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Discussion

am i making a mistake?

hi i'm a brand new grad here (graduated aug 3!). i was also the first in my class to take the nclex. so now i'm a licensed RN, who is desperate for a job (i'm a single mom of 3).

i really LOVE critical care nursing. i did my preceptorship at a small local hospital ICU and did quite a few clincals in MICU and CCU. i found i love how challenging the nursing care was. i loved using my knowledge of the body system and how they work together and affect one another. i loved how i was always learning something new. working in critical care would be my dream job at this point.

the hospital i did preceptorship only hires new grad for the med surg floors. they are frequently assigned up to 8pt and because the icu is small only 4 beds, many times there are pt on the med/surg floor who should really by in the ICU. for this reason i've not applied to this hospital but i have applied for numerus CC positions at other hospitals but it's been two weeks and i've have recieved any calls, so i have also applied for some med/surg postions. there seems to be alot of openings in med surg, so i thought i'd go ahead and apply though it's not really where i want to be.

will it be hard for me to go from med/surg to a CC unit? should i just wait for a CC position?

if i do accept a med/surg position what should i do to hopefully give me an edge to transition to a CC position. is it harder to land a CC position? are CC positions more in demand than med/surg? i'm a newbie on the outside looking in and trying to make sense of things, so any insight 'insiders' can offer me is much appreciated.

thanks for reading

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    You are probably aware that it's tough for new grads to find ANY JOBS, regardless of floor, lately. If you can find a med-surg spot, I say SNATCH it.

    It's actually NOT very common for new grads to be hired into a critical care job, because experience is a key factor. And an excellent way to get that experience in assessment, time management, skills, etc is by working med-surg.

    In no way would I ever suggest to you to "hold out" for a critical care position--you might be holding yourself completely out of employment. Don't wait for your classmates to take everything that's open--jobs will be gone fast. And you say you're "desperate" for a job? Take one.

    As for transitions, I've seen many MANY nurses go from m/s to ICU or ED, no problem. Being able to juggle a large patient assignment, balance the med runs, handle multi-tasking to an extreme always transitions well to anything. What you have to do is survive, and handle it as well as humanly possible.

    Many times, nurses who are tired of m/s want to try for another floor, and more acute (ICU/ED) are obvious choices, so they are more likely to be hired from within than a brand new grad.

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    I took the first job I was offered. I racked up experience along with income. I had a friend who was picky and didn't get hired for another year after we graduated. She works in LTC since that picky thing didn't work so well. Starting in an area that tends to hire new grads is a good thing. Your slow newness won't stand out as much as it would if you were the only new grad. Being a new nurse is tough. Having a little wiggle room with your mistakes by NOT working in critical care right out of the chute is a blessing.

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    I never think it's a mistake to start out in med-surg. Plus a lot of CC positions even require some med-surg experience. I think it would be easier to go from med-surg to CC than just starting out in CC so definately take whatever you can get. Med-surg used to be the backbone of every specialty so I don't understand why all the new ones think it will hinder them in some way. It's easier to learn all the new stuff with stable patients anyway!!

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