Concerned for new grad in ICU supervisor role

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Specializes in ER, ICU, Education.

I am concerned for a friend who has accepted a hospital ICU supervisor position. This is a new grad with no nursing experience other than as a CNA for a year (not in the ICU). This is a small hospital, so my friend will be responsible for caring for those in the ICU as well as stabilizing for transport anyone who needs a higher level of care.

As an ICU nurse, I remember the first year of nursing well. I also started in the ICU (of a major metropolitan hospital) and loved it. However, I had great mentoring and a lot of support. I can't imagine transitioning from a new grad to ICU supervisor in a matter of weeks. I care a lot about my friend and want my friend to succeed. I have spoken to my friend about my concerns, but she does not appear to be at all worried. Obviously, there is nothing I can "do" but hope for the best and remain supportive of her, but I must say I am truly shocked that a facility would place a new grad in this position. I was ICU charge for years, and it is not easy. She is very competent FOR her level of experience, but I fear for the safety of her license and her patients.

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Specializes in M/S, MICU, CVICU, SICU, ER, Trauma, NICU.

She's been warned.

Nothing left to do but pray.

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Specializes in multispecialty ICU, SICU including CV.

This is coming from another seasoned ICU charge nurse. I as well completely disagree with both the hiring decision on the employer's part and the decision to apply and accept by your friend. Truthfully, I am not even sure how she got an interview for a position like that with ZERO nursing experience. I would think the MINIMUM qualifications for that type of position would be to have several years of recent ICU experience in and a year or so of charge/shift supervisory experience. I hope she has some sort of management background at least seeing that she doesn't have the ICU skills locked down.

I have a feeling that she will be in way over her head, she will learn this quickly, will end up going home crying every day, and will quit after two weeks. There is a lot to be said for hands-on, on-the-job training but this is a little ridiculous. My guess is that the management at this facility is so horrendous they are scaring everybody off and are now desperate to fill that position. (Don't go there for care anytime soon -- LOL!!!)

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Specializes in Educator/ICU/OB.

The hospital that hired your friend is just as negligent as she is for accepting such a position. How do the nurses that work in that unit feel about it? They are more qualified for the position by far, just for the fact that they have been working in that unit. If none of those nurses wanted the position, that should have told her something. Best of luck to all involved, but it seems that they have set themselves up for failure. Nothing against your friend, but it takes more than a license to be a supervisor, and definitely more than a nurse with no nursing experience at all. :twocents:

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

:eek:WOW......I am shocked...Your friend, I am sure, feels proud of this position, that they choose her....but I am just as sure she has no clue what can happen and go wrong. The smaller the hospital the larger the liability. Your resources are limited, no back up, and yes bad things happen. Frankly, the hospital should be ashamed of itself allowing this new grad take this on:mad:.....trust me she will take the fall when it all goes wrong...she will lose her liscence not the hospital. Make sure she ......wow.... I wish her well....I have worked the bedside and supervised facilities large and small alike. Critical Care is my speciality........she is in way over her head.....frankly, I wouldn't take a position at a place so negligent and uncaring as to place someone in that position without proper experience, level of expertise and back up.....something as simple as getting an IV is the difference between living and dying......Wow.....scary place.....wow......you have every right to be concerned.....have her read the post...I'll be her friend and try to talk to her.....she is in a very dangerous position.....the skill set to both care for patients and be in charge and make decisions is difficult under perfect circumstances........I will send prayers and good vibes but she should bail out.....NOW...get her feet wet somewhere willing to mentor he and give her the tools to a sucessful career

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I don't know your friend, but I have faith in her. Continue to encourage her and give her POSITIVE advice. Nobody knows what she capable of handling,not even you, so don't doubt her. Obviously, they saw something in her that made them vow her a good candidate for the position... This is not the first time a hospital has put a new grad in his type of position and I doubt it will be the last!

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
I don't know your friend, but I have faith in her. Continue to encourage her and give her POSITIVE advice. Nobody knows what she capable of handling,not even you, so don't doubt her. Obviously, they saw something in her that made them vow her a good candidate for the position... This is not the first time a hospital has put a new grad in his type of position and I doubt it will be the last!

