Question for experienced PICU RNS

Specialties PICU

Published

Specializes in PICU.

Hi. I have just been off orientation now for over two months. I sometimes go home and have very vivid dreams about things that have happened. I once dreamt that I hung the wrong A-line fluid on a patient. The dream was so vivid that I actually thought it was true, even though the nurse who I gave report to that morning had checked the lines and we signed off together. I think this dream was in part because a nurse was telling the story of how she came in and did the line check and found D5 and something going into her patient's aline.

Is this normal to have dreams like this, where you dream about things at work, even if they were not true?

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Specializes in Peds Critical Care, Dialysis, General.

I've been working in PICU for 2 years now and still have very vivid "work" dreams. The dreams run the gamut. I dream I haven't charted on a patient at all during the shift, I've looked at a patient all shift, I forgot a patient, etc. Sometimes I can tell myself in my dream that if I'm at home asleep in my bed, I for sure can't chart on and am not responsible at that time.

The dreams lessen with time, but they still happen.

Relax, it's okay, you are normal!!!

Cindy

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Specializes in PICU, surgical post-op.

Yup, I get 'em too, but I don't know yet if I count as experienced ... When I walked into my patient's room yesterday and said something about "as long as I've been here" her dad looked at me and asked "So, are we talking days, weeks or months?"

I was actually just talking to a friend on the phone (wide awake, mind you) and started up from my chair because I thought I heard an asystole alarm ringing. But I'll frequently dream about my kiddos ... especially if I have the same one for a while at a stretch. What's freaky is coming in and finding out 2 or 3 others have had dreams about the same kid ...

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