I can't go to the ICU!

[Nolander]

A little background: I'm just starting the final year of my nursing program. Our clinicals allow for us to have certain observation sites are various hospital units, one of them being the ICU. I have a very strong interest in critical care and would really love the opportunity to go here during school, even though it would just be a one day observation.

So now today during orientation, as we were being handed our clinical site rotation, the teacher states that unfortunately, a conflict with another local school has lead to the ICU rotation site being removed from clinicals this semester. I'm extremely disheartened, the ONE place I was looking forward to is now gone all due to another school in another county getting the spots for its students first, or whatever happened. Am I overreacting, like I said, its just one observation day, but it was one I was REALLY looking forward to. I want to work in critical care, and I feel any way to get my name known in the ICU would help when job hunting, and one opportunity has already been taken away from me.

[Wrench Party]

Aachavez: oh that sounds like a nightmare. You can't learn Med Surg at a nursing home. And what about your

Psych/OB/Peds rotations as Sali22 said?

I graduate in May and have been through 2 Med Surg, Psych, community, OB, Peds, and I'm getting ready for my

preceptorship in critical care. Now we all know nursing isn't all skills-based, but along with the critical thinking component, besides assessments and bedside care, I've dropped an NG tube, placed and taken out Foleys, hung blood, done lab sticks, started IVs,

done ultrasound, wrestled with psych patients, helped triage in a community clinic, performed dressing changes, done patient teaching, discharged, paged doctors, etc., given report, written up notes, etc. and the experience was invaluable in making me feel like I can do this in the real world.

[ChristineN, BSN, RN]

Actually, if I wanted to have a preceptorship in the ICU next semester I CANNOT have a job as a CNA or anything in the unit I want to precept in. My school states that if you work as a CNA or tech in a unit, then you will not be placed there to precept. I think it has something to do with knowing the people who work there and them giving you good marks, creating a bias.

I am assuming there is more than one hospital in your area, each of which probably has more than one ICU. Apply for tech/cna/nurse intern job and just use a different ICU than what your school would use

[CT Pixie, BSN, RN]

Im in Med Surg 2, graduating in September, and i've only set foot in nursing homes. Crappy nursing homes. All I've done is CNA stuff. PLEASE dont get me wrong, CNAs and PCTs are super important, BUT I am here to learn more than wiping butts, spoon feeding, and bed baths. (before anyone jumps on me, I really dont mind doing that stuff, but Im just really worried, how am I supposed to work as an RN in a hospital if that's the only experience I get?)

While in LPN schooling the majority of our clinicals were done at nursing homes. However even in that LPN program we were mandated (by the guidelines and rules of the CT BON) to do clinicals in OB/maternity and psych for certain amount of hours. We did those clinicals in the hospital.

You're in an RN program and you haven't stepped foot out of the nursing home? Is your program accredited by the State it is in?? You are being greatly disserviced by not having any experience doing clinicals in the hospital for your RN program. You still have 9 months to go, are you sure in that time some of your clinicals won't be at a hospital?

[Stephalump]

Im in Med Surg 2 graduating in September, and i've only set foot in nursing homes. Crappy nursing homes. All I've done is CNA stuff. PLEASE dont get me wrong, CNAs and PCTs are super important, BUT I am here to learn more than wiping butts, spoon feeding, and bed baths. (before anyone jumps on me, I really dont mind doing that stuff, but Im just really worried, how am I supposed to work as an RN in a hospital if that's the only experience I get?)[/quote']

My guess would be, based on that education, you won't be a nurse in a hospital. I can't imagine anyone hiring a student that's never even set foot inside a hospital over students who have.

I'd transfer out of that school if you can.

[Skips, MSN, RN]

Well, yeah....you are reacting strongly to it. But I can see why you'd be upset about it. You were excited about it.

However, I highly doubt having one observation day is going to help them remember you. They see a lot of students, patients, other people, etc. Don't worry about it. Just do your best at med/surg clinical. Talk to your instructors about getting a job someday in that area, and what their advice would be.

[Nolander]

I am assuming there is more than one hospital in your area, each of which probably has more than one ICU. Apply for tech/cna/nurse intern job and just use a different ICU than what your school would use

No, only one hospital in my area. That's actually the reason why I didn't get the chance to do an ICU observation day. A school from out of town, knowing that the only hospital near them is the one in my area and where my school does clinicals, some reason got there students ICU observation spots, yet the school located in the same city as the hospital (my school) gets left out; that's why I'm so frustrated.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

::cue the Rolling Stones:: "You can't always get what you wa-ant ..." :)

Seriously? One day obs and you think they'll even remember you at all? No. Get over yourself. :)

And the reason you don't get to do your senior rotation in a place where you have experience is so you don't coast, so you learn something new. Even if you work on a med/surg unit and you do your senior practicum on a (different) med/surg unit, you will be in a position to learn new things with people who do not see you as a nurse's aide but as a potential nurse.

