New nursing student wanting into the ICU

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Hello!

I have just been accepted into a BSN program and know for certain from my work as a CNA and volunteer experience that I want to be a nurse in the ICU. Is there anything I can be doing over these next few years of nursing school to make myself a competitive applicant for the ICU once I graduate?

I realize new grads don't often get jobs in the ICU right away, but I thought I should as least try. I cannot stand the thought of being in LTC any longer than I already have been.

Thanks!

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Hannah,

Congrats on starting your nursing program! Its good that you have already started looking into which field of nursing you'd like to begin your career in. However, I think you should allow your clinical rotations to help you make a final decision on where you'd like to end up. I was lucky enough to be able to start my career in the trauma ICU. I didn't have a clue where I wanted to work until about the last semester of my BSN program. The adrenaline rush of trauma is what pulled me in and has kept me loving my job.

I graduated about a year ago, so I have some idea of what the hospitals I interviewed with are looking for in a new grad ICU candidate. I think the most frequent question I was asked during my interviews was what type of personality I had. ICU coordinators are looking for driven, energetic, type A personality nurses. The best thing you can do to make yourself marketable to recruiters is to go above and beyond in your program. Do what you can to maintain a GPA that paints the picture for what type of work ethic you have. It also helps to become involved and attain a position of leadership in your class. It also helps if you can show recruiters that you've gone out of your way to get some experience (ie shadowing/externship) in the field you're applying for.

Do yourself a favor and remain open and receptive to all areas of nursing. You will find that certain clinical settings will speak to you and draw you in.

Hope that helps and good luck to you!

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Thank you so much TraumaRN316! Also, I will definitely keep an open mind in my clinical rotations.

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Specializes in Quality, Cardiac Stepdown, MICU.

Be a smart cookie. While no one is expected to know everything, ICU nurses are expected to know a lot about a lot of things.

Get your ACLS done before you graduate. That will go a long way in your applications, and prove you can handle the rhythms.

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