Looking to Shadow an ICU Nurse

U.S.A. California

Published

Hello,

I am a graduate nurse trying to gain exposure to the ICU. I have my RN license, but no job at the moment. I have been applying to a lot of places and was just turned down by UCLA due to not having enough exposure to the ICU in comparison to other candidates.

I am trying to make myself more competitive because I really want to work in an ICU. I live in the Riverside, CA area, but I would be willing to pretty much drive anywhere within an hour or two from me (Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Torrance etc.)

I would be willing to shadow any hours and any schedule. I just desperately need to gain some experience so I can hopefully get the next ICU RN job that I apply to. I am really flexible as to how much or little time you are willing to offer.

I would appreciate any help or leads that you can offer. Or if you have any other recommendations for me, I would appreciate them.

Thank you!

Anastasia

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Hello there,

Check this course out:

http://nursing.iupui.edu/continuing/courses/adultcare.shtml

I do not have any personal insight into this course but I am highly interested in registering for it in the near future. I figure that no hospital will allow a lone nurse to shadow another nurse in ICU without clear documentation that this is for educational purposes or for training employees so I will be willing to fork out $800 (once I have it lol!).

Some continuing education companies also offer critical care courses. They are usually from the American Association of Critical-care Nursing and cost $500+. I have a couple bookmarked if you are interested.

If you get a job at a hospital, see if they offer critical care courses. This is one of the things I am SUPER pumped about with my new job. I will be taking a critical care course as part of the new grad program... for free too!

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

I have to agree. I don't think you can just randomly follow a nurse around without some documentation in regards to the hospital. I would contact different hospitals and see what they can suggest.

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Hello there,

Check this course out:

http://nursing.iupui.edu/continuing/courses/adultcare.shtml

I do not have any personal insight into this course but I am highly interested in registering for it in the near future. I figure that no hospital will allow a lone nurse to shadow another nurse in ICU without clear documentation that this is for educational purposes or for training employees so I will be willing to fork out $800 (once I have it lol!).

Some continuing education companies also offer critical care courses. They are usually from the American Association of Critical-care Nursing and cost $500+. I have a couple bookmarked if you are interested.

If you get a job at a hospital, see if they offer critical care courses. This is one of the things I am SUPER pumped about with my new job. I will be taking a critical care course as part of the new grad program... for free too!

Hi, thanks for the info. I have seen that course at Indiana State. It looks great. But, do you think the clinical option has to be completed in Indiana? Have you spoken to the school about that?

I have also seen a critical care course in Los Angeles area at the California School of Health Sciences: http://cshs.edu/index.php?module=courses&id=5d8b8e38cd26300b5eb99029c8dbf0c2

It is several days in length and provides critical care certification, but there is no clinical component, which is what I really need. I actually told the ICU unit director at UCLA that I am enrolled in this program (when I haven't enrolled yet). But, she didn't really seem interested in that. It didn't seem to have any bearing on my qualification. She seemed more focused on how much time on spent on an ICU floor. I had several clinical rotations on the ICU floor during my nursing program (in advanced medical surgical nursing), as well as in Pediatrics (PICU/NICU). But, I did my preceptorship in an Emergency Room. I wish I could have done this in an ICU. I bet this would have provided the exposure I needed to be competitive.

Anastasia

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Hi,

That course by Indiana State is looking really good to me. I am really thinking about registering. But, do you have any idea how I can find a preceptor in an ICU? Should I contact Unit Directors of hospitals near me?

Here are more details about the requirements for the preceptor and clinical site.

Practicum site selection. When selecting clinical sites for

your experience, the following criteria should be kept in mind:

  • ƒ Availability of preceptors with a minimum of 3 years of experience and preferably with at least a baccalaureate degree.
  • ƒ A written contract between the clinical site and IU School of Nursing (This is up to the hospital. Sometimes it is not needed).
  • ƒ A critical care unit where the patient selection of critical care health problems are available in order for you to meet the course competencies.
  • ƒ All sites are subject to approval of IU School of Nursing, The Office of Lifelong Learning and the online teacher facilitator

http://nursing.iupui.edu/continuing/courses/documents/ACCPracticumChecklistforWeb2010_000.pdf

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The course requires that

liability insurance be obtained prior to the course start as well. Do you know of any companies that offer this for nurses?

