NEW GRAD ICU RN

I am a student who is also interested in SICU. I wondered
if there was a standard length of time for a preceptorship
for a new grad who wants to work in the ICU. Could anyone
let me know what the training time is in their facility?
Thanks!

I am in my fourth month as an new grad in an ICU and I am miserable a lot of the time on my unit. Not because it's the ICU, its because this particular hospital did not live up to my expectations. Choose a GOOD program. I love nursing, learning, helping....but this new grad program I just experienced (six weeks) was horrible. I had one day classroom and the rest on the floor with diffrent preceptors who were overwhelmed and overworked. There was absolutely no time to teach. Baptized by fire. And unfortunately, after all this time, I realize I owe it to myself and the people I want to help that it is not safe. But I move fast (to make up for how long things can take for me, it's no fun. In order to be safe I ask questions, and the people on my unit aren't prepared to help, I get frowns too often... They are super busy themselves.

We are (just in the past year) hiring new grads into our CV-ICU at my hospital. I'm not sure how many days of classroom study they have before they are on the floor, but they have a 6 to 8 week preceptorship with an experienced RN that they are partnered with. Then they start having their own assignments and are assigned a "buddy" as a resource person for their first few weeks off orientation. New orientees to our unit (new grads or otherwise) have their own big thick workbooks that help the preceptor and the orientee keep track of what experiences they have and what is still needed. Once orientation is over, the orientee is expected to work as Level I for about a year or so, then is orientated to Level II nursing, which includes recovery of open hearts, IABP's, etc. Level III includes charge nurse, CRRT, heart transplants, etc. and doesn't happen for another year or so after that. We have found that attitude and eagerness to learn makes all the difference in the world among the orientees, especially the new grads. I am amazed at how fast some of the new grads can pick up both information and techniques-- and we have also found that there are new grads who couldn't make it because of attitude. But that happens with experienced RNs also. Good luck! And remember; the only "dumb" question is one that wasn't asked.