[piper_for_hire]

Here's how you get a job in the ICU as a new grad:

1. send resume
2. show up for interview

That's pretty much it.

-S

Originally Posted by Crescent_cries

I guess I have a lot to look forward to in the ICU, I am planning on going there. after reading the posts here. I am taking pre-requisite right now, but does anyone have advices or suggestion for someone who is planning to into the ICU?

Your advices and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[bloviate]

Originally Posted by RN/BSN/JD/ESQ

Sarcasm? Condescending? I think not. If any of our RNs is unhappy, she/he does a good job of hiding it, or the unhappiness doesn't relate to the unit environment. It's unfortunate that you're so jaded from your own experiences to believe that a good manager, who built a new unit from the ground up, can't imbue his/her employees with the spirit that wins accolades from both patients and management.

I'm sure you'll be a great CRNA (does the sarcasm show?).

The crack in the facade showed.

"If any of our RNs is unhappy, she/he does a good job of hiding it, or the unhappiness doesn't relate to the unit environment."

I can certainly see a couple of problems that could and probably do develop with an attitude similar to what is represented by the above statement.

The most likely is acute scapegoating. If a person coming into this unit doesn't match the group norms they are likely to be driven out of the unit. Better not be any individuals trying to work in Pleasantville as the results are likely to be negative for that person.

Another likely scenario is with everyone repressing certain aspects of their needs or whatever else there is a very good chance that conflict works itself out in more subtle ways such as the group picking a scapegoat on a more chronic level.

I do think that most people's way of dealing with work is to be in denial about the most negative aspects of the behavior and roles in the workplace. That brings its' own set of problems with it.

I don't think calling anyone jaded is really a fair way to go about dealing with the skepticism. I think people who are anxious and aggravated about things that go on at work have had their denial about chronic abuse fall away and they're trying to find some way to deal with that problem. That's a difficult situation to find yourself in.

After 15 years, I have very little faith in hospital nursing and I don't care for the environment anymore. That's why I am willing to disrupt my life for a while and move away from that whole mess.

Congrats to your manager for trying to build a good unit. At least someone is out there trying. I certainly haven't seen it here in the area of the country I practice in (even with magnet hospitals) and I am getting ready for a move to another state with a goal to return to school.:mortarboard:

Finally, in the words of one of my favorite rap artists...... Peace Out

[AfloydRN]

It's not that new grads should not be in the ICU, howevevr they lack the experience and knowledge base that a veteran RN has. It comes w/ time. You need to be able to stop a problem before it becomes one. A new grad does not know what trouble signs to look for or what to asses for- some underlying dx present very slowly- look @ trending and know somethings wrong. You do not learn this in nursing school or on a 4-6 week orientation. I'm sorry but I want an experienced RN taking care of my loved ones in ICU, not a newbie.

[piper_for_hire]

I don't think you really want an experienced nurse per se. What you really want is a competent one. Just because someone has kept an ICU job for ten or twenty years doesn't mean they know what they're doing. You would hope so, but it's just not always the case. I'd take a newbie with some fire in their belly over someone parked in the ICU any day of the week. Experience does not guarentee wisdom.

-S

[nursewannbe]

I appreciate ICU nurses!! Three years ago my mom had a stroke. She was in the ER and ICU for two days. Nurses in both departments were very friendly and helpful. THANKS!!!!!!!
I am not a nurse yet but i can sympathize. I work for a Chick-fil-A and we get treated much the same as ya'll ICU nurses. We are short staffed which means that the more experienced of us take the brunt of the load. I here ya!!! New employees are hard to deal with at times especially when they don't do their jobs. I am in my first semester of college and want to be a nurse(duh!! why else would i be here. lol.). One of the few ways that ICU staff positions can be filled is by bringing in new nurses. I understand that experienced nurse are not able to take the time that they would like to teach new nurses what they need to know. Some comes by experience, but some comes from listening and learning from others. Please do all in your power to help those inexperienced nurses that are coming in(one day they could be caring for you or one of your loved ones). It's true that some of us do not really want to be in ICU or want to move on, but then again there are still some of us who want to be there. I haven't decided whether i would like to pursue ED or ICU(ya'll have almost convinced me not even think about ICU). I wish that there was some way that i could relieve the stress that is placed on all of you but there is no way that i can. i don't have the experience or the ability to. but know that i greatly appreciate all that ya'll do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SueBee RN-BSN]

Originally Posted by FossilRN

Well, Gee, why would I leave a job that I really do like. Today I left work after a day that wasn't perticularly different. My "good " patient had a low blood sugar (36) 18 Beats of vt, and had to go to IR for a picc line after her Dopamine infiltrated thru a peripheral site that I pointed out to the Cardioligist that it wasn't a good site to begin with but I couldn't find anything better and IV team said it was ok. As I was tied up with her doing dressing changes for an hour my vent paient pulled out her ng and soaked the bed with tube feeds after I had just changed everything? I guess the only thing that made this a different day was that the vent patient weighed 600 lbs. Not only do we not have a lift or any kind of transport or move team, we didn't even have a nurse's aid for 20 beds, etc. I had just assembled a team to turn this poor huge soul, by begging. I had to reinsert the tube, get (2) xrays to confirm placement and then turn her again. The one house orderly took one and a half hours to come, this woman laid in her s**t and tube feed until then and then was changed. This, along with answering other nurse's bells today and working 9 hours and getting paid for 8 makes me think, what intellegent woman wants to do this? Well, catch me on a good day.

