[Canadian_Nurse]

Hello all!

I've been reading this forum on and off for a long while now. I'm a L&D nurse with almost nine years experience, and for many reasons, it's time for a change. I have applied for a job in PICU, talked to some nurses that work in that area, and of course read a lot here. I've been thinking about this for a long time, and the timing and the posting timing are finally right. I can see that the nurses in PICU here in the forum love it, and that is even more encouraging!

I have a few questions...

1. What sorts of things should I read up on for an interview, should I get one? I do have a PALS course that I took in the fall, I'll read up on that even though I know the course is changing as we speak.

2. Will I really love it? I love looking after the sick L&D moms, they can be very complex!

3. Interview questions I should prepare for? I started in L&D as a new grad and haven't had many interviews since that time.

4. I have no general peds experience...should I have that first?

Any advice/feedback would be invaluable and greatly appreciated!!

[AliRae]

Originally Posted by Canadian_Nurse

I have a few questions...

I won't be too helpful on the interview part ... I got my RN job on the same unit where I was a tech. My interview consisted of my HNs and DON sitting down with me and asking "SO! How was Africa?!" (I had quit my tech job to go there for the summer before I finished nursing school.)

As to #2, I hope you'll really love it! If you're looking for complexity, PICU's the place to go. I'm not sure how it is in L&D/PP, but I find in some other areas, NICU for example, you deal with basically the same problem set over and over. With PICU, you never know what's going to roll through the door.

#4, lacking peds experience ... You'll get it pretty quickly. You've worked L&D and thus know that babies are not miniature adults and that they have their own set of vitals and mechanisms. That'll put you on the right track already. I started in PICU straight out of school with no experience of any sort.

Already having PALS is a plus, since you'd have to get that once you started anyway. Good luck ... be sure to let us know how the search goes! I, for one, would love to welcome another PICU nurse to our ranks.

[janfrn]

Welcome to PICU! AliRae's already covered some things, here're some more.

1. Things to look into for your interview: The big one is respiratory. The largest percentage of patients in PICU will have respiratory issues. Review pediatric airway anatomy, a little about RSV and asthma, and normal blood gases. Know the ranges of normal vital signs by age group. Another major issue in PICU is shock... the different types, how they present and how they're treated. Don't worry about knowing everything, just an overview. The interviewer isn't going to expect you to know a lot of PICU-specific stuff, because s/he'll know you're coming from L&D.

2. As AliRae said, PICU is all about complexity. There really isn't a "typical" day in PICU, even when you have the same patient for several shifts in a row. That's one of the big attractions for some people... the variety. Today you might have a baby with pertussis and tomorrow a teenager with a spinal cord injury, then the next day a toddler with DKA. I like having to think at work, and I love helping families deal with sudden serious illness.

3. In your interview they will ask you a few scenario-based questions. One of the questions I got in my interview for the job I'm in now was about an 8 year old who had been in a bike-vs-car MVC who was coming in with a suspected closed head injury. What would I do to get ready for the patient's arrival? What would my nursing care priorities be in the first hour after admission? What are some signs of increasing intracranial pressure? What are the safety issues around use of mannitol? Things like that. Another sure thing is that they'll be assessing your ability to prioritize. So they'll give you another scenario: you're temporarily in charge of the unit; the patient in Bed 3 has just been admitted following cardiac surgery and his blood pressure is falling. The patient is Bed 5 is having a seizure, has an airway and sats in the 90's. The infant in Bed 9 has just extubated herself with her toes and is blue and bradycardic. And the nurse caring for the patient in Bed 14 is looking for someone to check her choral hydrate dose. What do you do first?

4. Many, many, many nurses come to PICU with no peds experience and no critical care experience. Learning about kids and families is ongoing and I doubt that lack of peds knowledge would be considered grounds for turning you away. Depending on where you are, the need is so desperate that they're hiring new grads, even when the posting says "minimum 2 years acute pediatric experience required" and throwing them to the lions after only a few weeks. The fact that you've already taken PALS is a bonus. I don't think the changing standards are that big a problem, since in the hospital setting you're not going to be single-handedly running a code; the resident or attending will be giving orders and deciding what to do next. Knowing the basic meds and doses is all good.

Please let us know how things go.

[Canadian_Nurse]

Hi everyone!

Well, I have an interview for next Friday, and I'm praying that it goes well and works out! I'll be reading up on my peds stuff and finding out what I can from one of my coworkers who worked PICU for years...it's great having connections.

Thanks for all your advice and tips, I've printed them out for myself as a reference. I will keep you posted.

[janfrn]

Good Luck!!!!!

[Canadian_Nurse]

Thank you so much janfrn! Your responses are always excellent, and I'm thrilled to see a fellow Canuck here doing great things!

I'll keep everyone posted.

[Canadian_Nurse]

Hi all!

I had my interview today, and I think it went okay! I can think of a few things I wish that I had said or not said, but they seemed to like some of my answers and I hope all is not lost! They were very friendly and did mention that nurses starting there would come from all walks of nursing, from new grads to experienced PICU nurses. There is hope, maybe! I've written down all the questions that I can remember so that if I have other job interviews in the future, I can be ready. I won't know for a couple of weeks, but I'll keep you all posted. Thanks again for your support!

[PedsRN1991]

Hi,
I'm not a PICU nurse, I am a Peds nurse.
PICU can be very complex...and interacting with the parents and family can be intense at times.
Are they offering a ICU training class??
Will they let you go right into an ICU setting?
I know that the PICU nurses that I work with enjoy it.

Good Luck!!

[janfrn]

Canadian_Nurse, I'm sure your interview went well. You're showing a woeful lack of confidence by planning your next one already! You said they were nice, and reassuring about your nursing origins. I'll bet they call you next week and offer you the job. Just out of curiosity, where did you interview?

[Canadian_Nurse]

A woeful lack of confidence? I didn't think of it that way Jan, but you're right! And here I thought I was being smart by trying to remember most of the questions...I hadn't had a job interview in about six years! I'm hopeful, but I'm of the inclination that the glass is half empty, that way I wouldn't be disappointed if they don't hire me. I know, woeful. The waiting is torture, but I know I did the best that I could, I have good references, we'll just wait and see. Next week can't come fast enough! Thanks for the vote of confidence Jan, if I'm ever back in Edmonton I'll look you up! I have enough family there, that's for sure.