ER transitioning to ICU

Laurie52 · Mar 8, 2013

Good Evening Ladies and Gents!
I've seen a lot of threads about ER/ED to ICU. I get that it's an entirely different discipline etc... My question to you is, what would you as a nurse manager like to see on the resume of a former ED nurse who like to go ICU?
A little Background: I have about 3 years experience at a level 1 Trauma Center. I am triage competent, TNCC (Trauma) certified, and precept new nurses in the ED. I am going to test for my CEN and CCRN in the next month. In our ED we get very high acuities and are holding ICU patients for several hours (7-8) due to continual bed flow issues and high census within our ICUs. Therefore, we are tasked with titration of gtts, management of vents, ventrics, art lines, etc...
My question is, would it be prudent to list all gtts I'm familiar with? I feel like my resume could get far too lengthy trying to "prove" I take care of acutely ill individuals.
In your opinion, what should/could I add to make myself a more desirable candidate?
TL;DR- ED RN needs a resume spruce up to land an ICU job.
Thanks in advance
Ciao!

No, you don't need to list the drips you are comfortable with. Just as an FYI, you need to have critical care experience to sit for the CCRN.

felineRN · Mar 8, 2013

No, you don't need to list the drips you are comfortable with. Just as an FYI, you need to have critical care experience to sit for the CCRN.

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Laurie52. Just a heads up. (Taken directly from AACN):

Who is eligible to sit for the CCRN certification exam?The CCRN exam is for nurses who work at the bedside of acutely and/or critically ill patients in areas such as ICUs, CCUs, respiratory ICUs, surgical ICUs, medical/surgical ICUs, cardiac/surgical ICUs, neuro/neurosurgical ICUs, PICUs, NICUs, critical care transport/flight, trauma units, emergency departments and in nurse anesthesia — or in other units as appropriate. Final determination of eligibility is not based on unit type but on patient acuity, as patient placement varies by facility and bed availability.

Keep in mind, where was your ICU patient prior to their arrival to your unit? The Emergency Dept. I get that ICU nurses are far more competent in the long term management of the critically ill. No one is debating that fact. That is the reason why I'd like to move into that specialty.

Please give your ER nurses a little credit.

felineRN · Mar 8, 2013

Oh, and I've been deemed eligible by AACN at this point anyway.

dah doh, BSN, RN · Mar 8, 2013

It would be nice to know that you have familiarity with lines, gtts, and ventrics as well as experience caring for ICU patients in the ER. It could sway decision making if management wanted to hire a "fast track" nurse rather than strictly hiring new grads.

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Mar 8, 2013

I'd say you're already a desirable candidate if there are no other experienced ICU nurses applying for the same position. What I think could seal the deal for you is making sure you send the impression that critical care is your passion and that the three years you spent in the ED have made you realize that you prefer the controlled setting offered by the one to one (or one to two) patient ratios which allows you to spend more time learning physiological processes that your patient is going through. I think the general impression is that ED nurses are great at prioritizing, triage, and quick fixes but not too focused on details and thorough system-based assessments that ICU nurses are more known for. I'm sure you are not like that, hence, your interest in critical care.

coco317 · Mar 12, 2013

In the area where you list your skills I would say "managing and titrating gtts" and during your interview they will ask what gtts you've managed.

murphyle, BSN, RN · Mar 14, 2013

Feline, your resume looks an awful lot like mine! I am also a 3-year emergency veteran, who just transferred to CV-SICU a few weeks ago. The only differences were that I came from a Level II center, and already had my CEN and CCRN when I applied. :-) Like you, I preferentially worked Resus and ICU holds, and had a fairly extensive body of work as an emergency critical care specialist to back up my application.

I was not asked about drips in my interview at all; rather, it was expected that one wouldn't be applying if one didn't at least know the basics there. Instead, they wanted to know about my familiarity with invasive hemodynamics (Swan-Ganz, Vigileo FloTrac, IABP, etc) and vents. I also heavily emphasized my interest in critical care and preference of Resus and Priority I/II assignments during the interview, which I think may have been the deciding factor. Juan's comment quite closely reflects the experience I had interviewing, and I think he offers some excellent advice.

Good luck to you!