How do I get into the ICU?

RNDude2012 · Dec 29, 2014

I graduated from an Associate program 3 years ago, and plenty of my classmates got into ICU, CVICU, etc. as new grads. The key was that most of them worked as techs or student nurses at the hospitals they applied to. I wanted ICU as a new grad, but I only applied to two hospitals and got an ER and a tele/SDU offer. I took the SDU offer since ICU is the next step up and there was no contract. I ended up getting REALLY comfortable on my unit and stayed there for nearly three years prior to applying to ICUs. Once I had the experience though, I applied to 3 different hospital's ICUs. I had two different offers about two months after I applied. The first offer was for a small ICU, then they reneged their offer and offered me ER. After much thought, I declined, which led them to offer me an ICU position again. I decided I didn't want to work for that organization. Then about a month later I was able to get into an MICU (that takes a lot of surgical overflow/trauma) at a large inner city academic/tertiary/trauma center.

The moral of the story is hold out for the right job offer. If you're good at interviewing and networking, there are jobs out there. You CAN get into an ICU as a new grad, you just have to be flexible, and may have to relocate. If you can't get into an ICU, and your're forced to take another position make sure that there is no contract involved, or that the contract isn't > 1 year. Make sure it's acute care. That way if an opportunity comes along, you're not forced to pay $ to get out of a contract. Also, once you're closer to being done with nursing school, get your ACLS, PALS, and BART. If you can find a critical care course, take it.

Good luck!

RNDude2012 · Dec 29, 2014

Also, don't limit to applying to formal new grad ICU residencies. Some community hospitals will hire you right off the bat and give you a critical care course and a long orientation.

TheNextCRNA · Dec 29, 2014

Thanks for the information. What state are you in? And so how long have you been in ICU and are you applying to crna programs soon? Why did you only apply to 2 hospitals? How long were your classmates techs before getting the ICU position? And what kind of tech are we talking here? How long will it take to get my ACLS, PALS, and BART?

I'm willing to relocate anywhere, as long as I can get into the ICU with little to no experience. They train you on the job, right? I only want to spend a year in the ICU so that I can apply to NA programs. How much does the ICU spend on its nurses for orientation etc?

NPOaftermidnight, MSN, RN, NP · Dec 29, 2014

After I complete my BSN, how do I get directly into the ICU w/o having to be in med/surg for a year? What are my chances (percentage wise)?
Thanks

16.4%

TheNextCRNA · Dec 29, 2014

lol, real funny.. you're the only one who answered the question though,lol

RNDude2012 · Dec 29, 2014

Sorry if I made it seem like I'm a super experienced ICU nurse. I start next month, haha. I plan on applying to NA programs at the 1 or 2 year mark. Depends if everything in my life is in order to do so. ACLS. PALS, and BART are all 2 day courses. You can find providers online. I hear it costs aywhere from 25k-50k to train a nurse, so I definitely wouldn't go spouting out to nurse managers that your end goal is CRNA. Most won't hire you. Also, most of my classmates were techs for only a few months and got ICU jobs right away.

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Dec 29, 2014

Thanks for the information. What state are you in? And so how long have you been in ICU and are you applying to crna programs soon? Why did you only apply to 2 hospitals? How long were your classmates techs before getting the ICU position? And what kind of tech are we talking here? How long will it take to get my ACLS, PALS, and BART?
I'm willing to relocate anywhere, as long as I can get into the ICU with little to no experience. They train you on the job, right? I only want to spend a year in the ICU so that I can apply to NA programs. How much does the ICU spend on its nurses for orientation etc?

If an ICU knew you had plans to bail after a year or so to go to a CRNA program... I'd be very surprised if they hired you. ACLS and PALS can be done over a couple of days each and should best be done when you're close to finishing school or just after graduation so that you have a chance to better understand the material.

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Dec 29, 2014

lol, real funny.. you're the only one who answered the question though,lol

Lots of us have answered the question and you're getting different answers because there are different ways to get into ICU. There are new grads that get ICU as their first job out of school. There are those that got an ICU job after putting in a few years on a med/surg floor. A good friend of mine was a med/surg nurse for a while and she found her way into a CV step-down unit and did that for a couple of years and was effectively invited to apply for an ICU job and has done that for the past few years.

Both ADN and BSN grads have followed those paths... Since you have CRNA aspirations, getting a BSN may help you get into an ICU "sooner" than you otherwise might... but just know that ICU managers know that the BSN may be looking to punch their ICU ticket to get into CRNA school...

TraumaNurse95 · Dec 31, 2014

Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, TX has several specialized adult ICU's and a nursing internship program for new grads. If this is really what you want and you can relocate, check out all the large scale teaching facilities across the states and if its experience you want, you need to consider the inner city hospitals b/c thats where you'll get the best learning experiences. You have to get names of the educators, managers, etc and go to them directly - get your name and your face known wherever you want the job and directly to the person who has a say in hiring you. Offer to shadow the nurses, show them you are interested, do your research ahead of time (ie, preparing for the interview process & questions, tests).