Neurosurgical ICU or Medical ICU?

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I recently graduated from a BSN program with the intention of going into an ICU training program. I hope to gain acceptance to University of Miami's CRNA program in roughly 2-3 years. I have two interviews next week. One is for the neurosurgical ICU and another for the medical ICU.

I hoped to work in a cardiovascular ICU, but it looks like my choices (assuming I can pick between the two) are the one's I just mentioned.

I'm leaning towards the neurosurgical ICU. Can anyone help me out here...from an CRNA standpoint?

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Specializes in Critical care/ER, SRNA.
I recently graduated from a BSN program with the intention of going into an ICU training program. I hope to gain acceptance to University of Miami's CRNA program in roughly 2-3 years. I have two interviews next week. One is for the neurosurgical ICU and another for the medical ICU.

I hoped to work in a cardiovascular ICU, but it looks like my choices (assuming I can pick between the two) are the one's I just mentioned.

I'm leaning towards the neurosurgical ICU. Can anyone help me out here...from an CRNA standpoint?

I am not a CRNA, but start school this August. I would go with the MICU. I have worked in both types of ICU's and the neurosurgical is very very specialized. I know several persons who have gotten into school with neurosurgical experience, so it is not a bad choice at all. I just think you will get a much broader patient experience in the MICU.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Emergency.

from the thoughts of many adcoms, SICU, CVICU, MICU. not so much in that order, but pretty much.. you get great experience with lines and drips with the first two, and you get great broad experience with the third... good luck

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Vasoactive drips, and hemodynamic monitoring. Whichever provides the most of that would be the best preparation for CRNA. NICUs can vary quite a bit on that, depending on the type of cases they handle. If they're primarily doing tumor resections and spine trauma, you won't see that many Swann-Ganz catheters. On the other hand, if they do aneurysm repairs, you'll see them until you're sick of them.

MICUs are also a mixed bag, depending very much on the typical patient population.

So all of that is just a long-winded way of saying...it depends.

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Specializes in SRNA.

Can't really answer this question as I don't know anything about these units. Generally speaking, you are looking for swans, drips, alines, vents and that kind of thing but the best experience is with the sickest patients. I also know people that had no problems getting in with only Neuro ICU experience. I would go with whichever unit has the worst (or is it the best?) patients. Sicker is better.

-S

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Specializes in SICU.
I recently graduated from a BSN program with the intention of going into an ICU training program. I hope to gain acceptance to University of Miami's CRNA program in roughly 2-3 years. I have two interviews next week. One is for the neurosurgical ICU and another for the medical ICU.

I hoped to work in a cardiovascular ICU, but it looks like my choices (assuming I can pick between the two) are the one's I just mentioned.

I'm leaning towards the neurosurgical ICU. Can anyone help me out here...from an CRNA standpoint?

neurosurgical ICU......if you have one of those, you likely have a SICU. You have the broadest exposure to a wide range of patients. Make sure you like it, of course. I'm talking about the SICU.

If you're a competitive applicant....GPA 3.5+, 1200 GRE, and/or taken some post graduate courses i don't think they will care what ICU you were in.....to be perfectly honest.

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Thanks for the input. I appreciate it. Any other opinions out there?

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Specializes in MICU & SICU.

1) CVICU 2) SICU 3) MICU

Definetly MICU over NICU just because of the variety of patients.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

I have an interview with Barry Univ in 4 days, with that said.

I have worked in a Burn ICU for just over two years now. Other than balloon pumps and ventric's I have dealt with every vasoactive gtt, vent setting, swan, central line, arterial line, continuous dialysis...etc. that all the other ICU's in the hospital use. With that said I think the adult ICU setting would be most beneficial as they offer a broader range of patient conditions (as mentioned in an earlier post).

Pick the ICU where you feel you will learn the most and be the happiest. If your hospital has a burn unit, float there if given the opportunity, we very often have the sickest patients in the hospital and have a very different population comparitively. I personally have taken opportunities to float to the other ICU's when available, including SICU, MICU, PICU, CVICU. After going a few times the charge nurses will get to know you and will give you sicker patients if you ask, giving you the oppurtunity to treat a wider variety of patients.

Good Luck

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