Teacher said NOWAY....new grad hiring into ICU positions

Specialties Critical

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So at clinicals today i expressed my desire to go into the critical care specialty after i graduated and she said theres no way new grads get ICU jobs....but everday i log on here i read about new grads getting ICU jobs right out of college. Any pointers on how i can make this happen? I won't settle for anything else and willing to work hard to get in there.

Good question, I've heard some hospitals charge a fine. Its not my first choice at this point.

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Here is the quote from the hospital's website:

RNs wishing to change specialties

The residency program only focuses on four nursing specialties: Critical Care, Perinatal Nursing, Emergency Care and Perioperative, and takes 24 months to complete.

Participants are asked to commit to working at Grady for 24 months once they complete the residency program.

Wow talk about captive labor! So if you go there your are locked in for 4 years. I would be very careful.....if they have to enforce to keep people they are either that good with their training program and you will gain a ton of knowlege.....or that bad that they have to hold you captive to stay.

Proceed with caution.

Specializes in ICU.
Good question, I've heard some hospitals charge a fine. Its not my first choice at this point.

Correct example. Florida Hospital in Orlando charges $13,500 to be paid in full the next week if you quit or get fired while under their two year contract.

That's INSAANE!

Specializes in ICU.
That's INSAANE!

Florida Hospital in Tampa charges $5000 fee. Orlando is almost three times as much. I don't get that at all. FL hospital considers that the cost of orientating a new grad.

Specializes in SICU.

I have been offered an STICU position and I graduate next week. SO it is possible. Very competitive! I don't have my official paper, but it should come soon. GL to you!

Specializes in Neuro-Trauma ICU.
Thanks everyone for your responses! So i been doing a little bit of research on hospitals in my area and all of the ones i researched has new residency programs. Some if not all require 2 year commitments (not a problem) One program which is at the hospital I want actually has a 2 year residency then an additional 2 year commitment.

1. Can you be an employee at a hospital and get an externship at the same hospital? how would that work?

2. I am getting a ADN (2nd degree, BA in biology) so the hospitals I am looking into accepts ADN graduates but would BSN grad really be looked upon first? I plan on including in my cover letter my goals of obtaining my BSN (hopefully i will already be accepted into one prior to applying)

3. I graduate July 2013 so when should i began making moves (securing a tech/assitant job, externships, etc)

With regards to externing while already being an employee of the hospital, yes it is possible. I did it. I was a nurse tech in the MICU while I was in nursing school and before my last semester of school I applied for Externship. When I was selected for Externship, HR changed my position in the system to "Extern" during my Extern period. Them when I finished, they changed me back to nurse tech. I can't speak for other hospitals, I just know what was done at the medical center I work for. I ended up taking a job offer for the unit I externed in, as opposed to my "home unit" that I was a tech in. Hope that helps. Good luck.

It is very possible. I'm a new grad without any nursing experience except for what I got in school, and I was just hired in a PICU. I have a B.S. in biology and have been working as a chemist for the past 7 years. I think you need to be in the right place at the right time. I went for what I wanted at a hiring event. The manager was impressed by my maturity at thought I would work out. However I don't think my situation is common so you might want to try get som experience in and ICU as an aid if you can. Also network at your clinicals (with nurses other than your instructor) and maybe even your insturtor can help you out with a good recommendation. Good luck with the search and your last year of school.

I do not agree. I think that a new grad should not work into a speciliaty unit. How can you learn your advanced skills if you have never learned your basic skills and your organizational skills? I work in an ICU and have worked with new grads. Some of these new grads had never placed a foley on a live human being? This is just wrong?

I worked in a trauma ICU fresh out of school. I went through an extensive critical care internship and was placed with an excellent preceptor for several months. I was terrified after I got out of my internship, but the knowledge I gained was far more advanced than any 3 or 4 years of floor nursing could have ever accomplished.

You stated your opinion, you don't think new grads are a good fit. You are entitled to your opinion just like everyone else is entitled to theirs.

I'm currently in a residency program for the Trauma ICU at a hospital. It involves time precepting on the PCU with a lot of outside classes, including online ECCO classes, then a transfer to precepting on the ICU, then we'll be on our own. I also did my senior externship on an ICU unit, which I think was an important factor in helping me get the interview, as well as helping me learn essential skills.

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