--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The ICU was not the thrill ride I had…" description: "\"“The ICU was not the thrill ride I had expected. Turns out, they never called the high school student in from the reception desk to assist the doctors ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b19/caitlin-doughty-12025_adventure_the-icu-was-not-the-thrill-ride-i-had-ex_903156.jpg" --- # The ICU was not the thrill ride I had expected. Turns out… ![“The ICU was not the thrill ride I had expected. Turns out, they never called the high school student in from the reception desk to assist the doctors in lifesaving procedures. Instead, the job entailed hours of watching incredibly worried families wander in and out of the waiting room to use the…” quote by Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b19/caitlin-doughty-12025_adventure_the-icu-was-not-the-thrill-ride-i-had-ex_903156.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b19/caitlin-doughty-12025_adventure_the-icu-was-not-the-thrill-ride-i-had-ex_903156.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b19/caitlin-doughty-12025_adventure_the-icu-was-not-the-thrill-ride-i-had-ex_903156.jpg) > ““The ICU was not the thrill ride I had expected. Turns out, they never called the high school student in from the reception desk to assist the doctors in lifesaving procedures. Instead, the job entailed hours of watching incredibly worried families wander in and out of the waiting room to use the restroom and retrieve cups of coffee.”” [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The ICU is not an exciting adventure but a place of waiting, anxiety, and mundane tasks rather than heroic medical action. **In simple terms:** ICU work is often dull and emotionally heavy, not thrilling. Key Takeaway Recognize the reality of caregiving roles. Themes caregiving hospital empathy Mood reflective somber Type personal narrative observational When to use this quote - hospital shifts - volunteer work - family support - emergency response Key Concepts mortality patient care family dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do you cope with emotional strain in caregiving? - What expectations did you have before entering the ICU? A Different Perspective The quote may overgeneralize; experiences differ across units and cultures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) ## Related quotes > [Democrats have always historically referred to our families as working families, and I have sort of changed that moniker. I think what we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-vilsack/democrats-have-always-historically-referred-to-our-families-as/) [Tom Vilsack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-vilsack/) > [Death is the waiting-room where we robe ourselves for immortality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/death-is-the-waiting-room-where-we-robe-ourselves-for-immortality/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [What I tell everybody is that I take good care of myself and I have the body of a 20-year-old... waiting for me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soupy-sales/what-i-tell-everybody-is-that-i-take-good-care-of-myself-and-i-have/) [Soupy Sales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soupy-sales/) > [“Kale Emerson?” Ronnie said, scanning the waiting room. There were only two people there, one was Harold’s intern who was waiting to do his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelsie-leverich/kale-emerson-ronnie-said-scanning-the-waiting-room-there-were-only/) [Kelsie Leverich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelsie-leverich/) > [“..."the waiting-room atmosphere in which death was the delayed train...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-st-aubyn/the-waiting-room-atmosphere-in-which-death-was-the-delayed-train/) [Edward St. Aubyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-st-aubyn/) > [“Life is a mere waiting room in which we spend time before entering into the void.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pitigrilli/life-is-a-mere-waiting-room-in-which-we-spend-time-before-entering/) [Pitigrilli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pitigrilli/) > [“Gloomy room immersed in a scent of modern cowards filled with shapeless creatures sitting in silence because they have nothing to say Fake plastic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asper-blurry/gloomy-room-immersed-in-a-scent-of-modern-cowards-filled-with/) [Asper Blurry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asper-blurry/) > [I hate the waiting room. Because it's called the waiting room, there's no chance of not waiting. It's built, designed, and intended for waiting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/i-hate-the-waiting-room-because-it-s-called-the-waiting-room-there-s/) [Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/) > [“The world is like a waiting room in a railway station; it is not your house. You are not going to remain in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/the-world-is-like-a-waiting-room-in-a-railway-station-it-is-not-your/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [“They walked off down the hall in the direction of a sign that said Colored Waiting Room. Billie guessed white folks didn't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-hussey/they-walked-off-down-the-hall-in-the-direction-of-a-sign-that-said/) [Elaine Hussey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-hussey/) > [Great. I'd been dumped in Hell's waiting room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-chance/great-i-d-been-dumped-in-hell-s-waiting-room/) [Karen Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-chance/) > [“They have the impression that between launches, we pretty much sit around in a waiting room in Houston trying to catch our breath before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/they-have-the-impression-that-between-launches-we-pretty-much-sit/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [“That's life you know? It is all one big waiting room. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad. And then, like you, sometimes it's great.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-jones/that-s-life-you-know-it-is-all-one-big-waiting-room-sometimes-it-s/) [Patrick Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-jones/) > [There are like twenty people in that waiting room right now. Some of them are related to you. Some of them are not. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/there-are-like-twenty-people-in-that-waiting-room-right-now-some-of/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [“The room had the impersonal, disconnected feel of a waiting room on Jupiter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-spollen/the-room-had-the-impersonal-disconnected-feel-of-a-waiting-room-on/) [Anne Spollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-spollen/) ## More by Caitlin Doughty > [“Dead people look very, very dead. It is difficult to grasp what that means, since it’s unlikely that any of us will stumble across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/dead-people-look-very-very-dead-it-is-difficult-to-grasp-what-that/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“The most salacious stories—bones ground in a metal blender or torture-spike eye caps—had the power to disrupt people’s polite complacency about death. Rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/the-most-salacious-stories-bones-ground-in-a-metal-blender-or-torture/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“We do not (and will not) have the resources to properly care for our increasing elderly population, yet we insist on medical intervention to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/we-do-not-and-will-not-have-the-resources-to-properly-care-for-our/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“He explained that he talks about death "all the time" with his friends. They ask each other, "Hey, what you want when you die?