Welcome to the Jungle

Wow. This makes me so comfortable about wanting to pursue a career on "The Unit". Thanks for sharing your experiences.

Then there are the 'super sick': 3 or 4 stacks of pumps (yes, stacks), vent., CVVH, IABP, ECMO, heating blanket, perhaps with an open chest (yes, open) with a retractor in there because the lungs are too swolen with fluid overload to close 'em up after open heart surgery, as well as being paralyzed and sedated. NO TURNING. Two nurses (or more) on this one. One is the 'mechanic' keeping up with the machines, hanging blood, swapping out IV bags - the other doing the assessments, talking to the docs, family. So much equipment in the room that you have to remind yourself that indeed, there IS a patient in that bed somewhere. Even if you're in there only one or two shifts of their long stay, and they have no knowledge of the hours you sweated in labor to care for them, there is a definite feeling of pride and accomplishment over your part of their recovery as you see them sitting in the chair eating their breakfast a month later.

The days on the unit... I worked Trauma, neurosurgical and general surgery ICU. Jamming 10units of PRBC's, FFPn ventric drains, bolts, floating SWAN GANZ catheters... It's nothing like a fresh trauma and doing bed side surgeries. OSCILLATORS (jet ventilators)after you hit the HIGH PEEP pressures up to 20 and if you disconnect, LAWD!!! The teamwork is nothing like it. We're a lil cliquish but it's because we all seen life and death with each other and the new person has to prove themselves to feel comfortable with a patient on the brink of death.

I have loved the unit the moment I walked in. Trauma OMG, love the team work, love helping the pt overcome the most horrific injuries or hold someone's hand so they don't die alone, holding families tight as they see the effects for the first time.. I don't see myself leave for a long time, as much as I dislike some things, I am there for a reason. OP, thanks, you did a beautiful job writing this

I have really been missing The Unit lately. I started fly career floating and ended up there a few months later and continued on for 4 and a half years. I left due to family commitments. I recently was doing inservicing in a major hospital over here and was on The U it and I wanted to just jump in. The sound of the monitor was SOOTHING to me. I'll never forget many of my patients. But there was the one end stage breast CA on HD patient who went into flash pulmonary edema who grabbed my hand and said " I'm scared, Gineen, please don't let me die"She got intubated but did not die in her course on the unit. About a year later I googled her and found her obituary. In the obituary they actually thanked the nurses of our hospital. I remember a young cop who came in on the brink of death in septic shock. I was his primary night nurse, requested by his family when I was on shift. I'll never forget all the ups and downs we had with him. He made it with the loss of a foot and almost a hand. It turns out my ex sil's husband knows him and says he's doing well to this day, still working on the force although behind a deskI miss like heck being a part of a great team and making such a difference in patients and families lives.Ahhhhhh.

As much as I love my psych patients and am actually looking forward to trying LTC, I'm so fearful that I'll never have this experience because of the career choices I've already made. There's a big part of me that would love to do ER...but I'm so scared that I'll never be strong enough or get the chance.

I had such fear the first time I stepped on the unit. I never, and I mean NEVER, wanted to work anything with "really sick" patients. I thought my true love was postpartum. I am passionate about breast feeding and love to teach so I figured new moms were a great match for me. I never got the opportunity to even see if postpartum was a match for me. I graduated and went straight to the unit and have been in love ever since. I love to walk in to a room with every drip imaginable, ventilator, IABP, lines and tubes everywhere, a nice wound just for good measure, and a family and/or patient who wants to be educated about all that is going on. Even better is when the primary doc is a realist, too. I love to help patients heal. On the flip side, I also love to help the patient and family through the journey to death if that is the inevitable result. It is truly a privilege to be allowed to help during such stressful and intimate moments in someone's life or death.

Aw viva . You brought back so many memories I had when working in acute care. Sometimes I miss working on the "unit". I recently started in ob and love it !!!!

my friends who tried LTC completely despised it. I mean to each it's own but your a compassionate person say know.

Quote from NursetasticI had such fear the first time I stepped on the unit. I never, and I mean NEVER, wanted to work anything with "really sick" patients. I thought my true love was postpartum. I am passionate about breast feeding and love to teach so I figured new moms were a great match for me. I never got the opportunity to even see if postpartum was a match for me. I graduated and went straight to the unit and have been in love ever since. I love to walk in to a room with every drip imaginable, ventilator, IABP, lines and tubes everywhere, a nice wound just for good measure, and a family and/or patient who wants to be educated about all that is going on. Even better is when the primary doc is a realist, too. I love to help patients heal. On the flip side, I also love to help the patient and family through the journey to death if that is the inevitable result. It is truly a privilege to be allowed to help during such stressful and intimate moments in someone's life or death.

Welcome to the Jungle is so right. I worked ICU, and, one day, an unstable patient arrived on our unit from the ER. Suddenly he started spewing blood from his mouth. Bright red blood, heavy clots: The man was exsanguinating from esophogeal varices.Blood was all over the floor (we were slipping in it) and the Doctor inserted a Blakemore tube to tamponade the varices. We then did gastric lavage with ice cold water. The man survived for a few more days, long enough for his family to say goodbye.Then there was the girl (young) who was stabbed by another girl over a mutual boyfriend. She ended up in the pulmonary ICU with ARDS. She was intubated, on PEEP, constantly monitored. She had massive infections because of the stabbing. The Respiratory Therapists at this medical center were fantastic. The girl who was stabbed spent weeks in the pulmonary ICU and was finally deemed healthy enough to go home. That was a beautiful day.

amazing. I am going to start my path on becoming an RN in sep. but didnt kno what field to take. you just described exactly what i want to do. we need more nurses like you,and i can only hope . Hats off.