What type of rotations did you go through in nursing school?

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Also what did you like and dislike the most?

Specializes in Pedi.
My question is do nursing programs give their students some exposure in ICU/ER/NEURO/OR, anything involving critical care? I'm hoping to work in critical care when I graduate

Not typically. Neuro isn't critical care, it's a specialty floor. Many of our clinical groups had rotations on Neuro units. I did my Med/Surg clinicals in Vascular Surgery and Cardiothoracic Step-Down. My instructor did arrange for each of us to spend one day in an ICU or in the OR. You can't do much as a student in the OR other than observe. You could get a preceptorship in the ER or an ICU, depending on your school. My school offered this option. Those placements are typically highly coveted and you need to be at the top of your class to be considered for them.

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I just got my first clinical assignment in the mail, and it's in cardiology/cardiac surgery at the school's hospital. Eek! I assume most programs try to give you as much variety as possible, especially before the last semester or two.

KelRN - I have a question for you. When you were observing in the OR, were you supposed to be taking mental note of anything that would later be on an exam? Or was the purpose just to observe for the sake of observing?

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Specializes in CMSRN.

We were lucky enough to be on a variety of floors during nursing school.

1st semester - LTC

2nd semester - Med/Surg w/one day observing in the OR

3rd semester - Peds/OB w/observations in a daycare, Peds doctor's office, L&D, and OB/GYN office

4th semester - Inpatient oncology & Ortho/Neuro w/observations on other floors such as ICU, CVR, ER, and PACU

All of the observations included papers as to what the nurses were responsible for and what kinds of patients were seen throughout the day. The daycare observation was about development in children.

I most enjoyed OB but I have the goal of becoming a Certified Nurse Midwife so that's definitely where my heart lies. Watching a lady partsl delivery during my L&D observation was amazing and just solidified my goals.

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I am heading into my last semester, and we have completed our clinical rotations :) We did, ER, ICU, Med-Surg, Othro, PACU (post-anasthesia care unit), day surgery, L&D, Mom & Baby, Peds, Behavioral, home health, community center, IV Clinic, Wound Clinic, Rehab, Long Term Care, surgery.

My favorites were L&D, Mom Baby, Day Surgery, PACU

I hated: Behavioral, ICU, and Ortho

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Specializes in PACU, presurgical testing.

Spring I: "fundamentals of nursing," which was on a med-surg floor, after 6 weeks in the sim lab. Occasionally followed patients to procedures, including a colonoscopy and surgery/PACU. 90 hours.

Summer I: inpatient psych--90 hours (lots of therapeutic conversation and process recordings, plus I went with a pt for ECT), then 8 weeks of med-surg (135 hours), which included a full day in ICU, a full day with respiratory, and a full day in the OR. I also had a day in the PACU by request! :)

Fall I: community health--90 hours (I was in an elementary school, but others were in VNA, clinics, etc.). Also L&D and pedi, another 90 hours.

Spring II: 400-hour clinical immersion placement (I was in PACU; this ranged widely among the 27 of us)

So much of the clinical experience depends on your instructors. I had zero interest in L&D but had a GREAT instructor who matched us up according to our interest (for example, she and I recovered a C-section patient together because of my interest in PACU). We actually got more exposure to skills and assessment in fundamentals than in med-surg because of differences in teaching style between the instructors. Psych: well, I think you either love it or hate it. I came to love it but found it too exhausting, but I find now in the PACU that I enjoy the challenge of working with patients with mental health diagnoses. It also depends on the type of facility where you do the clinical; for me, pedi was a waste because I was at such a tiny hospital that they had only 1-2 pedi inpatients the whole semester. Where I work now, we have a NICU, a PICU, and a very busy pedi floor, so it would be a great site for a maternal-child health clinical.

The main thing is to JUMP IN from day 1. Get your hands dirty. Don't just "show interest;" BE interested. I can tell you as a new grad in the PACU that it feels like an eternity since I've used some basic skills that haven't come up in 3 years but are coming up now. Don't just learn the skills, either; think about why you are doing each thing and why it is done a certain way. "Because we've always done it that way" isn't good enough. That's the only way to start building the critical thinking--everything we do in nursing has a purpose or else it is a waste of time and resources. OK, I'll get off my soapbox now--enjoy your clinicals!!!!

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I just got my first clinical assignment in the mail, and it's in cardiology/cardiac surgery at the school's hospital. Eek! I assume most programs try to give you as much variety as possible, especially before the last semester or two.

KelRN - I have a question for you. When you were observing in the OR, were you supposed to be taking mental note of anything that would later be on an exam? Or was the purpose just to observe for the sake of observing?

We observed and took notes to talk about next week. We did not participate and there was nothing on the exam specifically because everyone may have a different experience. Usually there are only one or two students at the OR at a time so no one sees the same things. One girl held a kidney. We saw a male member implant. Someone fainted before a tka.

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In our program we had Med/Surg, Ortho, Peds, L&D, Psych, ICU, OR, Oncology, Alzheimer's unit, LTC, and we went to a daycare!

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Oh and we went to a shelter and pacu

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Specializes in Pedi.
I just got my first clinical assignment in the mail, and it's in cardiology/cardiac surgery at the school's hospital. Eek! I assume most programs try to give you as much variety as possible, especially before the last semester or two.

KelRN - I have a question for you. When you were observing in the OR, were you supposed to be taking mental note of anything that would later be on an exam? Or was the purpose just to observe for the sake of observing?

Observing.

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med/surg, ER, ICU, L&D, postpartum, NICU, OR, PACU, community health (shelter), peds (OP clinic), preceptorship

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

I hit just about every floor. My favorite was trauma and ICU. I sure didnt like OB and L and D thats for sure

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My question is do nursing programs give their students some exposure in ICU/ER/NEURO/OR, anything involving critical care? I'm hoping to work in critical care when I graduate

You and at least half of your class, I'll bet. :)

Short answer is that very, very, very few new grads will see the inside of an ICU for their first jobs, as ICU requires a fair amount of proficiency which you will not have time to acquire as a student. You may be able to spend a day or two shadowing an ICU or ED nurse, or do a senior preceptorship/capstone/whatever they call it before you graduate, if you are an outstanding student.

If you think you will be looking for work in that hospital, let the ICU manager know you're interested in working there and will check back from time to time during your first two years or so to see if she has openings and you are ready to apply for one of them.

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