Personal qualities for OR/ICU/ED/ER/critical care nursing

breaktime · May 1, 2011

I'm a pretty new nurse, so I don't know that I could accurately answer your question about what personality traits/personal qualities are needed for the areas you listed. My general impression based on my own experiences would be the same things needed in other areas of nursing as no matter how different the units we work on are, I think we all face very similar challenges.

Anyway, what I really wanted to say was, you probably are getting ahead of yourself, but there's nothing wrong with that! I would simply encourage you to keep your mind open through school. When I first started I wanted to work in the ED (or so I thought) but after a few clinical rotations there, I realized it wasn't for me. Then I thought maybe adult ICU, CCU or something like that. I tried that as well and I enjoyed it, but it didn't grab me like I expected. I knew I wanted nothing to do with labor/delivery or mother/baby or anything like that. Then I did a rotation in the NICU and fell in love with it and ended up doing my senior practicum in a NICU. After graduation, given the job market, I figured I better apply to more than just positions in NICUs, and the first interview I was offered was an area I really didn't think I wanted anything to do with, which was pediatrics (I love kids, but working with sick ones scared me a little). All it took was a few hours observing on the unit, and I knew I'd found my area of nursing. I now work in a PICU and I couldn't be happier!

So the short of all that would be, keep your mind open, because you might be very surprised to find out what areas end up interesting you the most. Good luck in school!

ImThatGuy, BSN, RN · May 1, 2011

I'd wager that ER-types don't like focusing/working on the same thing for long periods of time. You get diversity in chief complaints, treatments, and patients there minus of course the frequent flyers.

sweetnepenthe · May 1, 2011

For any of these worksites and for nursing in general, you need flexibility and the ability to handle stress well. You cannot get "emotional" on the job. You need tobe able to go from zero to 60 at a moment's notice.

You need good organizational skills and a ten-gallon bladder.

You need to be able to handle "injustice" well because you will be on the receiving end of a lot of complaints from everyone and his brother whether or not those complaints are justified or not.

You need to be both detail-oriented and able to see the big picture--you have to provide good appropriate care for individual patients but balance their needs with the needs of your other patients and prioritize.

You need to be able to find job satisfaction within and not depend on others to supply praise or validation--to know when you did a good job and when you could have done better, because what you will get from many is "do more, do more, do more" and "you should have done this", whether or not it is feasible or true.

You need to be honest and ethical in your actions whether or not anyone is there to see. You will have to be able to live with yourself and sleep well at night.

plowboy911 · May 1, 2011

Whatever area you go in to just remember some days are diamonds, some days are stones.

Good points made above. Certainly each area is different. ER you need to be ready to run and know that you are not going to be able to focus on any area for too long. You never know what (or who) is coming through the door. ER-types thrive on uncertainty and have undiagnosed ADD.

In the ICU you do it all. Taking care of the sickest of the sick while being waiter, social worker, hand holder, ass wiper, you name it. You need and get to know every crack and crevice on your pt and what their labs are and you need to anticipate what is coming next and have the answers before the questions are asked. ICU types are diagnosed with the most severe form of OCD.

In a med-surg/tele type unit you are not a sprinter, you are a marthon runner. Have good shoes. KNOW that you will not accomplish everything you need to in a 12-hour shift when taking care of 4+ pts. Prioritization is key and thus why it's such a good place to start. Typically pts are somewhat stable, but you need to be able to know from the doorway if your pt is ok or if there's a change. This comes with time. These types, if they stay too long and make a career of this type of nursing, are certifiably insane, but God bless them for what they do.

OR is really the oddball of the bunch. You spend time with surgeons which can either be really good or really bad. It's a completely different kind of nursing. You need to spend some time shadowing to know if it's right for you. These types are anti socials who only enjoy interacting with their pts when they are under general anesthesia.

