I don't know if I should really take this opportunity?

allnurses Guide · Dec 29, 2008

What did you find stressful about med-surg?

You'll usually find that ICU is like med-surg squared. It's high acuity, high stress, fast paced. Some people excel, but it helps to have excellent time management and prioritizing skills. Yes, you have less patients, but you need to do much more for each of them.

If you're going to go into critical care, make sure they do have a great orientation period, find out what criteria you'll be expected to meet before coming off orientation, what type of help you'll get etc.

It's worth a try - I went right into ICU and loved it. Couldn't stand floor nursing. Just depends on your personality type. You need to be a quick and self-initiated learner.

nursegreen · Dec 29, 2008

If the facility offers an extensive orientation and this is what you really want to do then go for it. My facility offers a 6mo orientation for nurses new to the icu. Maybe you could shadow one of the nurses in the unit you are interested in for a few shifts and go from there. Good Luck!!

ARRR10 · Dec 29, 2008

What did you find stressful about med-surg?
You'll usually find that ICU is like med-surg squared. It's high acuity, high stress, fast paced. Some people excel, but it helps to have excellent time management and prioritizing skills. Yes, you have less patients, but you need to do much more for each of them.
If you're going to go into critical care, make sure they do have a great orientation period, find out what criteria you'll be expected to meet before coming off orientation, what type of help you'll get etc.
It's worth a try - I went right into ICU and loved it. Couldn't stand floor nursing. Just depends on your personality type. You need to be a quick and self-initiated learner.

What I found stressful about med/surg is time management and prioritizing. Also, knowing when to call a doctor and critical thinking. My clinical instructor told me it takes time to develop these skills and I need to remind myself that I can't always be a perfectionist. I did well in my classes and my preclinical prep work, but in the clinical setting when I compare myself to my cohorts in nursing school, I classify myself as being so clumsy, anxious, slow, shy, and quiet. My cousin stated that she had the same feelings I was experiencing when she entered into L&D and after 6 mos., she stated it gotten better. I just feel so confused in what I want to do.

groovy jeff, RN · Dec 29, 2008

I am only a student; however I have had the good fortune to have clinical rotations in the ICU. The very first day I was with a nurse who had a one-on-one that was a train wreck. This person weighed in excess of 400 lbs, had 10+ drips going, was vented, and recieving dialysis. With all of the meds going it was a real balancing act to titrate all the drugs to keep his vitals within range. One minute he was tachy and his BP was real low; she would speed up a drip to get his HR down then his MAP was out of whack, and so on & so on. I was hooked after that! ICU makes you really think about what is going on with the pt and evaluate how to move forward.

If the facility offers an extensive orientation and this is what you really want to do then go for it. My facility offers a 6mo orientation for nurses new to the icu. Maybe you could shadow one of the nurses in the unit you are interested in for a few shifts and go from there. Good Luck!!

I have to agree with Nursegreen; get permission from the chage nurse, DON, or whoever and come in on your day off and shadow a really good CC nurse. Make sure that they have some real high acuity pts so you can see what it could be like. A day or two on the unit makes a lot more sense than agreeing to a 6 months traing period for something you hate. Good Luck.

nursegreen · Dec 29, 2008

Well, you definitly have to have good time management and prioritization skills to work in the icu. You will need to be able to think critically and know when to call the doctor. But, there is always a but. All of these skills come with time and if you are truely passionate about working in the icu you can do it. You can aquire these skills while starting directly in the unit but it will take time. Remember, if you work in a unit where the staff work good together then you will never be alone. Even now the nurses I work with are always helping others and making sure anyone that needs help gets it. When a nurse gets an admission in my unit all the nurses on the same side come and help (transfering, labs, EKG, hooking up to monitor), and the only thing you have left to do is admission orders and that wonderful admission data base. A couple things I recommend to look for, strong orientation, good resources, and pay attention to how the staff interact. Good Luck!!!!