New grad men to the ICU

[bols27]

I am a male nursing student with a strong interest in landing that mythical new grad ICU job. I just wondered seeing as how so many men are interested in ICU and ED, if any have found that being a man has made it any easier or harder to get hired in these departments.

[ktsummar, LPN, LVN]

Those positions are hard to come by unless you know someone or have some experience in these departments. For me, I have spent the last 2 years work as a Telemetry Tech, Unit Secretary and CNA on the CCU floor. Next Monday I start my externship in the ED. Experience goes a long way.

[hjknisley]

I am hoping to land an ICU role as well and from what I have heard you better know somebody. All the guys ahead of me in my program do seem to be able to land one though. That's encouraging.

[NurseCJV]

I am currently doing a summer externship at a hospital who offers new grad ICU fellowship. Once I finish college and pass my nclex, they said I have a really good chance of getting in because of the externship.

[icarr757]

Think about it this way, if you were running a ICU unit, would you want a brand spanking new grad working for you, or someone with a few years of experience? Also, think of how easy it will be for you, as a new grad, to loose your hard earned nursing license working in a ICU with no experience?

Im a guy, and one day I also dream of working in a ICU, dunno, maybe its a guy thing. But after talking with ICU nurses and lab techs, they have pretty much convinced me to get a few years under my belt before I try for it, not only for patient safety but my own also.

But thats just me.

[Bob_N_VA]

Think about it this way, if you were running a ICU unit, would you want a brand spanking new grad working for you, or someone with a few years of experience? Also, think of how easy it will be for you, as a new grad, to loose your hard earned nursing license working in a ICU with no experience?

Im a guy, and one day I also dream of working in a ICU, dunno, maybe its a guy thing. But after talking with ICU nurses and lab techs, they have pretty much convinced me to get a few years under my belt before I try for it, not only for patient safety but my own also.

But that's just me.

This goes back to the "Do your year or two in Med-surg (AKA the Salt-mines, trenches, whatever), get your feet wet with pt care experience, time management, etc and then move on to one of the sexier departments" argument vs. getting lucky and starting in the ED or ICU or whatever your dream assignment is. I've heard and read about both sides, and I'm still on the fence with it, but maybe due to my age, I tend to think there is no substitute for experience. I think I'll be happy to have a job at the end of graduation, and after that, its luck, skill and determination, not necessarily in that order.

[EricJRN, MSN, RN]

I've worked in neonatal ICU since I became a nurse in early 2006. I worked a little less than four years at sort of a medium-sized hospital and I've been at a big academic children's hospital for a little less than two. Maybe it's just my ego, but I'd like to think that my success has little to do with my gender and more to do with professionalism, hard work and dedication.

My only regret is that I didn't get to a big unit a little faster. I feel like I marked time for a little too long at my first hospital, dealing over and over again with a very narrow range of patient types and diagnoses. I realize that it's different in adults and that you're likely to encounter a wide variety of patients and procedures in any adult inpatient unit.

[Anoetos, BSN, RN]

Some hospitals have internships. The one I work at does. But you have to be a tech (or whatever your hospital calls them; basically a nursing student who can do the less complicated skills (IV sticks, labs, caths, basic assessment)). And you have to apply, interview and be accepted. When you're a GN, if you're accepted you serve the internship in one of the ICU's and if you're any good, when you board, they hire you.

The internship is available to techs in the step-down heart units (CPCU) and a few other more acute care floors, afaik.

Again, the best advice I can give a nursing student is to get a patient care job in a good hospital as soon as you can.