Offered Externship, but not in ICU...any suggestions ?

[DaddyO]

I was just offered a Nurse Extern Position in Orthopedics at a hospital in NJ. I tried to get into ICU but the recruiter thought Orthro was a better fit. She said I looked strong (I am a male)...LOLOL hope this didn't influence her decision.

Anyway, my goal was to get into ICU, with the hopes of going on to be a CRNA. Just wondering if the Ortho opportunity will be a show stopper. Is there anything I can do while in Ortho that will help my chances with landing an ICU position come graduation time. If I do well in the Externship, the hospital will hire me in the fall to work every other week until I graduate in December 2010. It is likely that they will hire their externs first if a void needs to be filled.

Additional Info:

I am a career changer. more than 18yrs in the financial industry of working long hours in an environement that never agreed with my personality with no such thing as OT pay. I was always interested and good at managing money and made my hobby into a career. About 5yrs ago I changed from the Brokerage side of my company where I was a Trader to the Actuarial side thinking that the change would do me some good. That lasted all of 60 days and then I started planning my exit by taking the prereqs at the local community college. I was contemplating Pharmacology, Nursing and Pharm Sales. After shadowing a CRNA, RN and CNA...I chose nursing. I will have to take a 10wk leave of absence from my current job for the Externship, which is a HUGE risk with the current economic conditions. But I see this as taking a calculated chance on myself. Married with two young daughters but I have to do it. I am now in the last year of the ADN Nursing program and trying to plan my next move. There are some CRNA programs that will accept applicants without a BSN if they have a Bachelors in another field, but a bridge or two class would be required. However, the minimum of 1yr ICU experience does not change. This is why I am trying to get into ICU as a new grad sooner than later.

Any suggestions, thoughts or comments will be appreciated. Thanks ! !

[llg, PhD, RN]

You'll have to investigate employment conditions in your local area to make a truly informed decision ... but ...

In many areas right now, getting a student externship is one of the best and fastest routes to getting a good job as a new grad. Not everybody gets the chance to work in an ICU immediately after graduation, but you may have a better chance of getting an ICU job either as a new grad or after only 1 or 2 years of experience if you have solid med/surg (such as ortho) experience as new grad. In some areas of the country, you may have trouble getting any kind of inpatient staff job without some sort of "extra" experience on your resume as a new grad.

At the children's hospital where I work, the only new grads who are hired into the ICU's are those with some sort of experience -- as an extern, CNA, former LPN, etc. We consider new grads with experience in either an ICU setting or settings that provide a strong foundation of basic skills (such as general care inpatient units).

There are no guarantees -- as I am sure you know -- but the more experience you can get with inpatient skills, the better. If you have particular ICU's in mind that you want to apply to after graduation, give them a call and speak with the manager or the educator for the unit and ask them whether the ortho externship would be viewed as a plus on your future application. In most cases, the answer will be "yes" but you won't know for sure until you investigate the hiring practices of the specific units that interest you.

[Lovelymo79]

Hey DaddyO! Did you accept the Ortho externship? What hospital is it? PM me if you prefer ;-)

[aCRNAhopeful]

I feel your pain in this situation. I also plan to go on to crna school (hence the name) and was desperately hoping to get into an ICU right away so I could have some solid experience in by the time I finished my ADN-BSN program. I persued two hospitals pretty heavily, hoping for critical care opportunities in each. I went throught the recruiters just like you did but they seemed to only be a hindrance to my success, really only offering med surg or intermediate care positions despite me clearly having a passion for critical care. So, once I had the recruiter interviews done and had a small foot in the door, I took it upon myself and called the CVICU unit directors personally to introduce myself and ask for an interview. This was VERY successful and was able to land a job at one of them and make a great impression on the other (in case I was forced into a med/surg position). With your background I'm sure you could have some success and/or make a good impression by going that route. Definately do the externship if that's the only one you can get but also do whatever you can to make yourself a well known future candidate for ICU. My limited experiences with nursing recruiters have sort of left me with the feeling that they have a self interest in filling certain positions and that you really need to take it upon yourself to get past them.

[beatrocka]

Hello,

I am also on the path to become a CRNA and have one more year to go in a ADN program in North Jersey. I also got an externship position that's 8 weeks long and unpaid. Nevertheless, I accepted it. I also wanted ICU, but after talking with a Director of Cardiovascular services from a hospital in Montclair, he advised that having a year at least in Telemetry or Medsurg is necessary before ICU. He went on to tell me of some nurses that had to be fired because they could not keep up with the demands of ICU nursing, that you just had to be a certain type of person that could 'shine' under the work pressures.

I am waiting to hear back on my placement for the externship and was given the choice of Tele or Ortho/Surgical unit, I left the choice to the recruiter.

Still, I think the ortho will be a good experience, and to make the best of the situation if that's where I end up.

Also, Daddy O, that's awfully great that they will hire you if you perform well. ( I am also a male looking forward to becoming a CRNA)

[Rabid Response]

Take that ortho externship. In this economy it is most important to have a foot in the door at a good hospital. If you can get a job there, you will be able more easily to transfer to their ICU eventually. At my hospital you only need to work in an area for six months before you can transfer to another area, and current employees are given preference in hiring. Whatever you do, do NOT tell everyone on the ortho unit that you are planning on transferring to ICU asap. Same goes for ICU--do not tell a manager (or anyone else) that you are only there as a stepping stone to CRNA programs. Besides, you never know what will happen. You may change your mind and your plans once you start working as a nurse.

Also, although CRNA programs require a minimum of one year critical care experience, in my opinion that is hardly enough time to get your bearings much less move on to a higher level. You will also need letters of recommendation from managers etc..., and one year is hardly enough time for them to get to know you (plus they may be po'd about the money and time they spent training you only to have you leave just when you are starting to be more of an asset than a drain). Going for your CRNA is a great goal to have, but don't get too consumed with that to the detriment of your short term needs. Any hospital position is a step in the right direction for you. A bird in the hand blah blah blah...

In the meantime, you can join AACN at the student rate and take advantage of their many free online educational opportunities as well as discounted publications. Study everything that you can get your hands on. Prepare for the CCRN exam even though it will be a while before you can qualify to take it. Attend critical care conferences and seminars; these provide great opportunities to network as well as to learn. Wherever you are hired, work to be a rockstar of a nurse. If you are hired into ortho or med/surg, get to know the rapid response nurses when they round on your unit. Usually they are ICU nurses, and they can introduce you to their managers, put in a good word for you with those managers, and keep you alerted to openings on their units.

I don't want to discourage you from working in critical care as a new grad. I think that many new nurses can do just fine in ICU with the proper training, support, and mentorship. Unfortunately, hospitals are hardly hiring new grads at all these days, so I would take whatever position would get me into a hospital system and then work from the inside to be transferred.

Good luck.

[beatrocka]

Thanks for the advice.

I have heard that the foot in the door always puts one at an advantage, and I intend to do so