ICU is it a place for me????

dazzle256 · Oct 31, 2004

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.

I think you should go for it. You won't know if you like it until you try. As far as interaction with patients......your mistaken ICU you will have a lot of interaction with patients and family members. As far as taking new grads in ICU... our hospital does and they do great.

moliuchick, RN · Oct 31, 2004

I think you should go for it. You won't know if you like it until you try. As far as interaction with patients......your mistaken ICU you will have a lot of interaction with patients and family members. As far as taking new grads in ICU... our hospital does and they do great.

Thanks for correcting me. I assume that most patients on ICU are pretty out of it. That's why I said,"little interaction". By the way, why is there a big demand in the ICU? Do you know?

alanpe · Oct 31, 2004

Working in intensive care unit is a good chance to work and learn very much; I can tell you that in three years, just three years, you will be the best nurse.

In ICU you will know all kind of skillness; I do not believe that in the beginning you will work alone; one time you had learnt the stuff and how to move in ICU you will love your job. It is just patience and by four years you will work very good.

It is important to know what is exactly the job you will do in the ICU and other tech questions to decide it. Some professionals fail in ICU so it is very important taking a look at the contract, unit, colleages, stuff, timetible, before get a decision.

alanpe

alanpe · Oct 31, 2004

The other question: big demand.

To work in ICU you need a golden heart; you will forget free weekends, I will feel stress, family illness pressure, staff stress..

I would say that it is really important because over there you will help people which really need you.

alanpe.

NewNurse2003 · Nov 4, 2004

I love ICU.

Been on my unit for a year and a half and couldn't imagine working anywhere else.

To me it's a great mix of clinical and technical nursing.

alanpe · Nov 6, 2004

I love ICU.
Been on my unit for a year and a half and couldn't imagine working anywhere else.
To me it's a great mix of clinical and technical nursing.

I think so, like you I have worked four months in ICU and some years in emergencies; the two services are a mix of clinic and tech; moreover one can interact with illness when they are near to get up, so it is a good service to learn. It is a good chance.

alanpe

happycamper · Nov 12, 2004

I worked the OR for ten years, trauma surgery, open heart team, intraop transfusionist, etc. If you are a new graduate take at least a year to operationalize you assessment skills and to learn the daily routines of patient care and the emergency routines for critical patients. The OR will always be there. I left not because of the OR but because my skills had greatly diminshed. While the OR can be exciting, in a lot of areas it has degressed from interactive patient care to technical skills with machinery. Just a thought

moliuchick, RN · Nov 13, 2004

I worked the OR for ten years, trauma surgery, open heart team, intraop transfusionist, etc. If you are a new graduate take at least a year to operationalize you assessment skills and to learn the daily routines of patient care and the emergency routines for critical patients. The OR will always be there. I left not because of the OR but because my skills had greatly diminshed. While the OR can be exciting, in a lot of areas it has degressed from interactive patient care to technical skills with machinery. Just a thought

Good that you remind me. I am thinking if I really like OR a lot , I will probably stay there and not leave. I am a mom of two and I think OR will be better for me in a long run since I don't really have to work Weekends (unless on-call).

I think what I can do is to work one day a week in a small hospital to maintain my skill. I am might work in the ICU briefly before I go into OR.

happycamper · Nov 13, 2004

Good that you remind me. I am thinking if I really like OR a lot , I will probably stay there and not leave. I am a mom of two and I think OR will be better for me in a long run since I don't really have to work Weekends (unless on-call).
I think what I can do is to work one day a week in a small hospital to maintain my skill. I am might work in the ICU briefly before I go into OR.

Sounds like you are on the right track. OR can be exciting but dangerous as well, back injuries, blood/body fluid contact, accidents with equiment. The hours are good except when nurses call in and you can't leave your room, when your case goes on forever and you get out for one 15 min break, when you don't have lunch/break relief, when docs treat you not like second but third and fourth class citizens, when other staff treat you like "goffers." Just a little reality check. It's good and it's bad. For you I hope you experience the good more than the bad. Mine was but you have to make it that way. Lots of luck and thanks for choosing nursing.

alanpe · Nov 14, 2004

Think about a lot of things you can do in ICU for illness, if you do that you will forget stress, accidents, pressures and you will feee very well, it is more important.

At the end all people die, why not doing what you really likes?, at the end we will die too. Of course we can get protections ways.

alanpe.:)

alanpe · Nov 14, 2004

I was a mistake, I must write feel though I wrote feee

Excuse me.