new grad icu orientations 6-8 wks- safe?

[scrubs12]

hi everyone,

looking to transition into icu, but finding that new grad icu programs in los angeles (from several hospitals) offering orientation lasting around 6-8 wks. i have 15 mos home care rn experience that included 6 mos of orientation.

icu programs with 6-8 wks- can that be safe? and its from hospitals like cedars sinai- a magnet hospital, usc and others....

what are your thoughts? any advice?

thanks, after

[mattsmom81]

6-8 weeks might be a safe timeframe with an experienced nurse moving into ICU but I doubt it is sufficient for a new grad.

The program I was affiliated with offered a 4 month program of classroom and critical care shadowing in 4 units...SICU, NeuroICU, CCU, and Stepdown. Most of the students liked the internship but wished it had been even LONGER.

It is a lot to learn in 6-8 weeks...my advice is to talk to graduates of the internship and get their scoop. Perhaps the facility is staffed to offer adequate support their first months in critical care. Or perhaps they feel thrown to the wolves...better ask them. :)

Good luck and let us know what you find out!

[Flo1216]

Our orientation is 6 mos for ICU and 3 mos for ER. I don't think our new grads have killed anyone yet... Of course the new grads aren't given then most critical pts either and they aren't just thrown to the dogs. There is always someone there if they are unsure of something. However, they DO throw you to the wolves if you are a new med-surg nurse. A girl from my school who just passed her boards was charge nurse last week. I would be scared. I think the new residents are scarier than the new nurses...

[Flo1216]

I just got finished my ICU/CCU rotation and I would not be comfortable with 6 weeks orientation....I was blown away by all the technology...

[JohnnyGage]

In our hospital, anyone new to critical care (experienced floor nurse or new grad) has about a three month orientation which includes both classroom and clinical instruction. If they need a longer period of time they usually get an extra month. After orientation is complete, they are assigned a mentor that works closely with them to troubleshoot, bounce ideas off of, etc. Depending on how fast you learn, though, 8 weeks might not be too bad.

Remember, no matter how long the orientation, most newbies don't feel comfortable. That's OK! The goal of orientation is not to make you comfortable, but competent. Comfort takes a while of simply working in the trenches (with good back-up, of course).