After RN school...

Try to get a student nurse job on an ICU if you can. A lot of facilities have new grad RN internship programs for ICU...make sure it isn't less than 12 weeks and that you'll have a steady preceptor/mentor. New grads can do great in ICU with the proper resources and support. Good luck!

Thanks ERNurse! I will see what options I have as far as that goes :) By the way, how do you like the ER? My teachers, who are RN's and have worked in both ER and ICU both say that it is equally as "stressful". Maybe that is why they are teaching?! .... Those who can do and those who can't teach... maybe? thanks for your input!

Let me say another thing. I understand that it will be stressful and maybe what I said was harsh; I just had to throw that in because I don't want to be discouraged from doing what I THINK is something I would really enjoy doing. Hence what I said about my teachers who were RN's in ICU now teaching... What makes a great ICU nurse?

You're welcome. I like the ER...most days. I just had an interview for a Level I trauma center ER yesterday, actually. I think I'm in, but I'll find out for sure today if the recruiting office gets around to calling me, hehe.

I worked in two different ICUs while in school...one was CICU and one was a summer internship rotating through all the ICUs in another Level I. The Level I was definitely more interesting to me, but it all depends on what you want, and what kinds of patients you find you enjoy working with.

ICU is more detailed and focused and you have fewer patients, and for longer amounts of time than in the ER (usually, hehe.) ER has a huge variety of patients and problems, and you can pretty much take care of the main problem and "get rid of them," either by sending them home, upstairs, or downstairs (morgue.) Or to jail in special cases.

So I think ICU is better for those who like to be more detailed and focused...ER is better for those who have a short attention span.