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Hi, thanks for the info. I have seen that course at Indiana State. It looks great. But, do you think the clinical option has to be completed in Indiana? Have you spoken to the school about that?

I have also seen a critical care course in Los Angeles area at the California School of Health Sciences: http://cshs.edu/index.php?module=courses&id=5d8b8e38cd26300b5eb99029c8dbf0c2

It is several days in length and provides critical care certification, but there is no clinical component, which is what I really need. I actually told the ICU unit director at UCLA that I am enrolled in this program (when I haven't enrolled yet). But, she didn't really seem interested in that. It didn't seem to have any bearing on my qualification. She seemed more focused on how much time on spent on an ICU floor. I had several clinical rotations on the ICU floor during my nursing program (in advanced medical surgical nursing), as well as in Pediatrics (PICU/NICU). But, I did my preceptorship in an Emergency Room. I wish I could have done this in an ICU. I bet this would have provided the exposure I needed to be competitive.

Anastasia

Hello anastasia,

Thanks for the link! I will check it out.

I will answer your other questions in another post. I will be back on AN tonight.

Did you apply to the UCLA new grad program? Which ICUs? Congratulations on getting as far as an interview because I did not even make the first cut. Ah well. For what it is worth, I did my preceptorship in a CCU but "only" have an ADN so I knew from the start I would not be an super competitive candidate.

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The course requires that

liability insurance be obtained prior to the course start as well. Do you know of any companies that offer this for nurses?

I have always used Nurses Service Organization. Most people seem to go with this company.

http://www.nso.com/

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Thanks for the link cuddleswithpuddles (what a cute name by the way). I tried calling a few hospitals in the Riverside area today to find a preceptor but, got a few different ways of being turned down. Ie. We only preceptor current employees or we only preceptor for local schools that we already have agreements with...

I would hope Indiana State would be more helpful finding placements for people who register. I called them and left a message. Hopefully, I will get some leads or help from them at least.

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Hello anastasia,

Thanks for the link! I will check it out.

I will answer your other questions in another post. I will be back on AN tonight.

Did you apply to the UCLA new grad program? Which ICUs? Congratulations on getting as far as an interview because I did not even make the first cut. Ah well. For what it is worth, I did my preceptorship in a CCU but "only" have an ADN so I knew from the start I would not be an super competitive candidate.

Hi,

Yes, I interviewed with UCLA in the Liver Transplant ICU. I know I aced the interview questions because I had practiced possible answers for a long time before the interview. I got a really good vibe during the interview too and felt I had a good chance at the job. But, was sad to discover the UD had chosen other candidates with more ICU experience. I probably would have gotten a job if I had of interviewed in ER since I did my preceptorship there.... :/

Ana

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Thanks for the link cuddleswithpuddles (what a cute name by the way). I tried calling a few hospitals in the Riverside area today to find a preceptor but, got a few different ways of being turned down. Ie. We only preceptor current employees or we only preceptor for local schools that we already have agreements with...

I would hope Indiana State would be more helpful finding placements for people who register. I called them and left a message. Hopefully, I will get some leads or help from them at least.

Thanks. Puddles is the name of the Yorkie I gave my friend.

I figured that that is the reaction I would get if I was not associated with a school. I have not given the issue serious thought but I figure that Indiana State would give me suggestions or I could approach some ICU nurses I am friendly with to see if they would precept me. I am hoping personal relationships and registration with Indiana State will open more doors.

Have you tried to look out of state? I have a few flyers for critical care internships outside California that I picked up during my counseling appointments in BSN schools. I don't know where they all are but here's one of them http://www.parklandcareers.com/critical-care-internships.aspx

Maybe you could go back to your school's counselors and ask if they know of any extracurricular critical care programs available.

Another option I am taking in the near future is joining the American Association of Critical-Care Nursing for continuing education and networking purposes.

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Hi cuddleswithpuddles,

Hey how neat. Do you have yorkies yourself? I have one puppy 8 months old that is Yorkie whose name is Hunter. I also have another dog that is 1 year old who is a Silky Terrier mix.

I love dogs. I asked Indiana State if they would help me find placement but they basically said no. That students have to find their own placements. I don't know if I am going to go through with it. I have an assessment/interview at Corona Regional Medical Center this Thursday so I'll see how that goes first. If it is not a good lead, I'll probably still call around more hospitals to try to find a preceptor.

Certainly wish they made it easier by having an agreement with hospitals already.

Ana

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