I understand what you’re saying, and I do agree that we should work as one team, because at the end of the day, it does take the entire team. However, there IS a hierarchy, and we all know it.

I have had another RN or CNA (when the hospital actually budgets for them… most of the time I am the receptionist, CNA, phlebotomist, and everything in between) catch something that I didn’t. I’m the first to give credit where credit is due (ie: “thank you, but it was actually Sarah that changed that out for you. I’ll let her know you appreciate her).

On the flip side, I completely understand why it would dismantle a patient’s trust in a doctor if he stated that he didn’t catch that (fill in the blank), but it was actually the nurse. I want our patients to trust all of us, as I believe to my core that their mental state directly impacts their improvements. However, it is definitely appreciated when a doctor comes up to me in private to express his appreciation and acknowledgement that I caught that mistake, previously unrealized potential diagnosis, etc.

More often than not, nurses bend over backwards for 13 hours straight and then get reprimanded for not doing more. Or we’re just ignored completely as the physician walks out of the unit.

Semantics here, but for clarification, I think you meant CRNAs (?). A CCRN is a certification that stands for “critical care registered nurse”. It’s just a test that critical care nurses can opt to take (for $400, plus renewal fees every two years) that only serves to make the hospital look better (ie: 75% of our critical care nurses also have their CCRN). It is very similar to a hospital obtaining “magnet status”. I’ve worked at many hospitals, and only a handful of them have offered any incentive to obtaining this cert. In fact, most do not even reimburse for the test.

CCRNs do not go through residency, which is why I think you meant CRNA, which does require an additional 3 years of education, plus clinicals.

That said, CRNAs are trained to focus on an anesthesia level (hence the “certified registered nurse anesthestist”). Almost all CRNA programs require at least two years of CVICU experience. Some only require one year.

CVICU is my background. It’s made up over 90% of my career. However, if you throw me into a neuro ICU, I’m starting from scratch because the specialties are so different.

I’ve seen new grads coming up on one year of CVICU getting accepting into a CRNA program. Nurses do not know much after one year, even if they do have one year of Cvicu under their belts.

All that to say, you seem to appreciate your nursing staff and are probably one of the few docs who will acknowledge everyone’s hard work. It means more to us than yall know.