Capstone in IMC. Want ICU

Ruby Vee, BSN · Mar 25, 2017

Hi,
I've wanted to go to ICU for my capstone since the first quarter of nursing school. I worked very hard and did everything I could. My faculty liked me and I got all A's. But when it came to interview, I choked. I was so in my head that I came off as someone I don't even recognize. Not present. Anyway, they didn't want me in the ICU for my practicum and ive been pretty devastated.
I got accepted into an Intermediate Care Trauma unit. My question is.....can I transition to an ICU any faster in this step-down unit, or does this still mean I need to work for 2 years before they will accept me? Will it make me more competitive for a Trauma ICU post grad residency...even though it is not ICU per se?
I've been so frustrated with myself and dissapointed. I've worked so hard for this to crumble because I couldn't get it together for 15 minutes to be trusted and liked.
Any advice is really appreciated.
Thank you

Congratulations! You got a good placement. It wasn't the placement of your dreams, but that's still a good placement. Nurse managers from the ICU and from the stepdown unit generally work pretty closely together, and often there are various teams the encompass nurses from both units. For example, I worked in CTICU and when Left Ventricular Assist Devices first came to our hospital, nurses from both our unit and the stepdown formed a team to teach our nursing staff how to use them, and then to teach the patients what they needed to go home, documenting the teaching to prove they were ready. It was a very successful team, and nurses in both units respected our work and were lining up to apply to join our team any time there was a vacancy. When the stepdown unit needed a new manager, I was asked to apply and when the ICU was hiring new nurses, my colleagues on the LVAD team were always considered favorably. This is a great chance for you to network, and get to know nurses on both units. Use your time on the unit wisely -- it's really an extended job interview after all. Once your practicum is over and you're applying for jobs, apply for the ICU. If you've made a great impression while at the step down, you'll get good references. Even if the job you land is on the stepdown, you've already made a great start. You know the nurses, you know the physicians who work both units, you know the protocols, the drugs, the procedures . . .I usually advocate staying two years in a job before transfering, but in this one care one year or a little more might work well. Have a pity party for a couple of days. Then wake up, smell the coffee and start counting your blessings!

baleen · Mar 25, 2017

Such a helpful and informative comment. Thank you very much for that! It really helps to start seeing this as a great opportunity. And the few days of pity party is exactly what ive been doing but....thank you for giving me that perspective and info about the stepdown/unit relationship. They are right next to each other where im going so i think it will be similar to the place where you were. That was very good to hear. Thanks again