Dying to become an ICU RN!!!

annabella79 · Oct 7, 2012

The world needs good rns and it sounds like you are one. Dont give up. Try the jump in smaller doses. Try to do PCU somewhere for a year or so then ICU. I dont know if you live in a big city or not but a drive might be worth a job. A bigger city might give you the opportunity. But dont give up if this is what you really want.

gwapo · Oct 8, 2012

I have lead the role as an RN in pediatric psych, palliative care and also med-surg/tele. My favorite RN role was in child psych, but I have always wanted to work in the ICU. I apply all over and in turn again, I am denied. I feel as though the field of nursing is discriminating at times to experienced RN's. Why is it that hospitals will welcome a new graduate into the ICU before they will hire someone with experience? I am very open to learn. I have a BSN and I am ACLS/BLS/PALS cert. What is the catch here?? I went through RN school with hopes and dreams of becoming an ICU RN, and still have yet to accomplish that dream. Right now, I really feel like hanging up my dream and calling my career as an RN a job in the past. I really need some insight on what my next step has to be to making myself an ICU team member.

Never give up. I agree with the other post, try getting in PCU first while waiting to get in an ICU. that is better than where you are right now (in terms of qualification), i mean you will have a better chance of getting in an ICU coming from that units. I do not think your BSN gives you an edge over some applicants. About new grads getting in ICU, i think a major key there is pay. They get paid waaaay less. The employer maybe thinks you will cost more over a new grad(even after costs of training) just because you have nursing experience and they will have to factor that in. If you are that desperate, consider smaller ICUs in a smaller town, work for a year, then apply to the big ones. good luck.

tine14 · Oct 10, 2012

I am a new grad RN about to start in ICU. I asked the nurse manager how many positions were open on her unit- at the time of my interview: 2 new grads and 3 experienced. She told me point blank that she prefers new grads b/c they are trainable and experienced nurses sometimes come with bad habits that are hard to break. She has let go nurses that just never fit in. I am incredibly humbled to start here as my first job out of school. Don't give up, you will get there.

PMFB-RN, RN · Oct 10, 2012

Our SICU only hires experienced ICU RN and new grads. There is no interest in hiring nurses with other experience. The hospital's experience with RN expereinced in other fields has been problematic. However back in the day (pre 2008) when the hospital had dozens on RN positions open all the time they didn't discriminate aginst RN with experience in other areas. So pretty much the discrimination we are seeing today aginst ADNs and nurses with other experience is a result of the glut of nurses. The glut of nurses is a result of the false and self serving "nursing shortage" propaganda put out by those who stand to gain financialy from a glut of nurses. The bad economy only moved the glut day up a few years but it has been building for a long time. What's even worse is that we nurses have been subsidizing our own destruction through our tax dollars. Health care companies have lobbied state and federal governments to create new nursing programs and expand exsisting programs with our tax dollars.

Good Morning, Gil · Oct 14, 2012

Just keep applying if this is your goal. Some hospitals like to keep a ratio of experienced to new nurses, so if a slot is specifically for a new grad, it will go to a new grad. How many applications for ICU positions have you submitted? Is there something that you can change about your application to make it more desirable? Do you have your ACLS cert? That might help you. Or even attend some free CEU's on ICU topics, put them forefront on your resume to show that you want the ICU position, not just that you're burnt out and need a change. I'm not suggesting you're burnt out, but most of the time, when people change units, they are, so the manager might just assume you are.

**NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN** · Oct 17, 2012

Do you currently work in a hospital? Since you have a background in Med-Tele..maybe you can go work on a stepdown unit, and then transfer to ICU when the time arises. My last job the stepdown nurses would float to ICU sometimes (we gave them non-vented patients).