Burn ICU vs Trauma ICU

[Elizabeth2020]

I graduate at the end of this year, and have *kind of* been offered two positions: Nationally Recognized Burn ICU at one hospital or Level I Trauma ICU at another hospital. 

I would love to hear people's opinions/experiences if they've worked on similar floors. Right now I feel really torn. 

 

Trauma ICU

• I've been working as a tech on this floor since February so I'm familiar with the unit
• I love the variety of patients that we see on the floor (even though a lot of it is GSW, MVA, or GLF)
• My managers are great and a lot of the staff have essentially embraced me as a member of the team and trained me like I'm one of their nurses 
  • Helping with procedures, explaining things to me, etc. 
• I haven't officially been offered a position, but when my manager talks to me she mentions how excited she is for me to graduate and continue working with them
  • She told me to apply in October for a formal interview, but that it's essentially just protocol 

Burn ICU

• I don't know as much about this unit since I haven't been working there 
• The pay is a bit higher (at least $10,000+ a year)
• I would get to work with pediatrics and adults which *really* appeals to me 
• I'm told it's obviously burns, but also a lot of other things such as organ failure, orthopedics, and more because patient's come in with multiple issues (but burns is obviously the priority) 
• The hospital is big on research and gets to implement and test a lot of new things because of this 
• I was offered a position starting in February 

[RNperdiem, RN]

I work in the Trauma ICU, and have floated a lot to burns.

Personally, I prefer the Trauma ICU. I like the variety of surgical patients (My ICU is both surgery and trauma). One day I might be checking doppler flap sites on a breast reconstruction hourly, another day I might be running the rapid transfuser on a bleeding transplant patient. Surgical patients tend to have shorter stays compared to burns. Compared to burn patients, Trauma ICU patients go on more "road trips" to interventional radiology, CT scan, Xray, and MRI which means more nursing time going off unit. 

Burns is great if you have a specific interest in burns, or you are interested in the overlap with pediatrics. The orientation is long because nurses in the burn unit have to be oriented to adults, children, floor, intermediate and ICU levels of care. If you like getting to know patients and families with longer stays, you will like burns. I find that the workload in burns is harder. The pain control required in burns is far and above anything we do in SICU, burn patients take way more medications, are frequently on contact isolation and the wound care in addition to all the other nursing tasks makes for heavy patient care loads. 

[LovingLife123]

I’m going to tell you Trauma ICU to start.  Burn ICU is way too much for a new grad in my opinion.  Burn is a whole other level of horror.

In trauma you get to see some horrific things. Brains coming out, intestines hanging out, but you get to deal with your basic rib and pelvic fractures as well which gives you a breather.

 Burn ICU required an experience ICU nurse that can handle patients in horrific physical and mental pain.  It requires a higher level of psych care as well.  A new grad does not have this.

Trauma ICU will get you started in this area without burning out too quickly.  You can then move into burn later if you still feel you are meant to be there.

My hat is off to all Burn ICU nurses.  It takes a special person to deal with all of that.