gnu2thezu

I'm sorry I'm so late in reading this post--busy being a nurse, LOL! When I started in critical care, I was asked by some "well meaning" people in my family "...why aren't you going to be a doctor?"--that's not what I wanted to be, thank you. Four years and many butts later I realize that as a nurse I take care of the whole patient. If my patient is intubated and not had a bowel movement in two days I am going to give that patient a med to poop and then clean them up! See how that works? Both ends are mine I don't know what area of nursing you'll go into, but give it some time and you'll be good at what you do, and the doctor and cleaning butts comments may bring a small smile--if only they knew what you really did for a living!

I've worked ICU for two and a half years and there are a few attributes that help to have. A little type A/OCD is needed, if you don't have organization, neatness and control as a priority then if a code happens you will be scrambling to control the room and find the necessary items to run a successful (successful doesn't always mean the patient lives) code. Communication skills to talk to family help, remember 1 in 5 don't make it out alive from ICU, you don't want to tell family members, "Well, your family member is toast!". Many times it's family you are talking to, not the patient! Advocating for the patient is especially important--you may be the only person between a doctor doing something dangerous to the patient. I've had doctors (read residents) leave a page of orders and the patient is allergic to some of the meds, or not addressing an obvious need of a patient like a potassium of 3.1. A sense of humor is a good thing because in some situations what else can you do but laugh? Being grouchy won't fix it because many times in ICU it's not "fixable". Flexibility is a must because anything can happen, I work in an ICU that does everything--surgical, cardiac, trauma, neuro to name a few. Be ready for anything! I'm sure there's more, but those attributes a good start! Good luck to all the new nurses, you can do it!!

I am wondering how all these chores are supposed to get done in the middle of taking care of patients? I'm in critical care and more than sometimes there is just time to get the important stuff done. I think administration feels the important stuff is tidy rooms and public relations. I, on the other hand, am thinking the important stuff is meds, procedures, titrating drips to keep the patient alive--could be wrong though! If the patient dies, you can bet administration is going to blame...ahem, the nurse...because then the patient really won't be satisfied