My PICU dreams are coming true!!!

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Hello Everyone!

I recently had an interview for a PICU at a very large teaching hospital. It went very well and the manager said she just has to look over my references and pending they are all good I will get an offer. I am trying not to get my hopes up until I actually hear from HR though. She also said that she wants me to stay where I am for a full year which will be the end of June so that I can come in as a clinician 2 into the hospital system. My dream has always been to work in a picu; especially this PICU, as it is where my baby brother passed away. I know that sounds morbid but his nurses were phenomenal and since then I have wanted to provide for children and families just as those nurses did.

I currently work on a very bust intermediate care unit. We take most drips except pressers. We currently can not titrate however that's changing next month. we take continuous bipap and high flow oxygen, no vents. We do get trached patients. our ratio is three to five depending on acuity. I am wondering how difficult my transition will be from where I am now to this level 1 trauma center PICU that sees everything from cardiac surgeries to transplants hem/onc and burns.

anyone with advice for me would be much appreciated!!

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I don't really have any advice as I'm not as RN yet, but I saw this post and just had to say congratulations!!!

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First of all, congratulations!

PICU will definitely be a jump- you'll see the sickest of the sick. From child abuse to drownings to RDS to MVAs to transplants to fresh open hearts and everything in between! You will have ventilators and trachs with home vents. You'll have patients on Fentanyl, Versed, Precedex, Milrinone, Epi, Bumex drips and more, all at the same time.

We usually have 1-2 patients at a time, and sometimes we have 2 nurses to 1 patient (certain post op hearts and fresh renal transplants).

I think having the back story that you do, will help you be even more compassionate during deaths (which we experience more frequently than we'd like.)

I wish you the best in your new exciting journey!

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