How do I become a critical care nurse?

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I would appreciate feedback from anybody working in critical care.

My questions are:

-What does a critical care nurse do?

-Can you get a job working as a critical care nurse right out of nursing school?

-If you can't become a critical care nursing right out of school, how do you go about getting into critical care?

-If you are a critical care nurse, how do you like your job?

-What are your duties? What is a typical day like?

I'd like to hear from people in different specialties, such as surgical ICU, cardiac critical care, etc.

Thanks to all the hard-working, underappreciated nurses out there! You rock!

Mark

I graduated, realized the hospitals in my area didn't pay nearly as much as the long term care facilities, and took a charge nurse position at a SNF. I was quickly promoted into management. Then I tried to leave, and they promoted me to director. All of this occurred over the course of 1 year! I have learned all that I feel I can in long term. I interviewed yesterday for both a CVICU and an ICU position. I have ZERO critical care experience. I received formal offers of employment for both positions within an hour of my leaving this hospital. It is a large level 2 trauma center. Go in believing you can do it, don't ******** about your abilities. Know your weaknesses, know your strengths. Be honest about them. Most hospitals are willing to take the time to train a good fit. And don't ever NOT APPLY because you don't think you're qualified. Do it anyway. Can't hurt, and you never know what opportunities may be out there.

mark1973 said:
I would appreciate feedback from anybody working in critical care.

My questions are:

-What does a critical care nurse do?

-Can you get a job working as a critical care nurse right out of nursing school?

-If you can't become a critical care nursing right out of school, how do you go about getting into critical care?

-If you are a critical care nurse, how do you like your job?

-What are your duties? What is a typical day like?

I'd like to hear from people in different specialties, such as surgical ICU, cardiac critical care, etc.

Thanks to all the hard-working, underappreciated nurses out there! You rock!

Mark

I graduated with a BSN in 1996. Never worked a day of my life as a nurse and have been teaching high school biology for the last 9 years. Took a nurse refresher course two years ago. Passed NCLEX on August 7 of this year and had an ICU job at a 200 bed hospital in Oklahoma within a week. It CAN be done. If this is what you really want, don't give up! ?

Specializes in FMF CORPSMAN USN, TRUAMA, CCRN.

There is an old saying that I'm not exactly certain who said it or how it goes, but the gist of it was, that just because you CAN do something, it doesn't necessarily hold true that you SHOULD. You may very well have a BSN in Nursing and have passed your NCLEX with flying colors, but that doesn't mean you can empty a bedpan with the instructions printed on the bottom. I don't mean to insult you, I don't even know you, but having a BSN or NCLEX doesn't prepare you for Critical Care and it doesn't teach you the intricacies of how to care for critically injured or ill patients. Can you even read an EKG? Can you intrpret an A Line? Have you ever run a Code? Have you ever had two patients crash at the same time? I'm not trying to be mean, but these are ICU related questions that come up every day. You said on August 7 you got a job, I hope for your patients sake, that it included a lengthy internship at the very least. You can't just say I work in ICU.

Does anyone have any experience with "non-traditional" students getting into ICUs? I'm a "young" non-traditional student, great health, good grades, etc.

Specializes in FMF CORPSMAN USN, TRUAMA, CCRN.
Sally Jones said:
Does anyone have any experience with "non-traditional" students getting into ICUs? I'm a "young" non-traditional student, great health, good grades, etc.

Pray tell, what exactly is a "young" non-traditional student? That could very well run the gamut from a number of different ways.

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