RCU ( Respiratory Care Unit) experience for CRNA school

[CVICU RN25]

Hi everyone,

I will be transferring from med-surge (1 yr 5 months experience) to RCU ( Respiratory Care Unit) in a busy level 1 Trauma hospital. I have the intention to eventually go on to CRNA school and was wondering if this area of critical care would be acceptable for CRNA school. The school I am looking to apply to states:

". Clinical experience should be direct hands-on patient care. The "critical care setting" is not limited to a specific work area. However, the complexity of the patient population's health problems should routinely require non-invasive and invasive monitoring, continuous pharmacologic infusions and mechanical ventilation. The CCRN credential serves as evidence of required knowledge and experience, and is highly regarded."

This unit provides ventilation, drips, non-invasive monitoring not too sure about invasive monitoring, also will be sent to school for 6 weeks for the CCRN certification, am still a little hesitant because its not " ICU". Please help!!

[CVmursenary]

No; without invasive monitoring, you will not be titrating medication. Its probably a unit for stable vents.

[Mully]

No; without invasive monitoring, you will not be titrating medication. Its probably a unit for stable vents.

What do you mean exactly? On my unit we titrate gtts like cardizem, dopamine, and nitro based solely off pt vital signs. Am I missing something?

[manusko]

Bottom line is that you have to make sure your intended school will take the experience you are going to receive. You can argue all day about what counts as critical care but it will still be up to the school you are applying to. Some schools take ER, PICU, NICU experience and many do not. Most people try to get into ICU or CCU. But check with your choices of schools to make the best decision for you. Good luck.

[Goose Xx, MSN, RN, EMT-P, CRNA]

What do you mean exactly? On my unit we titrate gtts like cardizem, dopamine, and nitro based solely off pt vital signs. Am I missing something?

Possibly use of vasopressin, levophed, phenyleprine, lasix, esmolol and others of the critical care nature. I worked in a SICU that cared for abdominal transplant patients. it was not uncommon to have a patient on three pressors, intubated, ventilated and on CRRT. Then throw in some nitric or flolan for those with hepatopulmonary failure. Do you get experience with CRRT, Swan lines, balloon pumps? Medication titration is more of an art, not titrated solely off vital signs.

Long and short, try and get into the highest acuity unit you can. Make an admissions committee try hard to stump you in an interview. This profession is not about doing the minimum to get in (not saying that is your intention). But if you have to ask if your unit has a high enough acuity, then you may already have your answer. Challenge yourself now, and it will serve you well when you get into school. Just think that while you are busting your ass now, you are giving yourself a solid base to practice from. You will find more self satisfaction and your patients benefit also.

[detroitdano]

Yeah, I'd try for another job. Invasive monitoring is an absolute must, and if you aren't playing with a Swan, you'll likely have a hard time wrapping your head around the cardio and multi-system sections of the CCRN. You need to understand how they put one in, how to use it, meds that change the numbers obtained, etc.

Do yourself a favor and as mentioned, find a job in a high acuity ICU. No point in wasting a year of your life on this RCU if you already know they won't provide you with the patient experience you need.

[bibibi]

You can get all that information from books. As a matter of fact you should already know from nursing school where Swan's tip sits and consequently which blood vessels it can be inserted through and which path it should follow. You don't need to work in ICU for a year in order to learn that.

[detroitdano]

You can get all that information from books. As a matter of fact you should already know from nursing school where Swan's tip sits and consequently which blood vessels it can be inserted through and which path it should follow. You don't need to work in ICU for a year in order to learn that.

Sure, but do you know what the numbers mean, clinically? Are you comfortable with a Swan if it goes into spontaneous wedge? How about trouble-shooting an art line when your patient is on 3 pressors?

If you don't have the experience, you're probably not ready for anesthesia school. That's why they demand quality, high acuity ICU experience.

[wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA]

Swans play a very small minute part in anesthesia school. My classmates that had never used a swan or done COs did just fine in anesthesia school and clinicals. Swans are getting harder and harder to find outside of CVICU and even then they are not as common as they used to be.