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/he-explained-that-he-talks-about-death-all-the-time-with-his-friends/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“Many children and grandchildren of immigrants, have, like Sarah, found themselves severed from their family’s cultural rituals. The funeral system in the United States…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/many-children-and-grandchildren-of-immigrants-have-like-sarah-found/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“I have come to believe that the merits of a death custom are not based on mathematics (e.g., 36.7 percent a "barbarous act"), but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/i-have-come-to-believe-that-the-merits-of-a-death-custom-are-not/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“It was death that the public was being cheated out of by the funeral industry, not money. The realistic interaction with death and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/it-was-death-that-the-public-was-being-cheated-out-of-by-the-funeral/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“Exposing a young child to the realities of love and death is far less dangerous than exposing them to the lie of the happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/exposing-a-young-child-to-the-realities-of-love-and-death-is-far-less/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“Rather than let author and environmentalist Edward Abbey be buried in a traditional cemetery, his friends stole his body, wrapped it in a sleeping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/rather-than-let-author-and-environmentalist-edward-abbey-be-buried-in/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“Death should be known. Known as a difficult mental, physical, and emotional process, respected and feared for what it is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/death-should-be-known-known-as-a-difficult-mental-physical-and/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“Untreated, a dead person’s face looks horrific, at least by our very narrow cultural expectations. Their droopy, open eyes cloud over in a vacant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/untreated-a-dead-person-s-face-looks-horrific-at-least-by-our-very/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“It is worth noting that the main players in the recomposition project are women—scientists, anthropologists, lawyers, architects. Educated women, who have the privilege to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/it-is-worth-noting-that-the-main-players-in-the-recomposition-project/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“Death might appear to destroy the meaning in our lives, but in fact it is the very source of our creativity. As Kafka said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/death-might-appear-to-destroy-the-meaning-in-our-lives-but-in-fact-it/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“As a general rule, if anyone ever asks you to put stockings on a ninety-year-old deceased Romanian woman with edema, your answer should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/as-a-general-rule-if-anyone-ever-asks-you-to-put-stockings-on-a/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“There is not much to enjoy in a layer of inorganic human bone dusted behind one’s ear or gathered underneath a fingernail,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/there-is-not-much-to-enjoy-in-a-layer-of-inorganic-human-bone-dusted/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) [Explore all 56 Caitlin Doughty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) ## More Adventure quotes > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/) [Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) Jessica Yu > [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/) Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/) [Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/) > [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/) Kevin McLeod > [“It always gave Wolf a peculiar thrill thus to tighten his grip upon his stick, thus to wrap himself more closely in his faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-always-gave-wolf-a-peculiar-thrill-thus-to-tighten-his-grip-upon/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. What did people mean, with their simply determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-all-had-to-be-squeezed-and-squeezed-again-to-provide-a-thrill-to/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [I am not an adventurous person but I am gutsy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-vaidya/i-am-not-an-adventurous-person-but-i-am-gutsy/) [Rahul Vaidya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-vaidya/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) [Browse all 7,690 Adventure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The ICU was not the thrill ride I had expected. Turns out, they never called the high school student in from the reception desk to assist the doctors in lifesaving procedures. Instead, the job entailed hours of watching incredibly worried families wander in and out of the waiting room to use the restroom and retrieve cups of coffee.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Caitlin Doughty" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/the-icu-was-not-the-thrill-ride-i-had-expected-turns-out-they-never/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adventure" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/the-icu-was-not-the-thrill-ride-i-had-expected-turns-out-they-never/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b19/caitlin-doughty-12025_adventure_the-icu-was-not-the-thrill-ride-i-had-ex_903156.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b19/caitlin-doughty-12025_adventure_the-icu-was-not-the-thrill-ride-i-had-ex_903156.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b19/caitlin-doughty-12025_adventure_the-icu-was-not-the-thrill-ride-i-had-ex_903156.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The ICU was not the thrill ride I had expected. Turns out, they never called the high school student in from…” — Caitlin Doughty", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Caitlin Doughty", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The ICU was not the thrill...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/the-icu-was-not-the-thrill-ride-i-had-expected-turns-out-they-never/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/the-icu-was-not-the-thrill-ride-i-had-expected-turns-out-they-never/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```