New grad looking for ICU position

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Hello everyone,

I am a brand new ADN nurse that graduated in may and had an amazing time during my ICU rotation (polly the only place i felt like i belong doing nursing school) so I am commited to tackling the ICU beast but first i have to let them open up the door for me! >.

With your help and wisdom, Does anyone know any active intership/residency program tailored for a new graduate wanting to focus ICU. I would prefer florida programs but beggars cant be chooser so i am willing to travel as well :)

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME :D

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I am in the nurse residency program at Florida Hospital in Tampa. It is not geared specifically for the ICU but will get your foot in the door and possibly even in the ICU. Upon entering the program we chose the top 3 areas we would want to work in. A few example of the areas available were the ICU, ED, a few step down units, and your typical med surge floors. We have been rotating throughout 3 different floors for the last 3 weeks and at the end of this week we will have a "match day". On match day you will be chosen to stay on a floor of your choice (by the managers of the floor) depending on how well you did during your rotation and the chemistry you had with the other staff on the floor. It has been a great experience so far and I am very excited for match day. I hope this helps and that you consider the program :)

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That is AWESOME , i am glad you are having such a great experience!!! :) I look into that intership program and they must currently not be taking application because i do not see anywhere to apply for the program but I do so the webpage for it so i will have to give them a call tomorrow morning !

If you dont mind me asking how long do you get to spend at each floor as well as how long is the total program?

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The program length is 16 weeks and I have been to my floor choices twice this far. This week will be my 3rd time in each floor. This coming Friday I will be chosen on one floor and remain there for the duration of the program. When the program ends I'm just no longer considered a resident

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Specializes in Anesthesia, ICU, PCU.

Manage your expectations. A likely scenario: you end up in an area of nursing you may not necessarily be interested in, especially in nurse residency programs where many simply "place" you at the end based on the hospital's need (ie, preferred floor or not). Best case scenario: you're placed in the single most complicated and stressful level of care in all of nursing, as a new graduate, and therefore will have to learn both the basics of how to be a nurse and the more esoteric realm of ICU nursing. It has been done though. I know a few nurses who were hired directly to ICU.

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Dear Wish and Want,

Being a student in ICU is much, much different than being a Staff Nurse. Even after an internship and residency, it takes 10 years as a Nurse to get proficient and be able to handle the complex cases. You need to start out on a Med surg floor and master your skills. These clients generally are not trying to die on you. Next you need to work in the ER, you will work under the close supervision of Doctors. You will be able to anticipate the needs of your patients after a short while and will see a cornicopia of simple to complex cases and it will serve you well. Not only will you be able to respond to the needs of your ICU patients in a crisis, you will be able to care for your family and friends and their emergent needs.

Trust me, i have been a nurse for 40 years.

Florida is notorious for mistreating their nurses. I refuse to work there.

Any non union state, the hospital dictates nurse to pt workloads, no lunch breaks, no nothing and will triple you up because of their inability to staff adequately. It is because they cannot keep nurses. The population they serve are old folks with multiple co-morbidites and take a ton of meds.

Good luck, don't wish for something you don't really understand, you might just get it.

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Thank you all for your input i have applied to several residency program and have an interview monday. It is extremely difficult to just be put into ICU the hospital would rather place you in a PACU/tele floor to get your skills up i am finding out.

I would be willing to sacrifice an ICU position if i find a hospital that has a great reputation for training new graduate.

For a list of residency program i found this website and it was extremely helpful to me

http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/education/schools/school-of-nursing/students/resources/upload/Guide-to-Hospital-Nursing-Residency-and-New-Graduate-Programs-Updated-7-2014.pdf

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Specializes in Critical Care and ED.

My hospital have a new grad internship to the ICU but they only take a few per year. The ones we have had have been the brightest and the best and have done really well, but it takes a long time for them to become competent. Our orientation is minimum 16 weeks and is often extended. I would recommend getting a med/surg job from which it is slightly easier to be hired into the ICU. We take a lot of people from the med/surg and cardiac rehab floors.

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I'm applying for the 2016 season do they do simulation labs and classroom training too?

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