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Sorry, I somehow missed answering this when you posted it.
The burn unit is an extraordinary place to get experience. You pediatrics to geriatrics, fighting death by the moment to going home tomorrow. a very broad spectrum of nursing skills and care are required. I went there straight out of school and it was invaluable for me.
However, after 2 1/2 years, I was looking for something a little more specific; namely, ADULT and CRITICAL CARE. I love children, but it is hard to care for the sick ones who can't understand why you are hurting them. And I'd much rather hang liters of fluid all night long to keep someone's pressure out of the 70's than to fetch juice and crackers and help people to the toilet.
I've recently learned that there is yet another disadvantage to an isolated unit. There is no one in the room but you and the patient and family many times. If you have a "hostile" family who is looking for ways to make trouble, it becomes your word against theirs. In my unit, which is an open ICU, the families seem more appreciative and are much less likely to point fingers at the staff (though it still happens occasionally) because there are so many other people around to see/hear the truth.
Don't get me wrong, if there is a slack/incompetent nurse in the mix, I wouldn't blame anybody who complained. The difficulty is when you really put everything you have into caring for someone so sick, and the family doesn't realize that their anger comes from the desperation of the situation and it shouldn't be focused on people who are there, doing their very best, to help.
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