Published
how difficult is it to get into NICU or ICU in general after becoming a regular floor nurse? Do they always prefer new grads over floor nurses? I've heard that because the idea is that its easier to train than to retrain. Please let me know your thoughts.
The hospital in which I work now requires a year of acute care nursing (i.e. med/surg/telemetry, etc) before working in units such as ICU and the ER. While there are some new grads that could jump right in, I think that a year of acute care nursing before will better prepare a new nurse.Kris
*** As an SICU nurse that often serves as a preceptor for new hires I tend to think that times served on med-surg floors to be a liability rather than an asset.
In the ICU you have to be prepared (mentally) to intervene on your own and at times with out specific orders. The nurses I precept that come from med-surg floors seem to have a hard time getting out of the "call the doctor" mind set.
2bnursenikki82
69 Posts
As a new grad hired to an ICU...I think that with the right orientation and the right management focused on teaching me what I need to learn and with my own perseverence and willingness and ability to learn, there's no reason I can't be a great ICU nurse. At my school we all get 228 hours on med surg taking patients and being the nurse to get our assessment and time management skills up to par. It's quick, but it happens. The manager on the unit I am going to is very particular about who she does and doesn't hire onto her unit. They've only had to fire one nurse in the last 5 years for substandard performance...which I think is a great statistic. To me that says that the right GN plus the right orientation and management can make a great ICU nurse.