New to ICU: Nightmares?

[Eeveetee, BSN]

Hey everyone so I just started a job in an ICU as a unit secretary. I have never had a job in a hospital before this -- I used to be an accountant and now I am going to nursing school.

Anyways I just started getting Nightmares about my family members being in the ICU beds now that I've started working in one. I was really surprised when this started happening.

Did any of you go through this with your first experiences? Any advice or words of wisdom?

[Dranger]

Hey everyone so I just started a job in an ICU as a unit secretary. I have never had a job in a hospital before this -- I used to be an accountant and now I am going to nursing school.

Anyways I just started getting Nightmares about my family members being in the ICU beds now that I've started working in one. I was really surprised when this started happening.

Did any of you go through this with your first experiences? Any advice or words of wisdom?

You need to compartmentalize what you are experiencing. Put an emotional distance btween yourself and the events occurring. Most ICU nurses I know will code a patient one minute then take a lunch right after. You have to be in that mode. At the end of the day you need to believe it is JUST a job, nothing more. Its the same thing as someone working at Walmart or McDonalds.

If you start getting attached or effected by situations your mental health will suffer.