I WAS AN ICU NURSE IN AN ADULT HOSPITAL FOR A YEAR. EACH RN WAS NEVER ASSIGNED MORE THAN TWO CRITICAL CARE PATIENTS….BUT THOSE TWO PATIENTS KEPT ME VERY BUSY!!
I LIKED THE CHALLENGES OF CRITICAL CARE, BUT HAD WORKED IN A PEDIATRIC ER BEFORE MOVING TO THE ADULT ICU AND IT TURNED OUT, I REALLY MISSED WORKING WITH KIDS. THE HEAD NURSE KNEW THAT AND ALWAYS ASSIGNED ME TO ANY PATIENT UNDER 18, WHICH I WELCOMED.
THERE WAS ALWAYS LOTS OF EQUIPMENT IN THE ROOMS FOR MONITORING OUR PATIENTS AND LOTS OF MEDS TO ADMINISTER. LUNCH WAS OFTEN LIGHT AND ONTHE FLY OR SKIPPED, SO I ALWAYS PACKED AN APPLE AND SOME CRACKERS TO EAT DURING THE FEW MINUTES OF DOWN TIME, OR WHILE CHARTING.
I WAS NEVER BORED IN THE ICU AND LOVED THE CHALLENGES OF CRITICAL CARE…BUT AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF, I REALIZED MY HEART BELONGED IN PEDIATRICS AND I MOVED BACK TO OUR CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL AND WORKED WITH KIDS WITH CANCER. I ALSO RETURNED TO NIGHT SCHOOL AND BECAME CERTIFIED AS A SCHOOL NURSE. ONCE I HAD THAT CERTIFICATION I FINISHED UP MY CAREER AS A 20 YEAR SCHOOL NURSE. (AND LOVED HAVING THE SUMMERS, HOLIDAYS AND SNOW DAYS OFF WITH MY KIDS!!!)
You never know what it will be like. You have to be on your toes every second. You might have a stable patient and have to transfer them out with 5 minutes notice to take an admit from the emergency room. The sickest of the sick- suicide attempts, burns, codes are just a normal thing although you never quite get used to it. There’s a lot of equipment to become familiar with, but you learn a lot.
