ICU specialty training program at HCA, experiences? feedback?

BeatsPerMinute, BSN, RN · Mar 4, 2023

I don't have experience going through a transition program, however, some tips that may be helpful:

Focus on your strengths: Your experience - you've been a nurse for 10 years, including (pediatric) ICU nursing. It's pediatrics, and yeah its been a couple of years, but you still have that experience under your belt.

Follow up with the recruiter after about a week via email.

Prepare to share stories about how you handled any difficult situations (a patient going downhill, a code, handling family members, a challenging co-worker/ charge RN/ manager / Director / boss, etc) and in a way that is humble and focus on what you learned from the experience.

With most interviews you need to listen well, manage your expectations. Many interview questions (esp when it comes to new grads and those in a transition program) are going to focus on WHO you are (the behavioral focused questions). They want to know that youre a team player, an advocate for your patient, competent, enthusiastic. At least, that's been my experience.

If they ask about schedule preferences: share your preferences, however maintain that you are open to their needs, flexible, and go in with the understanding that especially while in training, youre unlikely to get a preferred schedule.

Don't ask about pay. Likely it's already settled and decided based on policies. If they DO ask preferences about pay: look up on glassdoor or indeed to get a sense of what the pay is like, compare to your current pay, and try to meet in the middle, but remember ultimately you may have to flexible as they are going to be investing in you. ICU training is expensive for a hospital.

Ask questions. Not having questions prepared is a big turn off for hiring managers. Ideas: orientation duration, how to be successful, if it would be possible to shadow the unit, what are the next steps, etc. That will show sincere interest.

Preparing self by looking through this site, YouTube vids about nursing interviews, blogs - it will help you find the words to say during interview so that you don't end up saying something like "I don't know." Go onto Indeed to see what they're looking for. (It's also very useful when writing up a resume to use some of their words.)

Reheorifice answers to questions, and even better, with another human, to get some feedback and ideas.

And remember, this won't be your only one opportunity to get into the ICU if you don't get into this program. Heck they're hiring new grads on a reg basis directly into the ICU and you're way beyond new grad level.

Best of luck! Let us know how it goes.

paulahill · Mar 4, 2023

BeatsPerMinute said:

I don't have experience going through a transition program, however, some tips that may be helpful:

Focus on your strengths: Your experience - you've been a nurse for 10 years, including (pediatric) ICU nursing. It's pediatrics, and yeah its been a couple of years, but you still have that experience under your belt.

Follow up with the recruiter after about a week via email.

Prepare to share stories about how you handled any difficult situations (a patient going downhill, a code, handling family members, a challenging co-worker/ charge RN/ manager / Director / boss, etc) and in a way that is humble and focus on what you learned from the experience.

With most interviews you need to listen well, manage your expectations. Many interview questions (esp when it comes to new grads and those in a transition program) are going to focus on WHO you are (the behavioral focused questions). They want to know that youre a team player, an advocate for your patient, competent, enthusiastic. At least, that's been my experience.

If they ask about schedule preferences: share your preferences, however maintain that you are open to their needs, flexible, and go in with the understanding that especially while in training, youre unlikely to get a preferred schedule.

Don't ask about pay. Likely it's already settled and decided based on policies. If they DO ask preferences about pay: look up on glassdoor or indeed to get a sense of what the pay is like, compare to your current pay, and try to meet in the middle, but remember ultimately you may have to flexible as they are going to be investing in you. ICU training is expensive for a hospital.

Ask questions. Not having questions prepared is a big turn off for hiring managers. Ideas: orientation duration, how to be successful, if it would be possible to shadow the unit, what are the next steps, etc. That will show sincere interest.

Preparing self by looking through this site, YouTube vids about nursing interviews, blogs - it will help you find the words to say during interview so that you don't end up saying something like "I don't know." Go onto Indeed to see what they're looking for. (It's also very useful when writing up a resume to use some of their words.)

Reheorifice answers to questions, and even better, with another human, to get some feedback and ideas.

And remember, this won't be your only one opportunity to get into the ICU if you don't get into this program. Heck they're hiring new grads on a reg basis directly into the ICU and you're way beyond new grad level.

Best of luck! Let us know how it goes.

Thank you so much for the feedback. Seems like I hit it off well with the recruiter because she was able to get me the interview with the director. That happened yesterday! I don't think I was that nervous even for my very first nursing job interview but I did my best. I actually "studied" via YouTube in preparation for some clinical questions but they never came up. Like you mentioned, the director focused mostly on behavior, personality, and character based questions. To be honest it is all kind of a blur. She gave me honest and transparent feedback about what the unit is like, what the culture is like, and what her expectations are for her nurses. Even what her apprehensions were about hiring me, which is commuting distance. It's an hour away from my house but I do live in a semi-rural neighborhood; the next closest major hospital is 45-50 minutes away so commuting is something that is normal for living where I do. Thank you for your positive feedback and keep your fingers crossed for me that things work out.

Sam hal · Mar 6, 2023

Are you talking about the StaRN?

paulahill · Mar 6, 2023

Sam hal said:

Are you talking about the StaRN?

It is not StaRN, which is for new grads. It's its own program designed for experienced nurses to transition to ICU. The official name of it is ICU RN Plus Nurse Specialty Training Program.

Sam hal · Mar 8, 2023

It's 6 to 12 weeks where you work with a preceptor. The pay would be about 40$ an hour with your years of experience . There is unions but there are useless. Depending on the hospital location, some ICUs are laid back with lower acuity while others are real busy where you can be tripled all the time.