Need RN advice

[Bicster]

My prospective nursing school does not have the following courses:

-pharmacology

-pathophysiology

-med/surg

Do you feel these courses are integral to being a successful nurse? Especially one with hopes of going on to advanced nursing practices? The school does have the highest NCLEX pass rate in the state though, so thats good. I just don't know what to do.

I really want to work ICU but am concerned that w/o those courses I will not be a competetive applicant. Any advice?

[caliotter3]

My school integrated pharm and pathphys into the program. Toward the end, the school changed the curriculum and started to offer a separate pharm course. I attempted to sign up for the course because I wanted the content in a separate format. The instructor who was teaching it refused to allow me to add the course and jumped down my throat. I think it must have been an idea of the curriculum committee that having a separate course was better. After all, they warned us about pharm questions on the NCLEX. If you are really questioning this, like I did, then buy a separate text for these subjects, if you don't already have one, and study it separately on your own. You will be doing yourself a favor for the NCLEX by doing this. JMO

[NeosynephRN]

I doubt a new grad would be hired into ICU. You need experience before you take on that level of illness/knowledge.

Well that is far from the truth...many new grads including myself have been and will continue to be hired directly into an ICU.

To the OP...we did not have those specific classes either, they were all integrated throughout the entire program, so I would not be worried! GL with school!

[Becca608]

I doubt a new grad would be hired into ICU. You need experience before you take on that level of illness/knowledge. Your clinicals/classwork will give you the basics of what you need to know. I would ask around - what experience do you need to be considered for ICU. Ask your instructors, they should also know.

We live in a community with a magnet hospital and a teaching institution with 4 RN (2 ADN and 2 BSN) programs within a 45 min drive. And yes, several people in my class were able to get into ICUs, CCUs and cardiac cath.

I personally chose not to pursue that path at this time. I would rather be a screaming mess for a year on a med-surg floor and get the whole time managment thing down then to go to ICU, decide I don't like it and then try to go back to med-surg.

[suanna]

Our hospital hires new grads to ICU if they did a preceptorship in critical care and have a recommendation from the instructors. We can't hire more than 25% new grads on any floor/shift in critical care. Otherwise 1 year experience in acute care is required. If students have an intrest in ICU they must choose this tract in thier senior year. Other hospitals have different requirements but you will have to check around your in your area if critical care is your field of intrest.