#nurselife

The ups and downs of being an RN in an intensive care unit

[sarcasticbabywhispererjess]

In the hospital we give A LOT of drugs...

[icu-nurse]

That awkward moment

when someone tells you they have a friend in your ICU and you can't say anything but all you think "I've totally seen your friend's penis" 😂😂

[lestateur]

[badassbitchachas-deactivated201]

When all you want to do is sleep after a long shift and the phone and/or the door keep ringing.

[sarcasticbabywhispererjess]

For those of us that choose the night shift...

[nursingistheshit]

What my day is like when the night shift nurse is lazy

[daebakfiesta]

I used to think the same thing, until I started working night shift after working days for 3 years because I relocated. Night shift pace is different, but it’s not easy. And I’ve learned that a lot of the problems that happen during night shift (minus life threatening emergencies, changes in status, etc.) won’t be rectified by on call physicians because they’re not as familiar with the plan of care so they’re hesitant (or sometimes they’re busy covering 60+ patients and admitting new ones). Also patients don’t always sleep at night yo.and no one answers your call lights except you because you don’t have additional staff. Believe it or not, we get left shit, too. Going to nights from days has been humbling. And if anything, all shifts feel this way. It’s the nature of the beast we call nursing.

This of course doesn’t mean that you have colleagues who may be less proactive, but I, of course, am speaking in general.

[nursingistheshit]

Just a quick note… I’m not hating on night shift here! I never thought about how difficult night shift must be until I got stuck late one night charting until almost 10pm, and I realized how isolated and alone the night shift must feel sometimes.  You have to work close with your nurse buddies, because you’re basically on your own til morning.  I definitely don’t want anyone to think that I trash talk night shift, because on our unit our night shifters are kickass. 

With one exception.

We have one nurse on nights that day shift bickers about who has to pick up her patients because they are consistently a hot mess. There’s always one.

[icu-nurse]

There's always one on both shifts no one wants report from. I've been night shift my whole career and pride myself on NOT being that nurse.

[caringintensely]

Dedicated to the MD who called us hospital nurses “glorified babysitters.”

[icu-nurse]

Real nursing problems

Working over the holidays is a must for a nurse. I worked Christmas Eve night and Christmas night, and my family lives hours away. Needless to say I spent my Christmas outside of work alone. It was rough. I cried on my way home Christmas morning and when I read my mom's Christmas card to me. But I also had one patient's wife tell me that I helped make this not her worst Christmas despite her husband being in the ICU, and helped her when she couldn't stop worrying at 1 AM. It's a good reminder of why we do what we do. Because people need comfort and care and a smile when they're sick when they least want to be. Nurses are the difference and if anyone tells you different they've never been truly sick.

[alexanderhamiltonisthebottom]

[icu-nurse]

Me and my patient tonight 😐

[queen-b-1995-deactivated2024121]

[icu-nurse]

When your non-compliant CHF and ESRD patient tells you that you're going to kill her with fluid from flushing her IVs 🙄

[uptomyeyeballs]

That bullet wound you operated on has become infected, with sepsis.

Medicine according to TV

(via futurekelsomd)

[kristenwiiggle]

[icu-nurse]

In the middle of your shift

[h0odrich]

[icu-nurse]

When I go go work

[laurbaer]

When you call for a critical ABG and the doctor just wants to try BiPap

[umbillicus]

[nurselaughsstat]

Walking into work and seeing the floor is fully staffed

[nursingistheshit]

When pharmacy and lab keep calling about one of my patients