Med Surg vs ICU for Practicum

[OliverElio87, BSN, RN]

Hi everyone, I need to give my school nursing units that I would like to do my practicum (basically working full-time nursing hours for my last clinical rotation). All my preceptors thus far have said do either med surg or ICU. One nurse in particular said ICU because ICU nurses do things that med surg nurses do not. However, I am hesitant to do ICU just because I am still a student and it seems overwhelming taking care of critcal care patients. My boyfriend, who is a 4th year med student, said to pick ICU because you can learn things quickly and still be under supervision.

What are all your thoughts?

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

Pick a practicum that is in a specialty that you have an interest in. If you see yourself as an ICU, ER, L&D, OR nurse then pick that. This is a chance to gain important experience in a the life of a nurse.

However, I am hesitant to do ICU just because I am still a student and it seems overwhelming taking care of critical care patients.

You have a preceptor that is ultimately responsible. Your job is to be at their hip the entire time, attempt any skills that you are given the opportunity to perform, and soak up as much knowledge as possible. You will be given more and more responsibility as the practicum goes on and the preceptor has more confidence in your ability.

[Roasted.Peanuts]

I agree with the above post. You should go into a unit that interests you so that you learn skills pertaining to that specific unit. Also, if the unit that you choose ultimately wasn't for you, at least you have eliminated that floor for the future as you decide on other floors to specialize in.