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Original poster

I’m an ICU nurse, AMA

131 replies

Pinkplasticbathcup · 22/02/2023 15:28

I guess there may have been a few of these a couple of years ago, but in case anyone’s got any more questions

OP posts:

Destiny123 · 24/02/2023 06:12

MoserRothOrangeandAlmond · 22/02/2023 22:25

I'm laughing at the question... do you think you are better than other nurses?
The thing is ICU nursing and A&E nursing are the 'trendy' nursing jobs. As OP has said that when people ask what they do, they say ICU nurse not just I'm a nurse.
I remember as a student these were the places that people wanted to work in.

Whereas I wanted to work in gastro medicine. In the hospital A&E, theatres and ICU/HDU mainly keep themselves to themselves.
Interesting in the view of the ICU reg stating that the knowledge from
ICU nurses were better. As a nurse isn't my experience. As pp have said there are a lot of different specialities and ICU is a very specialised area no therefore knowledgeable about that specific area.

Now I'm a nurse practitioner in the community (working autonomously, no back up at all, no doctors, no scans/X-rays)
When random people ask what my job is a lot of the time I don't want to be identified as everyone tries to get me to diagnose ailments. Therefore I say that I'm an Occupational therapist as not a lot of people know the ins and outs of that job therefore stop asking questions.

The divide is phenomenal between ward nurse knowledge and icu nurse knowledge (obviously more when band 6/7 vs relatively new icu nurses), I've worked in 14 hospitals (8 icus) and in most instances I talk to icu nurses nearly identical to drs with a little explanation on rationales for stuff. Ward nurses you have to be a lot more specific, their comprehension of speed of interventions needing to happen isn't there often, managing sick people, disease pathology just is so different. I've been to so many situations (not appropriate to repeat on a forum) which have issues. It's just a totally different environment they're in though. I haven't worked on a normal ward properly (beyond scoop and retrieve patients for 9 years though so only get a small snippet of their world (and I really don't envy their staffing levels)

Destiny123 · 24/02/2023 06:18

Pinkplasticbathcup · 23/02/2023 07:19

Well it seems as if @Destiny123 has taken over and answered most of the questions for me!
I’ve met a few doctors like that….

I’ll work my way through and answer any others throughout the day. Thanks for engaging everyone and thanks to everyone who has thanked me, on behalf of all ICU nurses xxx

I'll leave you to it, I was only trying to help you as there were so many, (in particularly the ones you don't get involved with like who we admit or not

YellowMonday · 24/02/2023 06:44

No questions, just a huge thanks for doing what you do. My dad nearly died 5 years ago, and the ICU nurses were incredible. 15 days in ICU (10 in a coma), and not only did the nurses care for him but the empathy towards me was so unexpected.

I was there alone with no immediate family to be allowed in (my mum died 9 years ago, only child, and single at the time), and the nurses really looked after me; even walking me out of the unit where family or friends were waiting to take me home each night.

DesertRose64 · 24/02/2023 06:53

Notagainst · 22/02/2023 21:19

Thank you for all you do. I've only been in intensive care once and have very hazy memories of it.
Can I ask you a question please. I'm booked in for surgery in a couple of weeks and have been told that I'll be in intensive care for a few days after the surgery. Is it normal to have a stay in intensive care booked in advance like this?

If it helps, I knew beforehand that would be in intensive care following my last 2 surgeries. It just meant they knew I woukd need a little bit of extra looking after. One period was for 48 hours and the other was for 2 hours.

GreatBigBeautifulTommorow · 24/02/2023 07:06

@Destiny123 I agree with this “it’s just a totally different environment they are in”I’ve been that ward nurse caring for 15 patients with various IV infusions/ drugs/O2/ deteriorating patient/falls risk/ ward round/ discharges/ care needs plus coordinating the ward and supporting junior staff.
I have specialist knowledge and would love to give patient 1:1 excellent care, when something doesn’t get done please don’t think we don’t care/are incompetent…..we are over stretched.

this thread has made me sad.
ICU staff are amazing but everyone else is also doing their best in extremely difficult conditions.

Botw1 · 24/02/2023 08:20

@Destiny123

Oh dfod

All nurses are (or should be, unless you've been spectacularly unlucky in your 14 hospitals) fully aware of the importance of early intervention for deteriorating pts.

IME it's getting doctors to take nurses concerns seriously and act appropriately that leads to problems.

I thought that paternalistic patronising view of the Nurse / doctor relationship was becoming a thing of the past. Apparently only if you work in ITU.

There's an old joke, be nice to the nurses. It's them who stop the doctors from killing you....

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