christyness

Hi there! I am an MICU nurse and moving to Fishers soon. I'm wondering how the profession has been affected in the last few years in Indy. Are there crazy patient ratios? Have they given good raises? What hospitals would you recommend?

Weird, I always wonder the same thing about most of the ER nurses I take report from - why don't they just take five minutes to read the chart before they call me to give a "report" on a critically ill pt they apparently know next to nothing about? Honestly, I've grown tired of it. I just deal with the train wreck when it pulls into the station these days, because I figure if they know so little about the pt, I don't want the pt there one minute longer than necessary.

1. A little humor - "Now, Mr. So-and-so, you know there's no politics and religion at work! Are you tryin' to get me in trouble?" This approach depends a lot on the patient's personality, the situation, etc. 2. Redirect - make it about the patient again. "I am not religious, though I can see your faith is important to you and helps you. What can we do facilitate your religious practice while you are in the hospital?" Except maybe not so officious sounding, lol. 3. Find some common ground (which is my favorite, personally, as I think it nearly always exists). For instance, I had a patient say the other day, "I can tell you're a believer, aren't you?" She was reading the Bible, so I just said with a smile, "I'm not religious, but I do love Ecclesiastes chapter 3. What's your favorite passage?" We talked for a few minutes, I did my assessment, and there was no problem at all between us.

Absolutely! Best online resource: index Best books (imo) - AACN Essentials of Critical Care Nursing, AACN Advanced Critical Care Nursing, The ICU Book (geared toward doctors, but still full of information that is valuable to nurses). I also really like Critical Care Nursing Secrets, a book that uses question-and-answer format. I find that I can get the essential information quickly from this book.

If it were any old patient saying this, I would just chuckle, take a moment to feel sorry for that patient's loss of a kick-ass nurse, and then move on. I didn't become a nurse to make patients like or accept me, I became a nurse to help people because I care about people. But you are not any old patient, because I see from your other posts that you are in a position of power over other nurses. If your little statement at the end there is accurate and not a joke, then you are a bigot, and you have no business in the profession, let alone in management.

Yes, it is likely you will deal with death and emergency situations, so the qualities and skills needed by nurses in that area would be similar.

You will come across nurses like this. Sometimes they are people who should never have been nurses. Many times, they are human beings who have run out of emotional resources. You have to try to understand what the nurse may be going through whole also advocating for the patient. As a student, you should speak with your instructor first. In the future as an RN, you should speak with your coworker, then your charge nurse, and so on up the ladder. And one more thing - I can't tell from your description exactly how oriented your pt was. But if you have a pt who is able to make his/her own decisions and that pt does not want to be bathed, it would be assault to bathe that person anyway. If that were the case, you would have to refuse to comply with your supervising RN's instruction.

I am speaking as a new nurse (I have been working for 7 months) but I'll give you my observations so far: Skills: •Strong assessment skills •Time mgmt and organization •Ability to work with several lines, drips, etc. (I find this takes a ton of patience for constant untangling) •Strong therapeutic communication - lots of family and pts going through the most difficult time of their lives. Qualities: •Excellent judgment, ability to think critically •Strong knowledge of diseases, pathophysiology, medications, and treatments •Assertiveness and strong patient advocacy •Ability to cope with high stress situations and with death •A sense of humor - but I find this to be a general requirement for life, really. •Mental focus - ICU nurses have to constantly assess and reassess

I went straight into the ICU. It is possible. Good luck!

You can join the AACN, subscribe to critical care nursing journals, and read books. I just got the AACN Essentials of Critical Care Nursing and The ICU Book by Paul Marino. I like them both. Icufaqs.org is a great site as well. You can also search the web for videos of procedures and lectures, go to conferences, and pick the brains of the experienced nurses you work with. And, of course, you can learn things here at allnurses.

I'm a new grad in an ICU. I currently have been working for a little over six months, and o my own for a little over two months. I'm starting to get more comfortable in some ways. The beeps and the noises are beginning to get to me though I have been told it takes about one year to be comfortable and about two years to become fully competent in everything an ICU nurse knows and does. I have however realized that nursing involves always being, on some level, uncomfortable. And, now that I have realized that, I'm less stressed.

There are a lot of new grads who go straight into ICU, including myself. It depends on the hospital and whether they have the resources to train and mentor new RNs.

Pts on my unit are 1:1 if they are very unstable, on an oscillator vent, or receiving CVVH. Otherwise, they are 2:1, never 3. If they are well enough to be 3:1, they go to the IMC.

I like the AACN Essentials of Critical Care Nursing. For quick reference, I like a book I have called Critical Care Secrets. If you decide you want something more in-depth at some point, The ICU Book by Paul Marino is a staple. Also - a great online resource is http://www.icufaqs.org

Awesome, thank you!