Awful hospital story, @compmom. 
But I can well believe it. Ugh!! Totally agree with everything you wrote.
@compmom, as a former ICU nurse, I am stunned to hear that an ICU nurse claimed to have never had a patient with type 1 diabetes in 30 years of practice. DM type 1s were followed very closely in our units; I just cannot imagine an ICU environment such as you describe. Completely unacceptable.
Our experiences have been consistent across the board, several hospitals, not just one experience. What do you mean by “followed closely” and did your ICU use a pump? I am talking about major, famous urban academic hospitals.