MICU vs SICU-why the rivalry? Can't we all just get along?

[sassyrn333]

I am a new grad (11 months post hire), primarily assigned to work in a MICU, but I have volunteered to work in a pilot program whereby I train and work in both units. For some reason it is felt that the SICU nurses have stronger skills and my boss (who is over both units but WAS primarily SICU manager) thinks the new people are better off getting some cross training. I guess I'm curious if it is common for MICU nurses to be "weaker" when it comes to skills, critical thinking, handling equipment, etc. My own appraisal of the situation is that the MICU nurses ARE weaker, but I think its more of a unit culture of sub-par work...that and I work in the VA where the nursing union seems to protect a lot of incompetent people. To give a little more background, the unit I work on also went a while (years) without a steady manager, and then a while without any manager at all. And interestingly, it seems that our manager's beliefs have shaped that of her SICU nurses, because many of them are downright nasty to MICU nurses when they come down there. Or even worse, when we come down there to train they don't give us challenging cases, which defeats the purpose of our being there.

*Disclaimer: I am also a union MEMBER so please, fellow union camrades, refrain from chewing my a** for the union statement. I'm merely stating my opinon...take it fwiw, I am still a new grad :nuke:

[dorimar, BSN, RN]

Sepsis, MSOD, ARDS, CRRT, etc. are some of the sickest patients I have ever cared for and they were MICU patients...

[RN1982]

I take care of these type of patients (MSOD, CRRT, ARDS, sepsis) in the SICU all the time. It's no different than MICU except the surgical aspect of it. I take care of MICU patients all the time because they are overflowed to my unit. Are we seriously going to compare which ICU has the sickest patients? They are there because they are sick. I've taken care of many sick MICU and SICU patients, they are both equally challenging patients. I'm sick of the perpetuated myth that SICU patients are not as sick as MICU patients, that's bullcrap. I've busted my hump trying to keep both MICU and SICU patients alive. You don't need to tell me which ICU patients are most critical and challenging because to me they both are.

[kvsherry]

The hospital that I externed in had a combined med/surg ICU. So no rivalry. However, the Neuro ICU one floor up...big time rivalry (same manager). The Neuro ICU nurses hated floating down to ICU and the ICU nurses felt like the Neuro nurses thought their sh*t didn't stink. The manager tried to make it one big happy...but the neurosurgeons definitely preferred Neuro ICU and everyone new it.

[pinksugar]

I totally agree with TurnLeftSide. I worked in a combined SICU/MICU/CCU and all of the patients are the same - sick!! I do not get the rivalry at all. Any nurse on a critical care unit is working hard. Any patient can go down the tubes in an instant, on any critical care unit.