Your program have a critical care practicum?

[hobbes]

The other day I attended the orientation for the accelerated nursing program at my school and one of the things they did was point out some of the differences between the "traditional" and "accelerated" programs. The one difference that caught my attention was that accelerated students wouldn't be able to critical care senior practicum. This really bummed me out because I want to go straight into the ICU when I graduate and figured getting that experience in my senior year would be a selling point since some places still think that new grads shouldn't go straight into the ICU. I have the option of stepping down to the "traditional" track, but that would mean I'm in school twice as long - I don't think my finances or my family's sanity will last that long :chuckle . Anyhow, thinking about this, I'm wondering how many other programs have a critical care clinical rotation and how many of you are taking it?

[PennyLane, RN]

At my school, all traditional and accelerated students who want to do a critical care senior practicum have to be accepted into it. They evaluate your GPA and how well you fare with a "sim-man" scenario.

In other words, it's not a standard part of either curriculum. Each type of student is given the same choices of senior practicum--Women's health, Peds, Community, Psych, Adult/Onco/Gero, or Critical Care. If you don't make it into critical care you're put in the adult one.

[christinemj]

I am in an ADN program and we do not have any critical care clinical.

Soo..... I'm making my own. :) I am doing a summer internship in cardiac ICU.

If I were in your position, I would stay on the acc. track (if that's what you truly want to do) and search out other options for ICU experiences.....

Best of luck in your decision......

[PennyLane, RN]

PS you may want to try getting a flex position in an ICU during your last year. I'm doing that now and I'm pretty sure I'll be offered a job there when I graduate. I'm still not sure if that's where I want to start out, though.

[RNKITTY04]

We just spent 3 months in CCU/ICU and are now moving on to Rehab nursing in which 70-80% of the pts are acute and on vents. I guess we are lucky but at the time I thought it a pain in the a--.

But I must say I sure did learn alot in those 3 months, things finally came together for me and started to click, lots of hands on experience. I strongly encourage anyone who has the chance to jump at CCU experince, after that everything else seems like a piece of cake :)

[hllybenn]

I went to an Accelerated BSN and we did critical care as a class and a clinical.

[twarlik]

I'm in a 5 semester BSN program and we do an ICU clinical during our fourth term. It's only 6 days, but I've been told that it's a good experience.

[hobbes]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I'll probably do what someone else had mentioned and try to get my ICU experience in some other way, possibly by finding some time outside of school or between terms. Worst case, I'll just have to tackle it cold once I get out.