ICU is it a place for me????

ER_RN21 · Nov 15, 2004

I will start in the Adult Critical Care as a new grad (BSN) in Jan. I think you should jump on the chance to work as a tech there, I have been a tech for 5 yrs and nothing has helped me more. . . I am excited to learn a lot but yet it is still in my comfort zone. I think ICU would be great to prepare you for OR, and you will still get that important med-surg piece before you specialize. Good luck, and don't forget to tell us what you decided!!

rach_nc_03 · Dec 5, 2004

Hi-

I'm graduating with my ADN in May 05, and have been working in a neurology ICU at a top teaching hospital since july. the experience has been absolutely invaluable, though my schedule sucks (I commute 3 hours a day for school, 30 hours of class time, and 30 hours of work in the ICU)...I've learned more in these last 5 months than I did all last year in nursing school. there's a specific kind of nurse that likes the ICU, in my opinion, and they typically enjoy teaching- you'll get a lot more in-depth time with the patients than you would on a floor, and you'll probably get to observe lots of procedures you'd otherwise never see until you were working as an RN on the unit. I've even helped restrain a head-injury patient during an emergency ventric placement on the floor. it's been my experience that I do a lot more of the high-level tasks (inserting foleys, tube feedings, dressings, etc.), than my classmates working in med-surg NA jobs, where they typically do nothing all day but bed baths and vital signs. I do the occasional bath, but I have a lot of opportunies to participate in much more interesting stuff.

That being said, you'll find bad seeds anywhere, but you probably know that already.

Our ICU hires new grads- there were five or six starting work here at the same time I started my NA job.

Overall, even though it's emotionally exhausting, I'm glad I chose to do NA work in an ICU (I plan to work in a PICU after getting my RN). I would highly recommend it.

Hi there, I really need some advise regarding my career plan.
I will be graduating sometime next year as an RN. I am currently working as a NA in a hospital on the Cardio floor. I like my job and people that I work with so far but I really am not sure if I want to stay on the same floor after I graduate.
Is not that I don't like the Cardiac floor. I just think that I am more of an OR person.
I know hospitals will not hire new grads for OR. They usually require 1 or 2 yrs of Med/surg experience.
And recently, I get an opportunity to speak with someone who knows there is a NA position opening in the ICU. This position opens to students and they will provide further training. They may hire the student as a RN after graduation.
I think this is a golden opportunity for me to get my foot into ICU. But now my questions are:
1. Is it hard to go from ICU to OR?
2. Do ICU takes new grads?
3. HOw do you compare the work at ICU to OR?
I know both don't have too much interaction with patients and OR doesn't have weekend (unless during the on call days)....
Any info will be appreciated! thanks.