During your clinicals talk to as many of the people as you can. Ask them what they like and don't like about what they do. Ask them where they are going in the next 1-2 years and why. Pay attention to what's going on around you. Are people happy? In your clinicals when you are going through the day, what makes you happy? You may find that you enjoy talking to your pts, thus intubated pts in an OR or ICU may not be for you. Maybe you don't like really sick people, so an office or clinic is the right fit. Maybe, like me, you don't like kids or babies, so that rules out peds, nicu, etc. Keep your eyes and ears open and know there are many routes. Good luck!

wazeout · May 1, 2011

Whatever area you go in to just remember some days are diamonds, some days are stones.
Good points made above. Certainly each area is different. ER you need to be ready to run and know that you are not going to be able to focus on any area for too long. You never know what (or who) is coming through the door. ER-types thrive on uncertainty and have undiagnosed ADD.
In the ICU you do it all. Taking care of the sickest of the sick while being waiter, social worker, hand holder, ass wiper, you name it. You need and get to know every crack and crevice on your pt and what their labs are and you need to anticipate what is coming next and have the answers before the questions are asked. ICU types are diagnosed with the most severe form of OCD.
In a med-surg/tele type unit you are not a sprinter, you are a marthon runner. Have good shoes. KNOW that you will not accomplish everything you need to in a 12-hour shift when taking care of 4+ pts. Prioritization is key and thus why it's such a good place to start. Typically pts are somewhat stable, but you need to be able to know from the doorway if your pt is ok or if there's a change. This comes with time. These types, if they stay too long and make a career of this type of nursing, are certifiably insane, but God bless them for what they do.
OR is really the oddball of the bunch. You spend time with surgeons which can either be really good or really bad. It's a completely different kind of nursing. You need to spend some time shadowing to know if it's right for you. These types are anti socials who only enjoy interacting with their pts when they are under general anesthesia.
During your clinicals talk to as many of the people as you can. Ask them what they like and don't like about what they do. Ask them where they are going in the next 1-2 years and why. Pay attention to what's going on around you. Are people happy? In your clinicals when you are going through the day, what makes you happy? You may find that you enjoy talking to your pts, thus intubated pts in an OR or ICU may not be for you. Maybe you don't like really sick people, so an office or clinic is the right fit. Maybe, like me, you don't like kids or babies, so that rules out peds, nicu, etc. Keep your eyes and ears open and know there are many routes. Good luck!

I really enjoyed this post!!

JulieCVICURN, BSN, RN · May 1, 2011

To me, the most important personality trait to have for these areas is the ability to not get flustered under pressure. You're more likely to be in code situations in these areas (although they can happen anywhere) and usually the nurses from one of these areas are designated code leaders. Keeping a cool head is the best personality trait for that.

RNperdiem, RN · May 1, 2011

OR is different from a lot of the others in that you are almost never alone.

OR nurses work in a group setting so nurses are with their OR team for hours at a time; there is little escape.

It helps to be easy to get along with and to be tolerant of other people. Nurses who are easily irritated by other people will have a hard time.

JustaGypsy · May 2, 2011

I always say, albeit a little tongue-in-cheek, every good ER nurse has a little bit of ADD. plowboy911 beat me to it!

eagle78 · May 2, 2011

In the ICU you do it all. Taking care of the sickest of the sick while being waiter, social worker, hand holder, ass wiper, you name it. You need and get to know every crack and crevice on your pt and what their labs are and you need to anticipate what is coming next and have the answers before the questions are asked. ICU types are diagnosed with the most severe form of OCD.

Ok, what is OCD??? I liked the post though

Reno1978, BSN, RN · May 2, 2011

Ok, what is OCD??? I liked the post though

Obsessive compulsive disorder. Some ICU types are like that. I personally don't think I'm like that. I'm thorough and can usually tell you highlights of my patients' course of hospitalization, current labwork, lines, drips, etc., from the top of my head...but I don't view that as OCD. I view that as safe nursing practice in an ICU setting. I view my patients with the following mindset: They're trying their hardest to die & I'm trying to stop them from dying. It can be a very stressful, sad, and depressing place to work at times, and you need to have solid views on patient advocacy, health, dying, and death. It can also be a place of celebration as you witness the small steps forward the sickest patients make, eventually walking out of the hospital.

Carrie W. · May 2, 2011

No matter which area you find yourself in "always" remember that LEARNING "NEVER" ENDS!! Be disciplined enough on your own to continue learning. Although your co-workers are there to help, don't mistake them for your private educators....they are busy too!.. The key to any of these areas is to hone your ORGANIZATION and PRIORITIZATION skills. Document, Document, Document as you go!!! "NEVER" think that you will have "time later" to document what is or has happened....this is an absolute!!!! You will shine in any area if you remember that being a Nurse, working as a team member, means you have several minds all working together coming from different places. If you love surprises....these critical care areas are for you....it changes minute to minute...it's fun and exhausting but in a good way.