502Nurse

Where do you draw the line in finishing work that should have/could have been done on the previous shift? I can understand to a point, but when I get put behind several hours finishing up stuff the other shift didn't get to do (ie. tallying I&O's, etc.), it puts my shift's work behind too. Is this just the nature of nursing? Just wondering how other people handle this, or if I should get used to it.

Mikemw: Thank you for your thoughtful and encouraging reply! It is so helpful to hear the insights and experiences of someone who is actually "in the trenches." :)

Thanks for everyone's feedback! I figured it was best to go for a preceptorship in the area I'm most interested in. I guess my main concern is I'm not positively sure where I want to work. I'm at that entering-senior-year crossroad, where I want to work in several different critical care environments, and not sure which path to choose! When nurses enter the ER, what is their background/experience? Do nurses from the ICU float to the ER and vice versa? How exactly is the ER critical care different from ICU critical care (stress wise, knowledge wise, etc.)? What makes a good ER nurse? Thank you again for your much needed wisdom!

Hi! I am a student nurse who is interested in working in critical care. I need to select a site for my senior preceptorship, and was wondering what the best setting for this would be - working in an ICU unit or in the ER. It seems the ER would give a much broader view of urgent care, yet the ICU is where I would like to work. Any comments or suggestions are appreciated! Thank you.