ICU Charge nurse Vs. ICU floor nurse to become CRNA

CodeNurseBrown · Jul 1, 2015

If you've never done ICU bedside nursing, you won't be qualified for the charge role, regardless of what the hospital administration seems to think at that the hospital you interviewed at. You might be hired for the role, but you won't be able to be effective and the clinical staff won't be helped by your presence.

To your CRNA question, the bedside position will give you the skills that are more pertinent to the CRNA school application.

ArrowRN, BSN, RN · Jul 8, 2015

It's rat's patooty.

Whatever! Its not a word , but to clarify I was not referring to him or her being a charge in ICU I was referring to working as staff/bedside RN in ICU to achieve the goal of being a CRNA, ain't nothing wrong with that. And I don't know any manager who would hire someone in charge position without giving them floor experience first, if they do, its probably an unsafe place to work. At the same time, I'm doubtful anyone would work in any field as a nurse and totally not care about what they are doing, what so if someone starts in ICU they must be an ICU nurse for life? Nurses switch up units they work on all the time.

ChooSoul · Jul 9, 2015

I'm a new ICU nurse, and even I think this is scary. I suggest just get the regular position and not the charge. I dont think it matters very much if you were charge or a staff nurse in a CRNA application. As long as you got the solid years of experience. Im on orientation and my preceptor is the charge and she KNOWS A LOT. She also gets at least one of the hardest patients, usually gets the admissions, shes the patient advocate and the nurses' advocate, she has super assessment skills and critical thinking. she handles a lot of the floor's responsibility, shes the team leader and shes also like a bouncer, if you compare ICU floor to a club. it is a serious task.

Me being new, wouldnt be so comfortable having a charge who isnt really that reliable just because you dont have the proper experience. I feel like youre just like me, a new icu nurse.

sure, you had leadership in other fields, but ICU is different. you have so much past achievements, but every time you switch careers, you start over from scratch sometimes. so, just get staff ICU position and get experience then apply for charge later.

what i learned, is employers will say whatever just to have their checklist done. the people who hire you are the floor directors and managers. sometimes the employers are desperate and theyll say whatever to get you to come to them and hire you. and if for some reason you do get hired as charge, which youre not ready for.

sometimes you bite off more than you can chew and you end up risking your reputation and credentials because the employers goaded you. HR people know nothing about nursing...

Bluebolt · Jul 9, 2015

Howdy OP,

Well I'm sure you've seen a pattern in the responses here from all us ICU nurses. I appreciate your ambitions and from you saying this is not your first career I know you're in a hurry to reach your CRNA goals before you're too old. You've already achieved a great deal by getting your BSN getting a little over a years experience on a medical floor and now even being offered an ICU position. I know nurses who have worked years and years to finally get their BSN from their ADN and work themselves into a coveted ICU position, so job well done!

I have good news and bad news. The good news is that you're on the right path to your goals, awesome! The bad news is that you're not going to get there as fast as you're hoping. Sadly everything worth having in life takes time and lots of effort to achieve and there is no quickie method for the real important things. I'd say being an Anesthesia provider who is highly paid and known as top in their respected field is an important thing, one you should not even try to skip steps on, even if it was possible.

I'm applying to some doctorate CRNA programs this month actually so I understand your point of view. Although when you first get into the ICU it's a lot like being a new nurse again and you're going to need to dedicate all your time and energy to just learning how to do all the new clinical skills and roles you'll need to play. There is a fair number of people who get into the ICU and burn out or realize it's not for them, get overwhelmed. Before you plan for CRNA seriously you should give yourself about 2 years to learn and make sure you have a grasp on basic ICU concepts. The CRNA programs I've spoken to usually post that 1 year minimum ICU required but they tell you in person that they really mostly consider those with 3 to 5 years experience. They know that having one year of experience is really not enough to be competent in critical care. Not to mention that all programs are looking for applicants who have attained their CCRN certification, which you aren't even allowed to attempt to take until you have one year experience. It's a very difficult exam and most people need a few years and lots of studying to pass it.

As far as this hospital offering you a charge nurse role in the ICU when you've worked for a little over a year on a med/surg floor only... I'm a travel nurse and have worked in many different ICU's in many different states, including Georgia. I've worked in teaching facilities, small community hospitals, large public city hospitals and I've never heard of anything like that. It's quite frankly ludicrous and I'm assuming the hospital misunderstood your background or skills. Like so many others have said a charge nurse in the ICU functions differently from a normal floor charge. Nurses in the ICU are very autonomous, knowledgeable, professional and most of all prideful. We can smell fear and ignorance. If a Charge RN is ever perceived as not the most knowledgable about all critical care information, ICU machinery, titrations, advanced pathophysiology, advanced lab interpretation, pretty much everything an ICU RN must know, they will be eaten alive. Not to mention the physicians can sniff out a newbie to the ICU in a minute and they won't offer any respect to a newbie who doesn't know their place as a padawan learner. Your role will broaden and change as your transition to the ICU and the sheer number of things you don't know you don't know will stun you and three years down the road you'll still be stunned at what you don't know even still!

Also the Charge RN is not usually a direct bedside role in the ICU, at least not consistently. For CRNA school your time has to be direct bedside ICU experience, making decisions, titrating drips, initiating advanced therapies, troubleshooting hemodynamic changes, interpreting lab data, etc. If you have Charge experience but can't prove you were consistently taking bedside patients they won't accept you. Also they would question your judgement as a nurse to take a charge position without having solid bedside ICU experience.

I hope all our responses have been helpful!