Type B in a Type A world

Nurses General Nursing

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Bg: started new job a couple months ago. Love my job but my problem?

I have been dealing with a couple of super type A ICU nurses. You know the type. The ones who seem to be super nurses. Always think their **** doesn't stink and think their way is the only way.

This wouldn't be an issue if I wasn't being precepted by a few of them and know they throw each other under the bus. The night shift preceptor I have is amazing but the day shift ones I have seem to enjoy picking me apart. They are always riding me and breathing down my neck.

I am type b. I learn by doing and not having some watch me like a hawk and criticizing every...single...thing that I do while I am doing it.

How do I deal with these people? I am almost done with orientation. My night shift preceptor is great and I only have a couple more weeks until I am on my own. But I know that I will be having to deal with those type A nurses and giving report to them.

Hoe does a type b introvert who is more about the big picture and less about the details survive in a type A icu nursing world that is always caught up in detail?

I am afraid to be ripped to shreds out of orientation for not being "perfect."

Specializes in Oncology, Rehab, Public Health, Med Surg.
Farawyn, RN

And yet …

(No offense) You bothered to read the whole comment, quote it in it's entirety, and comment. Then, you pressed "like". Hmmm …

Like it, or not, agree with it, or don't - those are my life experiences, and my subjective thoughts.

Ok, the like on this was meant to be a quote. And since I'm mobile, I can't change it

Far is a kind soul; she was trying to encourage as well as instruct

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I'm definitely Type B and don't think I would last a single day in an ICU setting. Or a med/surg where someone is likely to code. I work in psych and that has been a good fit so far. All walkie/talkies, IM and PO meds only and only an occasional Code Grey restraint. The most medically compromised we get is Type 2 DM or Hypertension.

I'm interested in wound care nursing so am looking into that. Preferably to work in an OP wound care clinic someday.

I took the psych job as a new grad and I did have 1 preceptor that was very intimidating, adding to that her thick Asian accent which prior to that job I had no exposure to such diversity. I think she thought I was stupid because I could barely understand a thing she said and kept asking her to repeat herself. (So sorry folks, NETY is true) Now 2 years later, we get along great (and I learned how to interpret these accents better ;)

So they may be mean to you now, but in a year or 2, may come to respect you. Hang in there.

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I'm just so relieved to read this and see there ARE Type B nurses! As a new student I was beginning to worry that we were few and far between (and not because there is anything wrong with Type A, just because I am Type B and it makes me sometimes worry I am not cut out for nursing).

Good luck with your new job! I've had two NICU babies and the nurses were wonderful.

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I'm also more of an easy going person who works in an ICU...my solution?

Night shift.

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Specializes in Psych,LTC,.

I'm a type "O", the universal donor. I adapt to circumstance, and be what the circumstance needs. I'm not so concerned with my needs (for challenge, to get ahead, or to prove something. And I do resent the people that trash somebody or go running to management every chance they get to show how good they re) that i put my coworkers in a difficult position, or create an unnecessarily uncomfortable situation, and put undue stress on my patients. I'm also not so engaged in looking for the big picture that important details slip by. There are downsides to both A and B. The keywords are important and priority. I like to make everybody happy, but if I have to choose, my patients come first.

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Specializes in Psych,LTC,.

Yep. I'm usually like "whatever policy is, so long as it isn't hurting anyone." Although I might take my opinion, research it, and bring the outcome to the proper decision maker. Who may or may not care.

oh goodness I remember those days. I do NOT miss bedside nursing for that reason of people being so hyper about every little thing when TBH it doesn't matter if the stripes in the blanket are lined up and yes, there is more than one correct way to do most tasks.

I just popped in to say that I'm really happy to hear that you got your job in NICU though TPB!

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Ok, the like on this was meant to be a quote. And since I'm mobile, I can't change it

Far is a kind soul; she was trying to encourage as well as instruct

You give me too much credit, Nanik.

Orphan, I told you, I liked part of what you said. You said many good things.

Your "subjectivity" is distasteful and worn out. The young pretty nurse thing has got to die if new nurses are going to actually be able to accept constructive criticism and stop blaming everyone else for not knowing what they don't know. There's a learning curve. People aren't being mean to them because they are jealous.

That's MY experience.

I'm pretty darn cute, and when I was a newbie I never once thought a nurse correcting, criticizing or teaching me had to do with them being jealous of me. I've also been a preceptor for years, because I was good at it.

(I liked it to get your attention. And it worked! :) )

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Specializes in ER/Tele, Med-Surg, Faculty, Urgent Care.
newbyness. :unsure:

Oh, I like this wording, can we please add it to the AN vocabulary? Where is Acute? I was told he is in charge of this:yes:

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Personality types aside, you're brand new, they may have valid concerns even if given via terrible delivery.

I'd be more concerned about my base competency than anything being discussed here. I would want to get an *outside* opinion from someone on the inside. Is there anyone there that will give you unfiltered feedback?

I wonder if the problem is that the OP is getting unfiltered feedback and doesn't care for the delivery. Given that she's a relatively new grad and new to the NICU, my best advice would be to listen to the content of the the criticism and try to ignore the delivery. What the OP sees as "nitpicking" may be very valid feedback that she's missing because she's focused on the delivery.

It would be ideal if only people who were good at and enjoyed precepting were preceptors, but that isn't the reality.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Trauma, CCU/MICU/SICU.

I dealt with the same types in my ICU orientation, and the best advice that I could give is to play the game and be your own best resource by referencing books like the ICU book, critical care made incredibly simple, etc. ICU nursing is definitely about details, but the types of detail matter more as far as prioritization. You'll quickly learn which nurses focus on which details such as a clean room, labeled drips, stuff like that.

I'm that extremely laid back ICU nurse that's more big picture oriented. I've had many nights where I've taken an admit, intubated, started 14 drips and cannulated the patient for ECMO, but get yelled at by a type A nurse for the room not being pristine. I would argue that it's the type of details and prioritization that matter, and that is what new ICU nurses need to learn. I've walked into rooms where the counters are spotless, but the sedation and vasopressor IV bags are almost empty when I walk in. You can see where the prioritization was flawed. I would take a dirty counter with a sedated patient with a blood pressure any day over a clean counter with a patient tanking right when I walk in the door.

The other part to my advice has to do with being your own best resource and just more confident in your knowledge base. That takes time. And those nurses won't like it when you are able to back up your decision making process with real clinical rationales, but they'll likely back off too. In the mean time, ask questions, seek out constructive feedback from people you've identified as good resources, label your drips and keep your room clean. The first year of ICU nursing is difficult enough, and it's pretty sad that the most stressful part is just dealing with other ICU nurses rather than the actual aspects of caring for critical patients.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

Honestly I am wondering if I should throw in the towel and just be done with it. It is unfortunate because I love the NICU but I honestly hate my coworkers.

I get tired of being made to feel stupid and incompetent. I do so much better when I am just left the hell alone and not have someone hover over me like a hawk.

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Honestly I am wondering if I should throw in the towel and just be done with it. It is unfortunate because I love the NICU but I honestly hate my coworkers.

I get tired of being made to feel stupid and incompetent. I do so much better when I am just left the hell alone and not have someone hover over me like a hawk.

After everything you've gone through to get to NICU, you'd throw in the towel because of hovering and being on the upside of the learning curve? What did you expect it to be like? It's NICU, I wouldn't have expected anything else.

Every new nursing job is tough the first couple of years but if you don't stick with it and just get through it, you'll never reach the place of confident competence. And let me tell you, we've all been there and it's sweet to be on the other side.

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