[jspacegirl]

Thanks everyone for your responses! I really appreciate it. I certainly can see the value in working med/surg first before going into ICU. I think that I've decided, however, to go directly into ICU. The hospitals that I will be applying to are teaching hospitals with good internship programs, so I think I will have a decent support system in place. I know it will be a LOT of hard work, but I'm prepared to do it. I haven't graduated yet, but I have already taken an EKG interpretation course, and will also take an ACLS course, so I'm doing everything I can to prepare myself for this.

Furthermore, like I said before, I'm considering going to CRNA school, so I don't want to put another year delay on those plans, should I choose to do that. And if I choose to do that, I'd prefer to get a good 2 years of ICU experience in before starting a CRNA program, rather than 1.

Nevertheless, if I don't end up getting the ICU internship, I'll be happy working in med/surg as well. We will just see what happens. As much as of a typical control-freak future nurse that I am, I think that with a little luck and some hard work, things will end up working out like they are supposed to!

Once again, thanks for your responses!

[parko]

Congrats on making a decision! Considering you've put a fair amount of thought/planning into this, I'd say that whatever you decided would have been right for you. You will learn so much once you get there :-)

Best of luck with your program!

[ghillbert]

Entirely depends upon both the individual nurse, and the program they are considering. If you know you feel confident to try ICU, are a quick learner and feel comfortable learning a lot of new information, AND if your proposed position has a lot of support for newbies, go for it.

I did, and I haven't ever regretted it.

[oldiebutgoodie]

I know you have already made a decision, but here is just another vote for a year in med-surg:

Because you have a LOT more patients, you see a LOT more stuff. In the ICU you may see the same set of conditions (albeit very serious), whereas on med-surg you will see a real collectioni of stuff from serious to stupid. Having 5-7 patients a day gives you a wide variety of conditions, and therefore you can really improve your assessment skills. Let's face it, a lot of assessment has to do with whether you have seen something before.

Oldiebutgoodie

[kriseh]

I graudate in Dec. and am interested in ICU. I think that if your hospital offers a great orientation and you really want to be there- go for it! I think you may the right decision and I hope you get in!