in which i pretend i am an ICU nurse, AGAIN

yeah yeah yeah, my patients are sick and there are lots of them and only one of me and i get people who really should be in the ICU for closer monitoring.  i know i'm a big whiner.    

but SERIOUSLY.  where do you draw the line?

when you have 4 different oxygen delivery devices at bedside and have to keep switching back and forth 234234 times during the shift?  ok, 93% means we can go to the high flow nasal cannula, yay!  then 79% after turning...boo...back to the simple mask.  still only 85% on 10 liters?  guess it's back to the nonrebreather again.  91% on 15 liters...what a nice stable floor patient.  

i'm talking q 15 minute checks on this patient for 10 hours.

continuous pulse ox...yeah know i'm not supposed to do that but it's my "ICU" and i can do what i want to.

constant cheerleading to "take nice deep breaths" and "cough that out" and "iiiiiiiiiin through your nose".

and 3 other patients with needs.  you know, like to see my face every once in awhile.

i'll tell you right now, i love this stuff.  i like the critical thinking and the stat labs and scans and i like it when the doctors actually get concerned about something and prove that they are not indeed robots, as i sometimes believe.  

but i would like to do all that without neglecting the other 75% of my patient assignment.  and i would like the doctors to respect my opinion, like in the ICU.  and i'd take more money for my trouble.  

just saying.