What does an ICU nurse do exactly?

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Can you please tell me what the regular routine or functions or duties of ICU nurses?

Is there a lot of cleaning after patients? Or is it more in the technical and mechanical field of nursing?

Specializes in STICU; cross-trained in CCU, MICU, CVICU.

We give lots of drugs!!!!....(muhaaaaaaaaaaa----evil laugh)

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Specializes in ER/SICU/Med-Surg/Ortho/Trauma/Flight.

We give lots and lots of drugs, and its a hella of alotta work, LOL!

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I am in nursing school, and do not work as a nurse but I had a critically ill baby and "lived in the local hospital for 4 months STRAIGHT. We were in and out of PICU. From a patient/mothers perspective I thought the ICU nurses were outstanding. They were all heros and I have nothing but respect for them they saved my baby's life. The nurses on the floor were great too but believe it or not I was less nervous in ICU because there was a high level of support and they were right there the entire time hovering/caring /and ON IT!

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Specializes in ICU.

In a single word......everything!

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yes it,s well summed upy zambezi!we may just have 1 or 2 patients to care but shucks!it,s in totality! you have to think fast on your feet not to lose the plot but it,s an honor to nurse these type of pts.

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Specializes in ICU.

Man, this thread just totally made me miss being an ICU nurse. I am a manager now, but am definitely signing up for a shift soon at my old job which I kept per diem. ICU nursing is exhilerating, but I got a bit burnt out, have been away 4 months and miss it!

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I am having to start my clinical placement as a nurse student in ICU and coronary care. What do I need to prepare or know. Pl suggest.

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Specializes in ICU.
dorie43rn said:
The best points of ICU nursing have been pointed out, but I need to make one more. Don't ever let anyone tell you, or think yourself, "How hard could taking care of 2 patients be?" I started on a busy med surg floor, and that is what I heard alot. Well let me tell you, I have been in the unit for over a year, and I am busier most times then I was on the floor! When you have a vented patient with all the drips, tube feeds, cdiff, ect, I run by butt off all day! So, get any notion out of your head two paitents would be a breeze, because it isn't! LOL:no:

I must say that is a pet peeve of mine, when I have worked places that let floor nurses float to ICU we always get the "wow this is so easy, only two patients" A lot of float nurses just do NOT get that ICU will give them the easiest most stable patients. They may get two overflow patients and think "love to come to ICU sit around all night". grrrrrr

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we snatch people out of the light......

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Specializes in CVICU, MSICU.
badness said:
we snatch people out of the light......

That just made my day...lol! Snatch em out of the light so they can come back and bring us cookies and other goodies...lol

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