[Racer15, BSN, RN]

It's not a big deal. My program didn't offer us any chances to go to the ICU, not even for an observation day. I had several classmates that got jobs in ICU/CCU straight out of school, even without any clinical days there AND not doing practicum there. They were hired before we even did practicum, as the hospitals here fill new grad positions about two months prior to graduation. I got a job in the ER the same way, I had one clinical day in the ER a year before I graduated, I guarantee no one there even remembered my face when I went in to interview. What DOES help is being a nurse extern on a floor you want to work on, but it's not necessarily needed.

[FurBabyMom, MSN, RN]

Actually, if I wanted to have a preceptorship in the ICU next semester I CANNOT have a job as a CNA or anything in the unit I want to precept in. My school states that if you work as a CNA or tech in a unit, then you will not be placed there to precept. I think it has something to do with knowing the people who work there and them giving you good marks, creating a bias.

Okay...I recognize that. The thing is - my school said that too (they went as far as saying that we could not do our preceptorship in the hospital we work in...but we had 8 major hospitals within a 20 mile drive of our school...). That said, they didn't stick to their rules. Well, the one they did stick to was that if you tried to set up your own placement you would not get that placement.

No, only one hospital in my area. That's actually the reason why I didn't get the chance to do an ICU observation day. A school from out of town, knowing that the only hospital near them is the one in my area and where my school does clinicals, some reason got there students ICU observation spots, yet the school located in the same city as the hospital (my school) gets left out; that's why I'm so frustrated.

One of my clinical instructors in nursing school was also our nursing department's clinical placement coordinator. She had to have great relationships with so many people at clinical sites... I hate to say it, but as in everything sometimes it's who you know not what you know - maybe there is some connection between the person arranging the clinical visit from the other school and the NM or educator in the ICU. Who knows? Being upset about it won't change it much.

Also, my original comments - I had wrongly assumed there was a collection of facilities within driving distance, and I had not intended you apply for or work at the place your school uses for clinicals. I drove 55 miles one way for a clinical placement (110 miles per clinical day) - and that was my practicum/preceptorship...I got placed at the one facility that wasn't as close to our school as others... When I worked as an RN, for 10 months I had a 130 mile round trip drive for work because it was a job. It wasn't what I wanted but it was a job. It got me the rest of my year of experience and I am now working in a dream job... It may not be easy but you will get there - even if it's not your first job... My first job as an RN sucked, but it showed me who I do not want to become. My second job was great, except the drive... I now have a dream job and love it - I'm still not even at 2 years post graduation from nursing school. That being said, at the time I didn't see the things I gained from each experience...

This semester has just started...and I saw you said you have a preceptorship next semester - are you talking summer term 2013 or fall term 2013? I don't know much about where you are located. Some high ranking medical centers have internships/externships - where during the summer between junior and senior years the student nurse can work 1:1 with a preceptor. A couple of my classmates did the one near us, and another moved for the summer to work at a major hospital in the ICU...(may or may not be possible, I don't know your situation)... I'm just trying to say there can be some AMAZING opportunities for senior level students or new graduate nurses if you are willing to work to find them (not all of them are well known or easy to find)...

Regardless, best wishes and good luck!

[aachavez]

Our school is a new campus, and with all the programs in this area, they can't find any hospitals willing to let in more students. It sucks big time. I'm trying to find a PCT, CNA etc job so I can get at least a little time in the hospital. For psych, we are at the same long term facility, but they do have a lock down psych unit with some schizophrenia and other interesting stuff. I still can't stand the facility, it's filthy.

For OB, Peds we do have hospital clinicals, thank goodness. Will probably have to find my own preceptor. I am looking at transferring, but campus would be at least an hour away, i like being sorta close. Gonna hafta look at it. I'm also working on finding facilities that will let me set up my own observation. I volunteer, so that helps too.

back to OP, one day is not going to make or break you. Gotta be flexible, and work with what ya got! Good luck!

[Nolander]

This semester has just started...and I saw you said you have a preceptorship next semester - are you talking summer term 2013 or fall term 2013? I don't know much about where you are located. Some high ranking medical centers have internships/externships - where during the summer between junior and senior years the student nurse can work 1:1 with a preceptor. A couple of my classmates did the one near us, and another moved for the summer to work at a major hospital in the ICU...(may or may not be possible, I don't know your situation)... I'm just trying to say there can be some AMAZING opportunities for senior level students or new graduate nurses if you are willing to work to find them (not all of them are well known or easy to find)...

Regardless, best wishes and good luck!

Fall 2013 is my final semester. Yes, there is in fact an externship at my hospital for nursing students during the summer. I will most definitely be applying with hopes of going to the ICU/CCU. However, I don't even currently work at the hospital and I just know they will take preference to people who either have worked as a CNA/tech previously, or currently are employed by the hospital; I meet none of these criterion and am unsure of how me applying to extern will go.

[dah doh, BSN, RN]

I never had an ICU type experience (rotation nor observation) while in nursing school, but I work ICU now. I don't think you're missing anything. If you really want to work ICU as an RN, apply when you get licensed...or become a floor nurse and then transfer into ICU once you get experience.

As for being a CNA/PCT, use it to get your foot in the door at a hospital, that's what I did in nursing school and I worked ortho (it showed me that I wanted to do more than just ortho).