Experienced RN seeking ICU residency. Help/Advice!!!

[amazon050508]

Hey everyone,

i'm an experienced nurse living in south florida with my BSN and 3 1/2 years experience in med/surg/tele and strong background in neurosurgery and gamma knife. i have been trying for over 2 years to enter into the ICU and have been told the residency is new grads only and that i need to go to other floors to gain more experience in different areas. i'm told the same thing when i apply to stepdown/pcu units.

I have also done national searches trying to find residencies for the experienced rn but to no avail. I know there are different areas of the country that prefer experienced nurses over new grads but i am having NO success finding them. i am willing, at this point, to relocate to another state if necessary to gain the experience i have been wanting. i have even considered going through the nursing program again just so i can be a new grad once more (very desperate thinking i know).

before i rush to an extreme like that i could really use some help and advice. does anyone know any specific residency programs that will accept me? please fill me in on different specific locations i can apply. can you let me know if you have a strong professional development and education department at your hospital? my hospital claims to have my best interests at heart but i just feel oppressed. i attempt to keep my knowledge sharp myself by attending symposiums and conferences but it's no substitute.

i'm so frustrated i don't know what to do and i feel all my schooling and critical thinking are not being used and consequently i'm losing the ability to really understand what is going on with my patients. If you can suggest anything at all to improve my resume: classes etc..

please help! i'll do anything!!

Frustrated in Florida

[Wolf at the Door, BSN]

I know it is an old post. I am in the same situation. I have been a nurse for nine years and want to move to a specialty floor such as step down, or icu ect. Amazono50508 have you ever found what you were looking for if so can you give me some tips on how to get there. Thanks

The original poster never posted beyond this inquiry.

[simbaman]

I found it best to switch in house. I was a floor nurse for 5 years when I switched to icu. It was a big change for me but I got the hang of it in 6-10 weeks. They let me sit in on the new grad classes to help brush up on knowledge. When I decided to do icu I walked in to the ICU and just met with the manager for the icu and told her I was interested in a transfer. 3 weeks later I interviewed, 6 weeks after that I started an abbreviated orientation in icu nursing. I also applied when they were criticaly short, so maybe they were desperate.

[Cvepo]

OHSU in Portland, OR has a residency program for experiences nurses with no ICU experience. You need about 2 years to apply. I believe the applications go live in the next few weeks for August cohort.

[WestCoastSunRN, MSN, CNS]

OHSU in Portland, OR has a residency program for experiences nurses with no ICU experience. You need about 2 years to apply. I believe the applications go live in the next few weeks for August cohort.

Also The Providence Health system offers residencies. The best thing is to call the recruiter and explain your situation, but I would apply to the residencies that even say "new grad". It gets you in the door and maybe even an interview, as Providence interviews initially via video so that multiple nurse managers can view it.

I second Cvepo's assertion as OHSU also has an excellent internship for critical care.

I think Legacy Health system has something similar, so I'd try that one as well.

These are all in the Portland, OR area.

[Guest1030824]

What kind of interview questions will they ask when transferring from Med Surg to ICU? What experience do I need to increase my chances of getting into ICU?

[Catticus11]

St. Peter's Hospital in Albany, NY has a Critical Care Orientation Program that uses AACN ECCO model. You have the option of the Emergency Department, Medical ICU, Cardiac ICU, or CVICU.