Anyone else work in the adult ICU?  (and what do u like about it). I like the 1:1 care (I used to work on a tele floor, I felt like I got no 'quality' time with the patients.)

Work in ICU at a VA hospital..Shoot me..in 18 yrs the only 1:1 pts I have had are suicide watches.. HAHAHA...true.  I dont mind 2 pts though.  always another nurse to pitch in and we as a team pull it off every time.  like my job like my co-workers, trust them with my pts life if Im at lunch.  Yehaa!!! 

didirn04 says ...

I didn't mean directly 1:1 pt/nurse ratio.   I meant it has 'more care direct contact' w/ the patient. (no, in reality it's like 1:2 (or sometimes 1:3 pt/nurse ratio).

I was going to say where do you work because I am transfering. 

Since graduation I have worked in adult ICUs, both Surgical and Neuro.  It is a different kind of busy than med-surg b/c instead of getting to your 4-6 patients in med-surg, assessing, passing meds to them on time, seeing that trays are passed, etc, in the ICU you are constantly assessing (sometimes hourly or every two hours depending on the situation and type of pt), you are documenting vitals q20mins if they're on vasopressors, while still trying to stay on schedule with everything else including listening to rounds, prepping for procedures, etc....

It sounds like a good gig...1:1 or 1:2 but it's just another type of busy. 

Things can go badly quickly in med-surg just as they can in the ICU.  Time management is just as important in both areas for that reason so that no patient is left without attention too long.