Breaking into Critical Care

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Specializes in Orthopedics.

Hello!

I'm a fairly new RN, graduated in 2010, and have survived my first year of nursing on an Orthopedics unit. Although it is a wonderful environment for a new grad (joint replacements, so easy step by step protocols and routines, with medical and trauma patients thrown in to mix it up :p), I'm growing tired of it. I've always been interested by critical care, especially emergency medicine due to my last rotation in nursing school. I love a challenge, and live for my RRTs (not for the patients, but for the learning experience and 'on top of my game' feeling it brings). So naturally, I would like to break into critical care. I'm planning on leaving the hospital I currently work at for personal reasons, so as I was looking for critical care positions I noticed that 99% of open positions require previous experience in critical care. If I can't get into a critical care area, I'll never get the experience and I won't be able to work there! Is there any other back doors I'm missing? I already have my ACLS certification (due to my own personal interest). In the meantime, I'm continuing to read texts on critical and emergency nursing, so if I can't work in it now, I'll be prepared for the future.

Thanks!

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