new grad having trouble w/ icu personalities

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I am a new grad icu rn in training and am finding the most challenging part to be interacting with the nurses on my unit. Granted some are nice, friendly, and helpful, but the majority of them are unfriendly, condescending, and outright mean to us. I have heard of nurses eating their young but this is ridiculous. It makes me dread going into work everyday. I have been nothing but friendly and professional and am getting glowing reviews at my evals. I am wondering if anybody else has gone through this and if these nurses are being so nasty bc i am new and on orientation. I hope this passes. I really do like all other aspects of ICU nursing.

Just to add.......RN's used to have to work in med/surg for years to get to the ICU. I think some of them can be resentful of the fact that new grads can now walk into an area that they had to work hard to get to. I have heard many comments about new grads not paying their dues so to speak. If you really want to know the answer, go to forums and click on critical care, and then click on MICU/SICU and start reading. When I was trying to make a decision as to what specialty I wanted to pursue upon graduation, I started reading through all of the old posts for MICU/SICU and it helped me make my decision.

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.

I'm sorry for what you're experiencing. When I worked at the hospital I cringed when being pulled to ICU for exactly the same reason. I worked med/surg for 23 years as floor nurse, charge nurse, preceptor and respected for my knowlege and skills but was always made to feel like a dummy when working in ICU.

Putting the shoe on the other foot: The ICU nurses are dazed and confused when pulled to med/surg. They can't handle their assignment, don't understand how we do it, wouldn't do it for twice the pay. That kind of makes us even.

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Specializes in ICU/ER.

I started in the ICU as a new grad too. I also have a very strong personality and am very blunt (so I've been told). Our ICU is very high stress and lots of people used to when I asked for help either do it for me or explain things to me like I was five. The thing is when someone treats you like that-realize it's not about you-it's about them. I learned to seek out the patient experienced nurses ask their opinion and ask why. Two and a half years later...I still have a lot to learn but I look back and realize through focusing on my patients and being willing to take any patients even if it was a crazy GI bleed no one wanted, I earned the friendship of several nurses. Be patient. We do sometimes wait to make sure someone we just oriented for three months isn/t gonna bail....you'll do great. Remember it's all about the patient. Give it a year. That's what everyone told me....and I'm happy I listened!!!

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Some people feel that a nurse should not go to ICU immediately out of school, maybe this is one issue with them? They will probably accept you once you have proven yourself.

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Specializes in icu.

I am sorry that you are having a bad experience with your co-workers. I started as a new grad in ICU 9 months ago and have had nothing but support and encouragement from my fellow nurses. I wish everyone could have that!

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Specializes in intensive care.

What a great post regarding the "why" behind mistreatment of orientees. I have personally experienced this and after 2 years of sticking it out ended up with the worst of the bullies being my biggest fan. Now, she would bend over backwards for me and frankly, I would do the same for her. She just needed time to really get to know me. Also, I made it a point to go out of my way to assist her in any way that I could (inspite of her gruff treatment of me). I'm not sure that would work with everyone, but it certainly did in this case.

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llg, I loved your post! Thank you for taking the time to explain things.

What kind of things does your institution do to combat this? One of the things that I find most frustrating about it is that people in management will acknowledge it and then tell you to ignore it or pat you on the back and remind you that "nurses eat their young" and give you this look that lets you know the conversation is over.

It reminds me of the way some doctors will tell you "Well, that is expected, you have ______ syndrome" as if just saying the name of the syndrome negates the symptoms.

I want to be part of the cure, not part of the problem.

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I think alot of the different personalities comes from the way that we have been treated not only by coworkers, doctors and management but more so by our patients. Let's face it for what we deny ourselves (food, water, bathroom trips, a break away from the unit, the back aches) it pretty much is unappreciated by the patient. Please don't get me wrong, I am not in this for thanks or appreciation but some of these patients do even think about what they put you through and the families care even less. I think our egos reach a point where they can not take anymore abuse and neglect and therefore we develop protective mechanism to protect ourselves that mostly can only be used against everyone but our patients ...you know kick the cat syndrome. But we don't care if it is the cat, the dog or the new grad or older co=worker that gets it..who ever is in the way. Most of the time if you asked the problem nurse they will tell you it is nothing personal against anyone just a "I can't take anymore" stress pop off valve. Then they go home and come back the next day all fresh as if nothing happened and the cat is afraid or at least wary enough to stay away.

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Ah, yes the ICU personalities. I have learned to think of these people- the doctors as well as some of the nurses as "characters". Exagerate their quirks, learn to perform wicked impersonations for your families of them, and have a good laugh(privately).

When you are no longer so new, you will develop a little more confidence to handle these folks.

I do remember being so sensitive and easily upset by the other nurses when I was new.

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I started in the ICU as a new grad too. I also have a very strong personality and am very blunt (so I've been told). Our ICU is very high stress and lots of people used to when I asked for help either do it for me or explain things to me like I was five. The thing is when someone treats you like that-realize it's not about you-it's about them. I learned to seek out the patient experienced nurses ask their opinion and ask why. Two and a half years later...I still have a lot to learn but I look back and realize through focusing on my patients and being willing to take any patients even if it was a crazy GI bleed no one wanted, I earned the friendship of several nurses. Be patient. We do sometimes wait to make sure someone we just oriented for three months isn/t gonna bail....you'll do great. Remember it's all about the patient. Give it a year. That's what everyone told me....and I'm happy I listened!!!

same story here! It's amazing how attitudes change once they realize you're going to stick around. The other day a very experienced nurse who used to somewhat belittle me said, "well, it looks like you're getting to be an old pro." Then she talked to me like a friend. Shocking. Stick it out and do your best, you'll make it through ;)

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And I would say try your best also, but don't stick it out if it becomes so bad your health is at risk, because it may not get better. I have seen and heard of this before, and depending on the hospital, unit and the staff, it may be the type of unit always looking for nurses because they can't keep anyone new due to this ongoing problem.

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OK I am now terrified. :uhoh3:

My dream is to do critical care. I externed in the CCU last summer and got lucky enough to have THE BEST team in the whole world. They ALL were the most supportive group of nurses I had the fortune to be taught by.

I am going in to my senior year this year so I wanted to go in to a hospital (to externship this summer) that I would consider working in once I graduate and they are putting me in the SICU. I was a little wary because I had remembered the CCU nurses telling me its a different "breed" of nurses because of the high stress. And now reading these posts, I am afraid I am walking in to the gallows.

Is it really THAT bad for new grads to walk in to the ICU these days? I understand that most nurses had to pay their dues in med/surg, but I always thought that the beauty of nursing was that there was a unit for every personality. And how am I supposed to know that if in a year or two I may get pregnant (I'm 28) I may have to move? So that means I should get treated like sh*t during my orientation because of the possibility that I may move? I understand what you were trying to say from the management side of things as devil's advocate but the whole "eating their young" really gets to me. Even as a student nurse I find that we get scowled at and its like we are a complete burden to the nurse on the floor when we come on. Understandably, some student nurses have NO IDEA what they are doing, but alot of us do, and I just dont think its fair that we get treated that way.

I'm sorry I am going on a tangent. This is just very important to me, and I want to be not just a good nurse, but an excellent one. And I depend on YOU ALL to help me, and when I ask "So why is that monitor going off?" (and I know its due to late decelerations which is BAD in labor but I'm hoping maybe the nurse would go in to FRIGGIN DETAIL AND POINT IT OUT) and you respond "well I guess its trying to tell me something, isnt it?" and then walk away.... that doesnt really teach me anything. YES, that just happened last week to me in my rotation on the L&D floor.

-Allison

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