ddr436

Ever since becoming an ICU nurse I've been faced with a tremendous amount of anxiety when it comes to taking care of really sick, critically ill patients. Now let me explain. I'm not talking about the kind of critically ill patients that just need to stay on the vent over night or the patient that requires an arterial line to keep a close eye on their blood pressure. I'm talking about the really sick, unable to ventilate, let's do every test in the book kind of patient to figure out what's wrong with them. The kind of patient whose illness is so unexpected that all of family and friends gather at the bedside and ask the same questions over and over again. You see, the Dr. has updated their point of contact early this morning and has left to go on about their day and see other patients. I, however, am stuck in this room with my 1:1 patient trying to keep them alive, prevent complications and reassure extremely worried family members and friends. They try to rephrase their questions, hoping for a different answer. "Have you ever seen anyone this bad before", "What are the odds they will make it", "Do you think he/she will recover"...or my most favorite, incomprehensible by all non-medical personnel question Why is he/she so swollen?”. More people are showing up now and I watch as they walk in one by one, too afraid to touch their loved one but yet wanting to provide love and comfort at the same time. They are asking me more questions. I try to answer the best I can but I also try not to say too much because I know they will cling on and try to decipher every word. I have to hang albumin, I have to start another pressor and it's time to attempt oral care again. I explain once again what albumin is and why I have to start another vasopressor. I am diligent, I move with purpose and my eyes are constantly fixated on my patient or the monitor. I am in the room constantly. I hear every single piece of their conversation and although my patient is my number one priority, I can't help but feel for the family. I can't help but try to comfort them any way I could, even if it's offering water or snacks. I can't even begin to understand the amount of stress they are going through. This job, although worked for over 5 years, is not something that has desensitized me and it doesn't appear that it will ever be something that I am used to. I went to get my emissions testing done yesterday and everything was so routine, the words spoken, the motions, the paperwork. Nursing, particularly critical care nursing, cannot become this routine thing that we do. As I am in the room taking care of my patient, surrounded by their family members, I am fully aware that they are watching my every move. I wonder if they blame me for their loved one not getting better. Do they think that I could be doing something better? Sometimes they question my skillset. One time I came on shift and I was orienting a new-to-ICU nurse and after we got report and I was done introducing myself, the wife of the patient asked me if I've done this before”. She was referring to the vent and drips….what I really wanted to say was No but I watched a YouTube tutorial so we should be good to go” but I know that my coping mechanism of humor and sarcasm would not be welcomed here so instead I simply said Yes” and went on to assess my new patient. I often feel so much pressure. I have so many tasks and orders to complete. I have to draw blood, administer meds, empty drains, transfuse blood and assess my patient. How is it even possible to chart in real time? Oh and there's a family member on the phone, she's a nurse and would like an update on her cousin. GREAT.

Hello, Are there any nurses here that work at Maricopa County Medical Center? I am looking to get a job in one of the ICU's and hoping someone can tell me what it is like to work there. What is the patient population like, what are the nurse/physician relationships like and overall benefits? Coming from out of town and a 10 bed ICU, wondering if I would be able to survive? I need to branch out to a bigger hospital and learn some new things. Thanks in advance!

im not trying to undermine anyone. its just that i have spoken so several nursing students who set me up to think that this is the hardest thing anyone could ever go through... and you know you've heard it too..its out there. i just wanted to see what was going on, not bring anyone down.

lol i dont understand why people are getting so hateful. i wasnt trying to make anyone mad i was just trying to understand why its not as hard for me and really hard for some poeple. and like i said I DO study i do comprehend the material. i think a lot of people that are reading my post are thinking that im saying its so easy and anyone can do it..no thats not what i said. I know its not supposed to be easy...which is why i am confused. i realize that im only 9 weeks in that is WHY I AM ASKING FOR OTHER PEOPLES EXPERIENCES. not lectures, not "what nurse would i want to take care of me" nonsense. soooo i hope people are not wishing i fail haha. i have a test today so we will see how THAT one goes :) thanks for all the positive responses and feedback. and NO THANKS to criticism and lectures. be a little more compassionate people. all i want is feedback about your experiences.

Im in block one in the march cohort and weve been in school for 9 weeks we often talk about how many people were in their interview, how fast they got the call etc. i put in my app, got a call for an interview in 3 weeks, then 3 weeks later recieved my acceptance, there are some poeple though that got the interview and received a call back 2 days later with their acceptance... and just to ease your stress for those of you that are waiting...almost everyone walked out of their interview thinking it went bad, including myself. but still got in. GOOD LUCK GUYS. ps. AWESOME program btw i have no complaints at all. and the instructors are amazing.

Well thank you for all of your advice i definetly felt like something was not right. Its not like i dont study at all, after all i do realize that ill be dealing with peoples lives and thats what i focus on when i study and i guess thats what motivates me. However, i still sleep in on weekends i still work part time and i do not stay up all night i am not exhausted like everyone else says or seems to be. And i definetly will not share that with my classmates only because I KNOW and i SEE how hard they try and still not do so well. we will see how i feel by block 4!!

Can you please re read my post and realize that no where in there did I say it was easy. I simply said that its not as hard as everyone makes it seem. And I think people exagerate. And just a reminder I'm not asking for lectures this isn't about right or wrong. I want opinions. Ok thanks.

I am 9 weeks into an accelerated bsn program. we just finished all of our skills checkoffs and start clinical rotations soon. So far i have taken 4 theory tests and did 9 check offs, above average. I do not study that much. I am definetely not one of those students who just gets good grades without studying, my school has one of the best reps in the state with a ridiculously high nclex pass rate. and yet i do not think nursing school is as hard as everyone makes it seem. I think people exagerate a lot. however, i do wonder if ill be one of those students who freaks out during clinicals when we replace the mannaquins with real patients..i hope not lol i would love some feedback on your block 1 experience. i love my class but i dont want to share this with them.

wow thats pretty depressing... how can this be when i just read on Yahoo that healthcare was the #1 recession proof career (along with education and...energy related jobs) i start the banner fellows program in a few weeks so hopefully by the time i graduate they will be over that whole situation...hahha..maybe? ok well lets hope so.

ooops almost forgot another question.. i read somewhere that uniforms are around $250!? granted thats nothing compare to the fact that everything is paid for and i dont mind paying it but the paper we got shows the prices are around $30 a piece so how many of those things could we possibly need!?!?

i am in banner mesa cohort 4 and i had a question about the schedule that we got... sooo in week 9 we start clinicals..is it just wed/thurs or will they schedule you whenever meaning weekends as well?i just wanna make sure that weekends are free because unfortunately i am one of the unlucky ones that has to work at least 15 hours a week boooo CANT WAIT for orientation!! im so excited.

Well that would work. I live a few miles away from MCC anyway. It would be great to meet everyone, hopefully i dont work that day.

Hello, i am pretty new to this website but i have been reading it ever since i was called for an interview for banner. i will be in the march 09 mesa cohort and i am super excited! I got my packet last week and i have been trying to get a lot of the stuff together so i can finally register for classes!! does anyone know anything about block 1? i got the schedule in the packet but it looks like there is only one class listed. i dont know if we can mention names here but i would like to know about the instructors as well? just in general. Thank you :)