CallieAnne

Hey Kolt....same message as everyone else haha

I'm on orientation in the surgical ICU. Most of the nurses who work the night shift on my unit are not very friendly, and seem to have little to no patience. I feel like I'm learning nothing. I want to know that I can take care of someone, and I just get drilled with patho questions by my preceptor. She also will not let me document. I documented all of my internship in nursing school, and now I have a preceptor after I've already graduated telling me word for word what to write. I work for 2 days in a couple of weeks on the day shift. I'm considering asking to be moved to the day shift thereafter. The people I work with now are not fun. They never laugh and seldom smile. I just feel like I'm going nowhere fast and it's frustrating to me. I don't learn when I'm drilled on questions. I won't learn in depth on anything until I have taken care of someone with that specific condition. I learn by doing. I have met a majority of the day nursing staff, and they are all fun and seem like they like their job much more than the night shift. Would it be bad of me to ask to be moved to orient on days? sorry for the spill haha, but any advice I would appreciate.

I have spent a couple of days in NICU. Otherwise I wouldn't be in this situation haha...

Now that I'm about done with nursing school, I thought I had settled on adult critical care. I have done my internship in an ICU and I do enjoy it. It's just everytime someone mentions NICU I just wish I could say I did that. I'm drawn to it as if it's a magnet. I can't stop wondering about it. It's a really controversial thing for me in a lot of ways, but I just can't stop thinking about it. How did you guys feel when you knew NICU was for you? I feel so torn. :uhoh21:

I think people treat you the way you treat them. Sometimes you run into the "eat their young" kind, but not really. Ask questions. Be assertive in your education. Some doctors are real jerks and can really spit out a mouthful in the middle of the night. A lot of nurses I know just lay the phone down and ask for orders once it gets quiet. Why listen to that? I dunno....You don't have to be horribly outspoken I don't think...

You know you are in nursing school when you start to wonder why you match all of the mental disorder characteristics....:chuckle

MICU can be kind of overwhelming. It's kind of a catch all. You might have cardiac patients, surgery patients, septic patients, you never know. Some people don't like dealing with all of the drips in MICU, but I loved it. Just remember, you aren't alone. That's why they put you with a nurse. There's always a lot going on in MICU, so you definitely won't be bored. I work as a tech in MICU now, doing an internship there this semester, and I'm hoping to work Trauma ICU after I graduate in May It's an area that you like or you don't, but you'll get through it either way. The shift will end no matter how slow it is going for you ;o)

Thanks. I just keep going back to NICU, and I think it is where I'm supposed to be. The great thing about nursing is that if it doesn't work out I have a LOT of other options. I'm glad for your input though, and I think I've found a hospital with a pretty good orientation program into the NICU. I go for an interview in March!

I'm still unsure of where I want to go. I am doing my internship in adult ICU. I had a friend tel me it was better to work an adult ICU for a while before going into a NICU. Sometimes I agree, but then I realize how strongly I feel about babies in general. We were discussing presidential candidates the other day, and their beliefs. Many of them were against the BAN on partial birth abortion. Sometimes NICU babies are the same age as the babies that are aborted. I just that NICU babies are miracles. They are the big miracles. I just don't know if it would be better to do an adult ICU first? If I do, I'm scared I'll never go anywhere else.....

I am doing an internship for my next semster of school, and then I graduate in May '08. I have read all the reasons y'all love NICU so much, and I loved what little bit of it I have seen. I still can't make up my mind though. I'm doing my critical care rotation right now. I love it. I love all the machines and drips. I love that I'm busy, and what I do actually makes a difference in this person's life. There's just something about the NICU though that's different. Every baby is a miracle, but those babies are REALLY miracles. They're the big ones. It is amazing to me the things that go on in the NICU. But how busy are you really? I can't stand to be bored and run out of things to do. Are you as busy as nurses in the adult critical care? I just am having a hard time picking. I like adult critical care because I'm comfortable there, but the day I left NICU I thought "I could work here." I thought it was wonderful. Help! I've gotta make up my mind haha Thanks