"What intellegent woman wants to do this?" No kidding, it's the smart ones that leave nursing. Frankly, I feel for anyone who has to be a patient in hospitals today.

[ms.genai]

Hi everyone! Newbie here.
I'm a LVN new grad. waiting to take the boards.
I did some clinical rotation on Neuro- ICU and I have to say I liked it. That's where I met RNs who are willing to help out students like me. They seem to know a lot about everything and they have a good years of experience on their shoulders. I admire them, that's why I told myself when I get my RN and get enough experience on regular floors.. I wouldn't mind going to ICU. I like it there but I don't think I'll be confident enough to work there as an RN newly grad.

oh well..

[SueBee RN-BSN]

Originally Posted by ms.genai

Hi everyone! Newbie here.
I'm a LVN new grad. waiting to take the boards.
I did some clinical rotation on Neuro- ICU and I have to say I liked it. That's where I met RNs who are willing to help out students like me. They seem to know a lot about everything and they have a good years of experience on their shoulders. I admire them, that's why I told myself when I get my RN and get enough experience on regular floors.. I wouldn't mind going to ICU. I like it there but I don't think I'll be confident enough to work there as an RN newly grad.

oh well..

Your post gives me hope for the nursing profession. I can't tell you enough how blessed you are to have found a unit like the one you worked in. I hope this follows you where ever you work.

[DebbieSue]

It is my strong opinion that, for the patients' sake, new grads should not start in ICU. The 12 or 18 months on a general nursing floor are invaluable in maturing from a total novice to an advanced beginner. Any new grad starting in an ICU is asking for the response she/he gets, because it puts too great of a strain on the system. Especially in this day and age when critical care classes/orientation are so much shorter than they used to be. No one forces new grads to start in ICU, so don't whine about the response you get from the experienced nurses who have no say in hiring and hiring policies.

So, here you are, new grad off orientation. The difference between what you know and what you need to know to provide safe, let alone competent, care is greater than you can imagine. Who pays alot of the price for you having the opportunity to start in an ICU? It's the experienced nurses. Experienced nurses get stress ulcers because YOU decided you just had to start in an ICU.

Starting as a new nurse in an ICU is hard, it's going to be very rough, and there are lots of times you being there is going to create potentially very unsafe situations. Those are just the facts. Expecting people to always be nice to you while they are expected to crisis-manage the situation is not realistic. Part of being a new grad in ICU is coping with your co-workers frustrations, some of which you have helped create just by being there. If you can't tough out the first year, including the hostility directed at you, go somewhere else. There doesn't seem to be a choice anymore: there WILL be new grads in ICUs. Just don't expect everyone to be happy about it all the time.

The amount of hostility you will find will depend on a number of things: unit acuity, unit staffing, percentage of experienced vs. novice nurses on any one shift, etc. Novice nurses are a drain on unit resources. Novice nurses consume the energy of experienced nurses. Some days, the situation allows less total demand from the experienced nurses and they will view you with more willingness to help/teach. On other days, the situation will be overwhelming enough without the added drain of the needs of the novice nurses.

These are realities. No matter how good the intentions are of the new grads in ICU, they just increase what is required of the experienced nurses on a unit for almost a year. If you are the only new grad in a moderate-acuity unit that is well-staffed and managed and always has an unassigned charge nurse, then, yes, you should and most likely will be treated with loving care. On the other hand, if there are 6 or 7 of you just off orientation at the same time, in a high-acuity unit, and it so happens that half or more of the RNs on a night shift consist of you guys, and the charge nurse has her own double assignment, don't be surprised when people snap at you. You being there feels like every nurse having an extra patient. And heaven help us when one of the patients of the novice nurses crashes.

The three realities: there WILL be new grads in ICU AND new grads in ICU make the experienced nurses hard jobs even harder AND the first year will be very tough and people may not treat you well all the time.

[SharonH, RN]

Originally Posted by DebbieSue

It is my strong opinion that, for the patients' sake, new grads should not start in ICU. The 12 or 18 months on a general nursing floor are invaluable in maturing from a total novice to an advanced beginner.

Here we go with this again. Start them off in "general nursing" before they move on to the real thing?

Originally Posted by DebbieSue

So, here you are, new grad off orientation. The difference between what you know and what you need to know to provide safe, let alone competent, care is greater than you can imagine. Who pays alot of the price for you having the opportunity to start in an ICU? It's the experienced nurses. Experienced nurses get stress ulcers because YOU decided you just had to start in an ICU.

But this doesn't apply on the med-surg floor?

Originally Posted by DebbieSue

Novice nurses are a drain on unit resources. Novice nurses consume the energy of experienced nurses. Some days, the situation allows less total demand from the experienced nurses and they will view you with more willingness to help/teach. On other days, the situation will be overwhelming enough without the added drain of the needs of the novice nurses.

I agree with you here. I just don't understand why you wouldn't think this would apply on a med-surg or "general nursing" floor?