I Got the Job!

[MDMBSNRN]

Last week, I travelled to Nashville, TN where I interviewed for a position in a 32 bed medical/surgical ICU. Approximately two hours following the conclusion of the interview, I got a call back, and was offered the job. I will be relocating to Nashville, and starting my new job, soon. I'm so excited!

The unit is a mixed bag, and takes almost everything (save for post CABG patients). Primarily the unit deals with sepsis, especially in the oncology population (the medical center has a large oncology hospital), pneumonia, respiratory failure, and post cardiac arrest patients. Overdoses, hypotension, hypovolemic shock, extreme hypertension, some arrhythmias and heart blocks, therapeutic hypothermia, and many other diagnoses also populate the unit.

The hospital also performs kidney transplants, among other organs, and my unit receives these patients. In addition, all general surgeries, trauma surgeries, vascular surgeries (carotids, AAA repairs, etc), large orthopedic and orthotrauma surgeries are received in my unit. We are also the overflow unit for neurotrauma/neurosurgical, so we sometimes receive patients who are postop with ICP bolts, ventriculostomies, and the works.

Nurses run CVVH at the bedside, and the unit deals frequently with vents, A lines, central lines, PA lines, chest tubes, NG tubes, JP and hemovac drains, and Foleys. The nurse educator told me that they had seen and done everything in the MSICU (including delivering babies).

I made a 95 (missed one) on the EKG quiz, and I feel that I have a solid understanding of basic, and many advanced, arrhythmias. I plan to study more on bundle branch blocks, heart blocks, ischemic changes, and the areas of the heart affected by various MIs. I already have a copy of Marino's The ICU Book, and I have made it a near constant source of review. Is there anything else I can do to review in the few short weeks before my job begins? From my understanding, the hospital will be offering critical care courses, and there will be a lot of personalized education (which I'm grateful for). However, I want to have as much of a jump on this as I can. This is going to be a serious unit.

[catlovingRN, BSN, RN]

Congrats!!!!! That is so exciting and, wow, what a unit to start on. I'm sure it will be a steep learning curve, but you seem to be already ahead of the game preparation wise (which is great). I'm still in the process of interviewing for my *hopefully* first job so I can't make any other suggestions in regards of what to review, but I'm sure you'll do great. Good luck!!!

[MDMBSNRN]

I have about 1.5 years of experience as a float nurse working ICU, ED, telemetry, pediatrics, oncology, and neuro. I also have experience in crisis and inpatient psych, so I'm not starting out as a new grad in this unit (thank God). That being said, it's going to be a huge unit, and I am somewhat nervous, but incredibly excited.

Good luck on your interview! Let us know how it goes. What type of setting are you interviewing for?

[schnookimz]

Sounds like a very exciting unit!!! Good luck!

[catlovingRN, BSN, RN]

@mdmrn23 Sorry my mindset has been strictly new grad job searching lately so I just assumed! I'm sure your experience as a float nurse will be invaluable to this new position you're about to start. :)

I'm interviewing for a position on a med/surg floor (ortho/stroke) and the next, and hopefully final, step is going to be a peer interview which I've never experienced before. It should be in about two weeks. I'm pretty nervous, but praying it goes well since I have yet to snag any other interviews.

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

Congratulations!

[twinsmom788]

Sounds like Vandy

[MDMBSNRN]

Twinsmom788,

It's actually not Vanderbilt, although my room mate will be working as a new graduate nurse there.