Working as an ICU RN: Key personality traits and a typical shift

[@tinklestarpuff]

Thank you for getting to the point and not rambling! Great video!

[@renelle.s]

Haha thank you ;)

[@songbird3417]

Great call out on the importance of self-care. I have watched far too many nurses burn out or leave the ICU because they fail at self-care. Likely, this is one of the most overlooked areas of nursing. Yet, it is so incredibly important to preventing burnout. Keep making content, this is well done!

[@renelle.s]

Thank you so much for your feedback! I know, I've definitely fallen into the trap myself...especially working nights haha. It's hard to strike a balance in the critical care environment.

[@1997olly]

Hello, Renelle! My mother passed away a couple months ago while she was in the ICU. I have the utmost respect for all nurses for the hard work they do for their patients and patient's family members.

[@renelle.s]

Hey Oliver, I'm so sorry to hear about your mother and I hope her passing was peaceful. I hope you and your family were well taken care of while you were there.

[@Lemurai]

No lie despite all that it's still a better deal to be a critical care nurse and apply to a specialty school like CRNA than to become a physician. Especially if you're already older.

[@IronReef77]

Just started as an ICU Nurse and it's so crazy but I love it lol. Most of the pple on the unit have similar mindsets as far as loving to learn and very competitive. But yes very important to make sure you take good care of self or you wont last as long

[@renelle.s]

That's great you enjoy it!

[@IronReef77]

Sure thing, thanks!

[@juliosaenz1567]

Just accepted a new grad ICU position that I’ll be starting soon. This was very helpful!

[@preciousonuwa2073]

Such a great explanation from a smart nurse❤ I will be starting my first icu position as an icu nurse. I'm so glad I came across this video

[@Luckimee]

Of course I found you. Working in the NICU is my calling. Very calm under pressure but as a new mom I do have to remember to take care of myself. Thank you so much for what you do as well as helping others get into as well

[@renelle.s]

Aw! That's so exciting to hear you're interested in NICU, you must be quite busy with a little one. :)

[@meriahdinwiddie7808]

this amazing video has me feeling so prepared for my interviews in the NICU and PICU tomorrow. thanks!

[@kathrynhoke4830]

This video makes me so excited to become a nurse! (but first - nursing school! I just applied for it this semester! Wish me luck!)

[@renelle.s]

I'm so excited for you too! Best of luck!

[@shuuzipuuzi]

Love the information you provided, gives a great insight for new grads

[@renelle.s]

Thank you!

[@alexhoward1884]

This video was very helpful for me, you are very descriptive.

[@norman2255]

Great video maam...very inspiring

[@F30jo]

This was a helpful video.

[@jenny1962ify]

Amazing video!

[@bluelotus_]

Love your videos ! Very informative , thank you !

[@renelle.s]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching!

[@shoroku1101]

Is that the girl from “A goofy movie” but with black hair? Lol awesome video. Helpful. Going in tomorrow 0730am. Wish me luck!

[@emerson6779]

Thanks for sharing this!

[@renelle.s]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@OffhandAgent]

Medical Surgical Telemetry is very stressful. Wonder if I could handle ICU? Will see in time.

[@omgshutup1384]

Thank you for this video! I am a nursing student, I will be graduating next year. And I still have no clue what I wanna do when i graduate. So a glimpse into your day as an ICU nurse is great. My question/request is can you tell us what your self-care routine is for very stressful days or weeks?

[@renelle.s]

Great question Erin. If it's a tough shift, I love an epsom salt bath when I get home. Epsom salts are pretty cheap, you can get a big bag for like $5 on Amazon. I use 1 cup per bath, sometimes a few drops of essential oil if you have any laying around. I usually just sit in silence because my brain needs to quiet down, or put on a funny podcast. Other ideas: 1. Call a friend from work on your drive home to decompress. Your fellow nurses will always understand! 2. Treat yourself to a gentle yoga class (none of that heated/crazy stuff) or follow one at home on youtube or DoYogaWithMe 3. Get a cheap foot massage or chair massage (or get a lacrosse ball and roll your feet over it to work out any tight spots) 4. Warm eye pillows (in the bath or before bed...or BOTH!)

[@Rdizzle512]

Renelle Stayton fantastic relaxation techniques to decompress. Merci.

[@maicute07]

awesome!

[@RodrigorReyes123]

Thanks!

[@saYa-lx1tk]

Thanks for the video. I really like your organized video. I transfer my 10years RN carrier in Japan to Canada/US. Could you tell me how to study when you were a nursing student and NCLEX? Lookinf forward to your next video!

[@renelle.s]

Great question, I just posted a video today about NCLEX and gave my tips on there! You can check it out under my Nursing videos playlist under "NCLEX Hacks." In short: Tip #1: do 50-100 practice questions per day, read the rationales, focus on areas you're weak in. Tip #2: learn how to prioritize answers to optimize your results. Please see the video for full answers! Good luck and welcome to working in the US! (I'm Japanese and would love to work there someday!)

[@tracymonique4159]

Hi, I'm from South Africa and interested in studying nursing. I'm planning on doing my bachelor's degree in South Africa and then moving to the US to begin my RN career. How does it all work for nurses with foreign nursing degrees?

[@roxannenoriega5661]

Did you go straight into PICU/NICU or what was your previous experience?

[@hildaelson4203]

I don’t know much and never worked in healthcare services, but from observation I would say one would also need a good, strong mental health, as 50% of the patients in ICU would probably die.

[@jennifercampos9815]

love your videos! we subbed :)

[@renelle.s]

thank you!!

[@stanzavik]

Thank you Renelle. Very informative. And damn, you're beautiful! (How does this video have so few views??)

[@yvettefadahunsi4569]

After getting a bachelor in nursing, did you go on to do another degree to study intensive care

[@gandraswow]

Hello Eve, nurses can start in the ICU right after they get their bachelors and pass the NCLEX-RN(licensing exam for nurses)! That being said, many nurses choose to start in a less acute area to become comfortable and more confident as a nurse before starting work in the ICU. It really comes down to a person's preference, and whether or not they feel they can take on being new to both nursing and the ICU. But no, no additional degree is required to work in the ICU as long as you pass the NCLEX (there are even many associates degree nurses who work in ICU's, though they have a harder time starting in one)

[@tracymonique4159]

Which specialty do new grads typically go into?

[@renelle.s]

I don't know the stats, but my best guess is that new grads often start off on med-surg floors or skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). It depends what the need of the hospital or outpatient clinic is. ICU is harder to start off in, as some hospitals will only hire internally or will only hire nurses with prior experience. If you want to start in ICU, I recommend looking for a teaching hospital with an established new graduate training program for ICU.

[@yvettefadahunsi4569]

Do nurses just do checks of patients and give them their medicine and like blood transfusions and fluid transfusions?

[@darkoshmarko]

Eve Fadahunsi, nope there’s so much more to the job than that! It’s honestly hard to even list everything nurses do to care for their patients because there’s SO much!

[@sadafmanzoor478]

hi I am your new subscriber In my country people don't respect nurses so I get hurt and leave my field.. what should I do please help me..people thought nurses are not good they are characterless etc please help me how to overcome

[@saltylikesalineicurn]

Come to the US

[@Obekanobee]

What do you think made you lost qualified or most attractive to a pediatric program? Not necessarily ICU.

[@renelle.s]

Doing your senior capstone in pediatrics, volunteering on a pediatric unit, involving yourself in any type of pediatric unit in any capacity. History of working with kids (teaching, etc.) is also helpful to have on your resume.

[@pitchinyay209]

Goodness, MARRY ME.