ICU Internship as RN count as ICU experience?

Nursing Students SRNA

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Hello all! 

I will be graduating and passing my NCLEX very soon and have been offered a position as a RN in an ICU internship program. Considering that I will be a licensed RN, will this count as ICU experience for CRNA school? Or should I just go straight to an ICU job without the internship so I can start accumulating experience.

(I know that I need more than one year experience to be an adept and confident CRNA applicant, but I want to know how I can start accumulating experience right out of undergrad and not delay this further by getting an internship that might not count.)

Thank you!

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Specializes in sicu.

Good luck on NCLEX and good job on getting the ICU internship program! Ideally, it is better to start straight ICU full time since an internship does not count. The best source would be your CRNA program of choice. Ask them if they accept it. The ICU internship program is better than no ICU job. I had to spend 3 years in medsurge before I got the ICU position. 

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Specializes in Home health.
22 hours ago, ALHA said:

Good luck on NCLEX and good job on getting the ICU internship program! Ideally, it is better to start straight ICU full time since an internship does not count. The best source would be your CRNA program of choice. Ask them if they accept it. The ICU internship program is better than no ICU job. I had to spend 3 years in medsurge before I got the ICU position. 

I'm sorry but that is not correct.  She was offered an ICU internship which is technically a new grad program in an hospital.  From there she will be hired and will obtain experience. 

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Specializes in Home health.
1 hour ago, Ashlee59 said:

  She was offered an ICU internship which is technically a new grad program in an hospital.  From there she will be hired and will obtain experience. 

 

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Specializes in CVicu.
On 1/29/2022 at 10:06 AM, Ashlee59 said:

I'm sorry but that is not correct.  She was offered an ICU internship which is technically a new grad program in an hospital.  From there she will be hired and will obtain experience. 

That’s how I understood her post also, I think she meant it like a residency/new grad program. When I applied to CRNA  programs, I just said “I started in November 2018” and they didn’t ask if that was when I started training. If they ask be honest, but as far as taking a job without any kind of training…DO NOT take an ICU job without a training program when you’re fresh out of school, you will kill someone. I doubt any ICU would hire a new grad without any kind of residency program anyway though. These programs are how you really learn to become an ICU nurse, nursing school is just the basics of nursing really.

My goal was to leave bedside after 1 year also and go to CRNA school, but even at the 1 year mark I just didn’t feel ready. I ended up working for almost 3 years ultimately. Just try to learn as much as you can and take it all in, before you know it you’ll be near the 1 year mark and you can see if you’re ready, then go for it!

Good Luck OP

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Specializes in Home health.
21 hours ago, Dcomega44 said:

That’s how I understood her post also, I think she meant it like a residency/new grad program. When I applied to CRNA  programs, I just said “I started in November 2018” and they didn’t ask if that was when I started training. If they ask be honest, but as far as taking a job without any kind of training…DO NOT take an ICU job without a training program when you’re fresh out of school, you will kill someone. I doubt any ICU would hire a new grad without any kind of residency program anyway though. These programs are how you really learn to become an ICU nurse, nursing school is just the basics of nursing really.

My goal was to leave bedside after 1 year also and go to CRNA school, but even at the 1 year mark I just didn’t feel ready. I ended up working for almost 3 years ultimately. Just try to learn as much as you can and take it all in, before you know it you’ll be near the 1 year mark and you can see if you’re ready, then go for it!

Good Luck OP

That's how I took it too . My friend got into a residency program for OR. She is now an OR nurse at that same hospital.  I see alot of interest in CRNA. What do CRNA do ? So are they not considered bedside? Congrats by the way. For me I like bedside because I'm no longer at a facility.  I do pdn and home health. One patient at a time, I make my own schedule, the overall time to really do assessments and understand diagnosis  is helpful.I did snf I enjoyed the skills aspect of it bit not the nurse to patient ratio. Very unsafe.

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On 2/3/2022 at 3:16 PM, Ashlee59 said:

That's how I took it too . My friend got into a residency program for OR. She is now an OR nurse at that same hospital.  I see alot of interest in CRNA. What do CRNA do ? So are they not considered bedside? Congrats by the way. For me I like bedside because I'm no longer at a facility.  I do pdn and home health. One patient at a time, I make my own schedule, the overall time to really do assessments and understand diagnosis  is helpful.I did snf I enjoyed the skills aspect of it bit not the nurse to patient ratio. Very unsafe.

Most people do it for the money (totally fine btw), they regularly make 200k plus.

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