their attitude is not conducive for learning(for a new icu nurse like you). ..or you are afraid to approach them for questions. Dont stop asking questions, thats how you will learn. Take a big step in caring for the most acute pt, thats how you learn. Go in when there is procedure to learn(even its not your pt). Ask for help( instead of waiting for help) and offer your help. I think you will get their respect when they see that you are willing to learn. Some new nurses act "all knowing"-and thats not what seasoned nurses wants to see. Humility in what we do helps us learn and helps us to care. I love ICU, particularly SICU, CVICU, Trauma unit. . .I precepted, and mentored,. . .and i'm still learning everyday. I hope you will also find that critical care passion. Don't let icu nurses with attitude stop you.

When you workNights in a small community hospital's 6 bed ICU like I do, I AM the housekeeper and the stocker! And on Night shift, I am the Respiratory Therapist as well.

LOL I know that feeling. Some of the best years in nursing I spent working in a 6 bed community hospital ICU. In that situation...you do it all (more so at night!) It has been my experience that you have to have a bit of OCD in the ICU setting, otherwise equipment etc. would never be where you need it when you need it.

The original poster-sounds like you may need a different preceptor. Is there any way to change? Maybe a different ICU. Sounds like if your hospital has a separate SICU, must be large enough to have other ICUs. Maybe CCU or MICU may be a better fit. Different depts. have different personalities. Just a suggestion.

When I was on orientation, one of my well seasoned-on the way to retirement- preceptors told me this:

"Listen to them, and do what the hell you want to do"!

Boy does it work...as long as it falls within your scope.

You don't have to be or behave evil spirited to get good results. But you do to get high blood pressure, like the rest of them.:monkeydance:

Specializes in ICU/ER/TRANSPORT.

I think it's sort of silly making open statements like that. Please all icu nurses have ocd.... give me a break...You might as well say having Geico.com make me less of a caveman.

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