I accepted an ICU position today! My previous experience is mostly oncology, so this will be a big jump. Any tips? I'm scared!

congratulations. what were the questions asked on your interview?

thanks in advance!

it was a weird interview. They never asked me the standard "what are your greatest strengths/weaknesses?" question. It was with a nurse recruiter and the nurse manager. They asked me how I would deal with conflict with a doctor, how my former managers would rate me on a scale of 1-10 in various areas, and if I was willing to learn a totally new department. I'm sure they asked me other things. They were really interested in why an oncology nurse was trying to get OUT of oncology.

I'm just scared because it's not my comfort zone, it's not "my" hospital, and it's a totally new group of nurses to get to know. I have a LOT to learn/review/relearn.

thanks for the info =] i'm sure you'll do well on your new unit :) i'm a new grad, but i think it's a great experience to shift on different departments.. that way it will help us figure out what specialty we really want. and the experience would be priceless! :) if i get the icu position i hope i do well too!

good luck!

How much orientation are you going to get? How familiar are you w/ ventilators & critical care drugs & drips? I moved to ICU from med-surg about 2 yrs ago. I got 3 months of orientation that included classes as well as working in the unit. One thing that I learned was to use the resources of the charge nurse & the experienced RN's. I told them in advance that I was going to be a pain & a pest & would be asking millions of questions. They laughed, but were very helpful. It sounds as if you are very motivated to deal w/ the change, which is the most important in determining the success of any change. Good Luck!!

Ask a ton of questions! In the ICU, we are more annoyed by new nurses who don't ask. We know you don't know everything, and it terrifies us when people don't seek the knowledge. Be a pain. I was and still am at times.

Communication is key; your charge isn't in the room seeing everything. They may not know that your patient is crumping unless you tell them. I have had many double assignments that had to be broken up at change of shift because one patient became unstable enough to be singled.

Read, study and learn. Take the time to look up your meds. You'll probably have a lot of drips linked in a chain of stopcocks, so take the time to learn what's compatible and what isn't. Learn to read EKGs as soon as possible, and bone up on your neuro assessment skills.

What sort of ICU is it? It's not a bad idea to show up a little early for your shift to find out what your assignment is. This will give you time to look up diseases, surgical procedures and meds before it starts cutting into your day. I used to come to work an hour early, and still usually show up about 30 minutes early. Not everybody does, but I like to start getting my head in the game so that I am not starting out in a panic.

Finally, trust your gut. If the patient looks bad, get someone. It's not a crime to ask your charge to come in and give you a second opinion before you call the doctor. I have frequently sent ABGs and called the MD just because my patient seemed spaced out or out of sorts. Sometimes it's nothing, sometimes that was how I discovered that a patient had stroked.

Ask a ton of questions! In the ICU, we are more annoyed by new nurses who don't ask. We know you don't know everything, and it terrifies us when people don't seek the knowledge. Be a pain. I was and still am at times.

Communication is key; your charge isn't in the room seeing everything. They may not know that your patient is crumping unless you tell them. I have had many double assignments that had to be broken up at change of shift because one patient became unstable enough to be singled.

Read, study and learn. Take the time to look up your meds. You'll probably have a lot of drips linked in a chain of stopcocks, so take the time to learn what's compatible and what isn't. Learn to read EKGs as soon as possible, and bone up on your neuro assessment skills.

What sort of ICU is it? It's not a bad idea to show up a little early for your shift to find out what your assignment is. This will give you time to look up diseases, surgical procedures and meds before it starts cutting into your day. I used to come to work an hour early, and still usually show up about 30 minutes early. Not everybody does, but I like to start getting my head in the game so that I am not starting out in a panic.

Finally, trust your gut. If the patient looks bad, get someone. It's not a crime to ask your charge to come in and give you a second opinion before you call the doctor. I have frequently sent ABGs and called the MD just because my patient seemed spaced out or out of sorts. Sometimes it's nothing, sometimes that was how I discovered that a patient had stroked.

excellent advice! Congratulations, you will have a blast in ICU. A great reference is The ICU Book by Marino and a great basic website is http://icufaqs.org/