My 1st choice is ICU or PACU, then CRNA?

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Specializes in Cardiac Tele, MICU RN.

I am a nurse extern at a teaching hospital in the PACU department, which I love. I am learning so much, but still I am worried that I will be stuck here if I chose to stay here as a new grad. I also work at a smaller hospital on a med-surg floor, which I hate. But a little part of me is wondering if I should begin there for experience on the med-surg floor and develop basic nursing skills and prioritizing. I am thinking that the ICU is the best way to get into CRNA school, but I have no experience as an extern like the PACU, So my question is can I begin in the PACU for a year and then transfer to ICU to get into CRNA school or should I just go ICU or med-surg first? help

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Specializes in Critical Care, Emergency.

my guess is it's facility specific... some PACUs i've come across in my time wanted ICU experience before coming to PACU.. with that being said, very few schools take PACU as primary critical care experience.. many schools "prefer" adult ICU experience.. few others will even accept ER, PICU/NICU as well.. med-surg experience will never hurt anyone.. if you want the quickest route to CRNA, get into the ICU asap... get a couple solid years and apply... in the end, you are the one who needs to be happy where you are and what you do.....

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Specializes in MICU, ER, SICU, Home Health, Corrections.

I have to agree with dfk on that one. It really just depends on the school. Your priority should be to locate the local school's grads and see what they have to say and go with it. Anesthesia is not a natural progression for an RN in the first place, so I can't see why it would matter which unit or ER, etc, the student comes from. [Yeah, I'm an FNP fan, LOL, and at risk of straying, dfk might agree that it's just as difficult to teach RT to an RN as it would be to teach the RN side to an RRT. RRT being the natural field to come from, IMHO. Should be CRRTA if ya asks me. :) ]

As long as you stick with ICU or med/surg as a base, it shouldn't matter. But again; I'd check with the locals to find out what's preferred, or what the usual students have under their belt when they got accepted. That is what will matter in the end. Good luck in your pursuits!

rb

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go to the icu...stay there for a couple 2 or 3 years and take a couple of graduate level classes to appeal to the admissions board. If you really want to get locked in, get a job in an ICU at a teaching hospital that has their own CRNA program, cause some schools pick from within their own ranks

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