ICU directly after nursing school.

[LiveYourDreams]

Hello all.

I am applying to nursing school this year but am trying to get the ball rolling on some things. I live in the Portland area and I want to be a CRNA and need at least 1 year of ICU experience before I am able to apply. The experience has to be in; medical, surgical, combined, neurological, or cardio, adult only. I would really like to go directly into one of these positions as soon as I get my liscense so that I am able to begin my experience and apply as soon as possible. Is it possible to get into one of these positions with no experience? Is rural versus urban different when applying for these positions? If you know a hospital that will hire new nurses for these positions will you please let me know where? And lastly, I have heard that there are programs to go through at a hospital to get a position in ICU. If you know the answer to these questions about a certain hospital, please state the hospital and the answers. Thank you all so much for your help, it is greatly appreciated.:bowingpur

[marachne]

It really helps to get into a senior clinical rotation in an ICU if you want a position in that setting.

More ICUs are accepting new grads, but I think it depends on both the level of need and how many new grads they have recently hired.

It can be done, but you want to be sure they have a really good, long, extensive orientation.

[ICU_chick]

In Corvallis at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center we offer an extensive Critical Care Internship program that last 6 months or so. It includes classroom, simulation lab and clinical rotations in both the ICU and Progressive Care Units. You are guaranteed a job after completion, and ICU takes the 1 or 2 of the best of the group directly in as staff. The hospital is a Level 2 trauma center and has active open heart surgery and neurosurgical programs. The ICU also does CRRT, balloon pump, an occasional LVAD, etc. Its suprisingly busy for the size of the facility. That might be an option for you. Here is the link;

http://www.samhealth.org/employment_opportunities/cci_program.html

On another note, I know that the application for CRNA school is super competetive and the minimum of 1 year in a combined adult ICU may not be enough for you to be a viable candidate, or even an alternate. I strongly recommend talking to the admission folks at a CRNA school to see what their recommendations are in regards to what path you should take to be a CRNA. Getting into that career track can be challenging because many of their applicants have numerous ICU years under their belts.

[annreese]

Hm, I know all of the nurses on my unit have alot of experience, in fact the nursing population here is more or less more experienced except for med/surg which hire more new nurses. The other portland hospital I worked for also didn't have any new nurses in ICU, I might try med/surg first and them try to get into ICU, I think youll be both more prepared and more competitive for the job. Like ICU_chick said, CRNA school is very competitive, and you will need more than one year.