Large teaching hospital vs. Community hospital ICU experience- Chances of getting in?

Nursing Students SRNA

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Hello everyone! I have been in the ICU for a little over a year and I recently changed hospitals, from a community hospital general ICU to a level one teaching hospital in the SICU. I loved working in the general ICU. I always did my best to know everything about my patients, to critically think about their illnesses and pathophysiology, and to work closely with the intensivists. At this hospital, the nurses were highly relied on to report any trends, and I felt valued.

At my new hospital in the SICU, the atmosphere is different. Nurses give short reports at change of shift with no detail, they never write anything down (PMH, labs, meds, etc.), and they never know the plan of care/goals or what has happened to the patient since admission. Even though I now work in a level one trauma center, I feel unhappy and lost.

So my question is...has anyone gotten into CRNA school by having ICU experience in a community hospital? I know CRNA schools prefer the SICU from a large teaching hospital, and that is why I made the switch. However, I am constantly thinking of leaving. Do you think if I worked at a 400 bed community hospital I would blow my chances of getting into CRNA school. My GPA and GRE are good, and I have shadowed CRNAs in the past. I want to get another year or two in the ICU under my belt before I apply. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

I think that the type of experience you are getting is more important than where you are getting it. a 400 bed comm hosp seems big to me! How big was the ICU-what type of pts did you have? Was there a lot of invasive lines (swans) or hardly ever? Many many drips to manage? Or are your pts more chronic, respiratory, etc. Do you get a lot of post arrest, or big MIs, cardiogenic shock, etc...the place isn't the big deal, its the quality of the experience.

good luck! be happy!

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