New Grads in Critical Care

[mrs.walt]

I am getting ready to graduate from nursing school this month. The hospital in the area that I live in has recently started a transition into specialty care internship for new graduate nurses. I have applied for the Emergency Department internship and they will be holding interviews soon. I currently work as a CNA in that ER and have for the past 2.5 years, I have received both positive and negative comments from co-workers and instructors on this new position. What are the thoughts of other nurses out there on new graduate nurses in specialty areas?

[Trilldayz,RN BSN]

I started in the ICU as a new grad. 5 years later, I still am going strong! Obviously, I think determined and focused new grads can thrive in critical care :-)

[Wrench Party]

If you can find a reputable preceptorship program, I think it might be worth it. New grads in my area are precepted for a minimum of 6 months and seem to do fairly well once off orientation.

Personally, I wasn't ready for the ICU when I graduated. I'm only now getting around to working on a stepdown unit after 2.5 years. I'm not sure where my long term goals may take me (precepting and teaching nursing students for sure, not sure if I'll end up in ED/ICU down the road).

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

I had 12 weeks classroom/ preceptorship in a Level IV NICU. After I was on my own they gave me stable babies with an experienced nurse in the same pod as a resource person. As time has gone on I started getting more complex babies (less stable). New grads can successfully start in an ICU setting with the right preceptorship and proper post preceptorship assignments (don't give you very critical patients).

[applesxoranges, BSN, RN]

It depends on the structure and how stable the unit is. If the unit is borderline dysfunctional family, it will not work.