I need to disagree. I have been a nurse for 30 years. I have worked in all areas of critical care, ED, cath lab, OR, ICU, MICU, Neuro ICU, PICU, CTPACU, Flight nurse, TRU, and so on. I have supervised, managed facilities and department both large and small. I have been a nurse since I was 18. No one is questioning her capabilities. Lets assume she is extremely capable.....when you get out of school you DO NOT have the skill set and experience to know how to respond, treat, intervene, diagnose, and transfer. The paper work alone to avoid a COBRA violation is reason enough to be intimidated and not take the super role. All new grads and employees need a mentor someone to guide and show them how to get it done. But, When you are the GO TO GIRL.....you must have the answers, lives depend on you. No, this facility is placing her and the patients in a vicarious position.:mad: One that can lead to disaster. You can only make ood decisons with good information. She needs to be aware of the risks and dangers. Inexperience alone shows in taking the position because you have no clue as to what catastrophe is right around the corner. You are right, it probably is not the first time a hospital has put a new grad in this position and it probably won't be the last:crying2:. But that doesn't make it right. That the facility is small which means there are limited resources and back up for when ---- hits the fan. Being small makes the whole situation scarier. That hosptial obviously could are less about her and must have a reputation that no one else applied and that they consider a new grad a good canidate. In a big hospital? Go for it, you got pleanty of back up aroung 24/7....in this case, and it has nothing to do with what she is capable of, GET OUT NOW!:twocents:

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Specializes in Developmental Disabilites,.

wow, that is so dangerous. As a new grad the transition from student to nurse is overwhelming as it is. I can not imagine adding ICU to that, yet alone charge! Infact my nursing school told us not to apply for ICU positions because as a new grad you are not qualified. And most hospitals in my area have a 6mos-1 yr orientation to the ICUs before they let you practice alone, and that is for RNs with hospital expereince. It is scary on the hospitals part for hiring her and also on your friend's part for accepting the position. As a supervisor who will she turn to for help. She needs to have a qualified mentor with good clinical skills. As far as accepting such a position, I fear your friend may be over confident, which is a very dangerous thing in the medical world. Will she ask for help when she is unsure or just go ahaead and do a procedure that could harm a pt? It sounds like she does not even know that she is in over her head. Stay far far away from this hospital. They don't care about thier pts or nurses. This is the type of situation that makes people leave nursing forever. I am afraid you friend will burn out quickly or lose her license.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
I am concerned for a friend who has accepted a hospital ICU supervisor position. This is a new grad with no nursing experience other than as a CNA for a year (not in the ICU). This is a small hospital, so my friend will be responsible for caring for those in the ICU as well as stabilizing for transport anyone who needs a higher level of care.

As an ICU nurse, I remember the first year of nursing well. I also started in the ICU (of a major metropolitan hospital) and loved it. However, I had great mentoring and a lot of support. I can't imagine transitioning from a new grad to ICU supervisor in a matter of weeks. I care a lot about my friend and want my friend to succeed. I have spoken to my friend about my concerns, but she does not appear to be at all worried. Obviously, there is nothing I can "do" but hope for the best and remain supportive of her, but I must say I am truly shocked that a facility would place a new grad in this position. I was ICU charge for years, and it is not easy. She is very competent FOR her level of experience, but I fear for the safety of her license and her patients.

You are a good friend!:yeah:

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Specializes in Educator/ICU/OB.
I fear your friend may be over confident, which is a very dangerous thing in the medical world.

I have worked around nurses who come out of nursing school knowing everything. They fall, and when they fall, they fall hard. The bad thing about that situation, is that a patient's life is involved. When you become a nurse, you take an oath to hold value to each patients' life, and to treat them using the best knowledge and skill you have. When you're the nurse that needs to know the answers already, in that type of position, there is nowhere but down that you will fall. Very unfortunate and a poor decision!:eek:

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Maybe your friend has lots of potential, and maybe she’s got what it takes to be a super nurse. However, the “clinical eye” is developed through experience. She might really do well in that role-----but one thing is for sure, she will need a good mentor.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
I don't know your friend, but I have faith in her. Continue to encourage her and give her POSITIVE advice. Nobody knows what she capable of handling,not even you, so don't doubt her. Obviously, they saw something in her that made them vow her a good candidate for the position... This is not the first time a hospital has put a new grad in his type of position and I doubt it will be the last!

I'm sorry but you are giving a perfect example of new grads that don't know what they don't know. This has nothing to do with giving a friend positive/negative support. The best support is not always glowingly positive. It is sometimes hard to hear. Please pay attention to the experienced posters who understand the realities of this situation so that you too can learn.

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