ICU Experiences.......

[JiffyGriff]

I have an interview next thursday for an RN job in the MICU/SICU at the hospital I am currently working at (I grad. in May and will be assuming the postion then), it is an 18 bed unit with a normal 1:2 nurse to patient ratio. There is a matching size CVICU in this hospital as well and we are regarded as mainly a heart hospital. I also have a job offer in the MICU/SICU of a much larger facility that has magnet status but it is a further drive for me. I would like to get everyone's opinions on some questions I should ask to decide whether or not to accept this position or the position in the larger hospital based on what experiences I will gain that will help my admission odds for CRNA school. For instance how much experience will I get with vents, IABP's, A-lines, Swanz, etc..... what is the best experiences I should be looking for between these two hospitals?

Thanks,

Jiffy.

[toobemall]

I would go for the CVICU. All of your pts will come up on the vent, all of them will have a-lines and chest tubes, most if not all should have swans, and temporary pacers. I enjoy hearts so I guess I am biased.

Having said that, it really all comes out in the wash as adult ICU. I have classmates with MICU backgrounds, SICU backgrounds and they are doing fine. Pick the population you want to deal with.

One last soapbox.......magnet status is a joke. Hospitals pay to "achieve" this and I havent seen where it changes anything within the institution.

Good luck!

[suzanne4, RN]

If you have a choice, go with the faciltiy that has the CVICU. And magnet status means nothing as fas as actual patient experience goes. Find out the type of patient population that is seen in that facility. Do they do quite a few ballon pumps while the patient is waiting for surgery? Do they place more stents and have in extremely active interventional cardiology department? You want thorough hemo-dynamic monitoring training, and alot of it. You can get it in a regular CCU, but it depends on the cardiologists there and what they will and will not do.

Good luck with your interview.:)

[WVUturtle514]

Depending on how soon you're planning on applying to CRNA school, I would go with CVICU. I went to a CVICU right out of nursing school and got a TON of experience with vents, Swans, drips, IABPs, etc... I then applied to CRNA school with only one year of experience and got in. MICU/SICU would be good experience as well, but I think you will get a lot more a lot faster in the CVICU. I go to school with people who worked twice as long as I did in a MICU/SICU and have had only half of the experiences and opportunities I had. I think it just boils down to the fact that a lot of MICU/SICU patients are chronic patients. Either way, sounds like you have soon good choices available to you and I'm sure you'll make the best out of all your experiences. Best of luck!!!