Difficulty in the CCU

sandman1 · Sep 1, 2004

Personally, I think CVICU would be a difficult place to go coming from OB because of the pace, as you said. It can be done but from an outsiders perspective you may want to think about an MICU or SICU since those are USUALLY a slower pace than CV and most schools(or at least mine) care more about GPA, GRE, recommendations, and "ICU" experience without giving too much thought as to what type of ICU. However, you do want a unit that has some hemodynamics, etc where you don't just chart and turn every two hours. Of course you COULD also put it in high gear, stick it out and see what happens. Last but not least, I will admit it is an easier transition to any ICU coming from a step-down but I know that isn't the most attractive option for you since that would delay things a year or so. Good luck.

I am looking for some advice from those who have been there/done that. I have OB experience and have switched to the CVICU recently because I want to go to CRNA school. I am having a really hard time adjusting to the pace, and my CVICU preceptor has suggested I start on a stepdown unit and then come back to the CVICU after a year on stepdown. I am feeling like maybe a CRNA career might not be for me if I can't hack the CVICU. Any words of wisdom?

srnaKate · Sep 1, 2004

I totally agree with Sandman, if you want it, just do what it takes to do it! If new grads can make it in a CVICU (they hire them at the hospital where I work) then I'm SURE you can do it with years of nursing experience! Did your facility offer you a critical care course? If not, you may want to do some extra work on your own to catch up. I'm sure they gave you dysrhythmia coursework to satisfy the telemetry requirement. What about ACLS? You may want to consider taking it on your own and doing some studying in critical care nursing if you feel like you're not able to keep up. If, after putting all your energy into it and you are still struggling, then maybe a telemetry unit may be a better start but certainly DON'T GIVE UP on your aspirations! Your timeline may not be for your highest good. You will only know by putting your heart into it.

It took me a good 2 years of emergency nursing to feel comfortable in the emergency room, and once I transferred to critical care I had to find my "sea legs" before it all started going smoothly (relatively speaking, of course) and that was nearly a year! So don't despair!

Also, you may want to consider what type of dynamic exists between you and your preceptor. There is far too little information for me to make any type of judgement, but without knowing the circumstances I still would say that I would be unlikely to have an open, learning relationship with someone who thought I didn't belong there. In any event, best wishes to you for great success.

P.S. My advice is . . . TO NURSE!

sonessrna · Sep 2, 2004

How long have you been in the CVICU? It took me a good year to feel really comfortable taking care of those patients. If you just started you need to give yourself a break....that is a HUGE step to go from OB to the opposite side of the spectrum with CVICU. I would face a similar set of challenges if I switched to OB and wanted to become a CNM. Don't give up on being a CRNA if that is what you want...keep at it...and don't let someone convince you to go to a step-down unit unless you want to.

heartICU · Sep 2, 2004

If you need a good CVICU book, I have one by someone called Finkelmeier...its blue and its called Cardiothoracic Surgical Nursing. I bought it when I started as a new grad in the CVICU, and every night I went home and looked up the things I saw that day. It really helped and I learned a lot from it. Here is a link to it on amazon.com....

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0781717132/qid=1094168615/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/102-3878743-2565703?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

cnmtocrna · Sep 3, 2004

I am looking for some advice from those who have been there/done that. I have OB experience and have switched to the CVICU recently because I want to go to CRNA school. I am having a really hard time adjusting to the pace, and my CVICU preceptor has suggested I start on a stepdown unit and then come back to the CVICU after a year on stepdown. I am feeling like maybe a CRNA career might not be for me if I can't hack the CVICU. Any words of wisdom?

I have recently been there and done that - from midwife to icu nurse in a MSICU. It had been 14 years since graduating from undergrad program, and I felt very out of touch with bedside nursing in general. My strategy was to study on my own for a few months even before I started the ICU course that was offered. The course made more sense to me, as did the ICU in general. I got a book on hemodynamics and read it before setting foot on the unit, then kept it with me for reference.

In terms of giving you more specific advice, I am a little unclear on what exactly your situation is. When you say you are having trouble with the pace, what exactly do you mean? Have you done a critical care course or any outside study? How long is your orientation supposed to be? What type of OB experience do you have? Labor and Delivery is a different pace than post-partum or mother-baby care units.

My gut feeling is that you are just overwhelmed right now, but that it will get better if you stick it out. As far as hacking a CRNA position - you will have over two years of training - it's different than on the job learning. Best of luck.