New grad who wanted ICU, got med surg, advice?

[meagenreason]

Hi everyone, I am a new grad nurse who recently applied for a "residency"-type program for new grads at a local hospital. I wanted ICU as I did my preceptorship there in that hospital and throughout school I KNEW this was my passion, but unforunately they filled all the slots for this program with internal employees and I was offered a med surg position. I accepted and I am scheduled to start next month. My dilemma is that I was also offered a position in an ICU at a hospital that's an hour away. But this hospital does no type of orientation-mentor program for new grads and has recently come under some legal issues for patient safety, basically just has a bad rep. I know the obvious better choice is the med surg position and I have heard that it is good to get at least a year of med surg experience before going into critical care, but it was never my intention to do so, and I'm terrified that once I get there I'll hate it. Sorry for being long winded but my question is basically whether anyone here was stuck** on med surg before they got to pursue your real passion and how you handled it/felt about it.

**I hate using that term because I don't want to shed bad light on med surg nurses at all so please forgive me.

[loriangel14, RN]

Thanks guys, I've just had friends/family of mine (not in nursing) who keep questioning why I accepted the med surg instead of ICU like I had hoped for who were making me doubt myself. You guys have helped reassure me that I was making the right decision!

So you hoped for the ICU position. So what? You will be very disappointed if you think you are going to get everything you want just because you want it.ICU right out of school is ridiculous anyways. Where I work you have to have plenty of experience before they would even look at you for an ICU job.

[plinytheRN]

I am in the same boat, sticking it out in med/surg/ telemetry for a year, even though critical care was where I wanted to be and precepted. I am learning a lot, but I can still feel that med/surg just isn't the best fit for me. I am making the best of it, and feel grateful to make small mistakes here rather than in an ICU and have something really go wrong. On that note- I am grateful to have a job, most of my cohort is unemployed almost 7 months out of graduating...yikes. The residency is the way to go! Good luck to you!

[blueorchid981]

Med surg isn't bad, you'll gain great skills as a new grad. But like you, I enjoy ICU more...being able to focus in depth on 2-3 patients. I would take the med surg job because an ICU position with poor structure and orientation will set you up for failure. Wait for an ICU position with good structure and orientation. Take the med surg job, keep an open mind and make the most of it.