Med Surg & ICU before applying

TraumaNurse · Mar 14, 2005

I think if your goal is critical care and then CRNA school, you should find an ICU that hires new grads and has an excellent new grad ICU orientation. IMO.

toobemall · Mar 14, 2005

hey everyone. just throwin an idea out to u guys. i was talking a friend of mine, kinda like my nursing mentor, and she told me that she thinks its very wise to work in med surg for one year just because of the valuable experience a young nurse can get starting off. do you guys think its wise to have two years (1 of med surg and 1 of ICU) before applying? would that make a pretty strong application? just wondering you guys think! ttyl!
ashfoste

I had one program director basically tell me that all of my experience outside of ICU (flight nursing, ED nursing, interventional cath lab nursing) was not even figured into the equation. Hence, I would tell you that anything other than ICU in preparation for CRNA school is nothing but a waste of your time and energy.

ericalirn · Mar 14, 2005

Sometimes new grads benefit from working on the floor first because they get very proficient with time management and prioritizing. It also is much less intimidating than an ICU environment. I agree with the previous posting, though. An ICU with a long preceptorship program would be a good fit! Good luck to you.

pinkisnoopi · Mar 14, 2005

i started in a sicu as a new grad. it was challenging in the beginning i have to admit, but totally worth it. i now have 4.5 yrs of sicu experience & going to crna school this fall (woohoo). (btw, i didn't enter the icu thinking about crna school; i didn't even know they existed) i personally don't feel comfortable applying after only 1 yr of experience, that's just me. i think after maybe 2 or 3 yrs..

Pete495 · Mar 14, 2005

I had one program director basically tell me that all of my experience outside of ICU (flight nursing, ED nursing, interventional cath lab nursing) was not even figured into the equation. Hence, I would tell you that anything other than ICU in preparation for CRNA school is nothing but a waste of your time and energy.

The preference for experience from each school is individualized. You might find one school that prefers ICU experience over ER, PACU, or CCU. Most intelligent schools however look at the whole individual, including all their experience. If this is a CRNA program director, and they figure that none of that experience fits into you making a good candidate, well they are just plain wrong, and I would look elsewhere.

I worked in an ICU as a tech, but didn't start out there as an RN. I have worked in a Cardiovascular Surgery Unit since I graduated. My advice is to get into a hospital program that educates you while you are working. I did a critical care fellowship program, which combines didactic education with clinical preceptorship. So really, I got ICU, med/surg, and CVSU experience because I worked in all 3 areas. I was then allowed to pick where I wanted to work from the 3 areas. However, it was the experience with Swans and hemodynamics that CRNA programs looked into the most. Those were the programs I was looking at however. Hope this helps, even a small amount

catcolalex · Mar 15, 2005

why not do both, I was able to get floor experience as an LPN, for one year as I was finishing my RN degree, then when I graduated I moved to the SICU as a new grad, but also with 1 year of med surg experience. helped me to have an easier transition into the unit as well as early start to ICU experience in preparation for CRNA school where I am now. just takes careful planning and desire.

athomas91 · Mar 16, 2005

ashfost - you will learn everything in the ICU setting that you would have learned in M/S. In my opinion that is an outdated way of keeping the newby in their place. You will not only learn the same things, you will learn more. good luck.

pinkisnoopi · Mar 16, 2005

i started in a sicu as a new grad. it was challenging in the beginning i have to admit, but totally worth it. i now have 4.5 yrs of sicu experience & going to crna school this fall (woohoo). (btw, i didn't enter the icu thinking about crna school; i didn't even know they existed) i personally don't feel comfortable applying after only 1 yr of experience, that's just me. i think after maybe 2 or 3 yrs..

btw, i'm also a float pool nurse, which allows me to get experience other than sicu such as cardiovascular recovery, medical icu, burn icu, ccu, intermediate care, including floor experience..just a thought if you won't mind floating once in a while in order to get varied experiences..

KimberRN1 · Mar 17, 2005

I work in MICU and knew that critical care is exactly what I wanted to do when I was in nursing school...the hospital I applied to does hire new grads into their ICUs so I went to work in the MICU after graduation....We do have some older nurses in the unit who feel that new grads should all have to work med/surg before coming to any ICU ...I totally disagree because on med/surg they don't have Swans...vents...A-lines...telemetry....critical gtts etc etc....so work there a year then go to the ICU you still have to learn all the ICU "stuff" anyway..., you will still have the same amount of precepting time as if you were a new grad and you'll still have to take all the critical care classes as well......EKG....ACLS...CRRT..Balloon pump....etc....this can take a few months to complete......if critical care and CRNA school is what you want to do you shouldn't waste a year of your time...Just go into it head first...I did now I'm going to CRNA school in April....you can have 10 yrs med/surg experience and 1 yr ICU but the schools you apply to are only going to look at your ICU experience.

kitty=^..^=cat · Mar 17, 2005

If you want to go to CRNA school, I agree with the posts encouraging you to go into an ICU setting as a new grad first. There's no reason to waste a year on med/surg, when you know you have no interest in doing general acute care.

RaginCajunRN · Mar 17, 2005

Hey ashfost. I have a friend that I work with that came straight out of his BSN program and went into the CCU/ICU setting. He had a structured orientation which included about 6 weeks of training on a telemetry unit before coming to the ICU. He is applying for CRNA school right now and has been in the ICU setting for about 2 years. The amount of growth I have seen in his nursing knowledge base and comfort level caring for acutely ill patients from year 1 to now has been immense. I'll tell you, I think that extra year of effort and knowledge matured him and built his confidence. So, to answer your question, I think that you should work some on the floor, but I think you should really focus on taking care of every type of ICU patient that you can to encounter all of the experiences needed to be a well-rounded clinician. You need to see, touch, and manage all types of critical patients and the equipment needed to care for them. You must be confident in your abilities and prepared mentally for the challenge of CRNA school. CCRN certification would also be good for you because in studying for the exam you would cover a lot of the illnesses that you might not come across on a daily basis at work and know what to look for when you do see it. I hope that everything works out for you and remember to not be discouraged in chasing your dreams. Perseverance and dedication will pay off!!

Louisiana RN,BSN,CCRN - 5 years ICU/CCU experience (7.5 Years in Nursing)

Hopeful SRNA this Fall!!