Who went straight to ICU after getting your BSN

CCURN · Jul 10, 2004

I guess it depends on what your overall goals are. It is difficult when starting your nursing career, to really know what it is all about. I have met many RNs who started there career in ICU, and they are excellent. But remember that there is also something to be gained from some floor experience. You can always do one year in med/surg or tele and then ICU. I am thinking that to start CRNA school, you will probably need a good two or three year ICU experience. Good luck

UK2USA · Jul 10, 2004

As an itu nurse of many years experience ,i believe a good knowledge of your basics and practice thereof is a must.It will make the transition much easier.The psychological support patients require can only come from an experienced person and some basics are therefore essential.

skipaway · Jul 10, 2004

I have never regretted the 3 years I was on a med-surg floor before ICU. The floor I was on was at the Medical College of Ga and it had every type of surgical patient you could wish for. It had Oncology, Gen Surg, Plastics, Trauma, Vascular, and the Open heart patients from their ICU (so step-down for them). I learned all about how these patients react to their surgery and learned Telemetry as well. I became proficient at IV starts ( unlike a lot of ICU nurses who depend on central lines: no offense meant), put in more NG tubes and foleys than I ever did in ICU (3 years there) as they are usually already in place when we received them. I had 8-14 patients, depending on shift and became so adept at organization that when I went to the ICU it was a piece of cake and a dream come true to care for only 1-3 patients. So, there are reasons that you may want to go to a floor before ICU. JMHO.

skipaway

kimmynykole · Jul 10, 2004

I, just like many of the others on here, went to straight to the ICU as soon as I graduated with my ADN. I love it! I encourage you to go for it!

pokey sn · Jul 10, 2004

I'm going into CTICU and I just graduated school. I have a BS and an ADN.Go for it! Ditto what EmeraldNYL said:)

are-in · Jul 11, 2004

Which CRNA program were you accepted to after 8 months. So you had the 1 year of exp when the program started? Just curious because I hit a brick wall in every direction when I was a new grad in the ICU applying to CRNA programs.

Thanks,

Mike

I went straight to the ICU after graduation and got accepted to CRNA school after 8 months. If I had started in med-surg I probably would be much better at inserting IV's, but why waste a whole year in med surg just for that? Be really careful about what ICU you start in though, make sure they hire new grads on a regular basis and that the environment is conducive to learning. Interview them as much as they interview you, especially about what type of orientation you will receive. You can do it as long as you are a good student and motivated to learn things on your own.

heartICU · Jul 11, 2004

I also went straight to the ICU after graduation with my BSN. I worked as a tech in that unit for three years during nursing school though. Like others have said, if you have a supportive new grad program, going straight into the ICU isn't a problem. You just have to be willing to do your homework...go home and read about what you saw that day at work...get yourself a couple of good ICU books and attend as many learning opportunities as you can (EKG class, IABP if it applies to your area, ACLS, etc).

I graduated from nursing school in May 2003 and received my offer of admission into CRNA school in January 2004...I had exactly six months of experience in the ICU at the time I applied and interviewed. I start this August and will have 14 months experience.

EmeraldNYL, BSN, RN · Jul 11, 2004

Which CRNA program were you accepted to after 8 months. So you had the 1 year of exp when the program started? Just curious because I hit a brick wall in every direction when I was a new grad in the ICU applying to CRNA programs.
Thanks,
Mike

Mike, I was accepted after 8 months, but will have almost 3 years by the time my program starts. I was accepted for start date fall 2006-- the schools I applied to interview REALLY early. In the interview, no one even mentioned my lack of experience. I got accepted to Lasalle U/Montgomery Hospital and I have an interview at Villanova next week-- both are in the Philly area.

TraumaNurse · Jul 11, 2004

Hey EmeraldNY,

Good luck with the Villanova interview. I interviewed there and was accepted last summer but chose to go to a different school for personal reasons. It seems like a really great program. PM me if you have questions about the interview.

Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN · Jul 11, 2004

Just wanted to thank everyone again for the input.

Ianv · Jul 11, 2004

I started in CVICU right after I graduated. I worked in the unit as an aid and did my ICU rotation there as well. The key is the 4+ months of internship I had in the unit with various preceptors that helped me understand and put it all together. I don't feel like I lost anything by not doing med/surg, med/surg is hard in its own right but no more difficult than ICU it just is alot of time management and organization. I start my CRNA program in Aug and no one asked me about not having med/surg experience in any of my interviews.

LadyBugLass · Jul 11, 2004

Funny that someone mentioned not starting a lot of IV's in the unit...it's the truth! The staff thinks I'm some kind of expert at IV starts and blood draws and blood cultures from a peripheral vein because I used to do it ALL the time in a moving vehicle!:rotfl: Hadn't really thought about it until now! Hope I'm not too disappointing!