New grads in cvicu?

powernurse · Mar 10, 2006

Do most hospital hire new grads directly into cvicu or do you have to pay your dues then step up? i am a new nursing school student and do not have a clue. someone please enlighten me on the subject. thanx

I do believe this depends on where the hospitals are and how they are faring in the "nusring shortage". I am originally from Connecticut and ALL of the hospitals that my fellow classmates were applying to were accepting new grads in ALL areas including ICU and ER.....

Currently, however, I am in Charlotte, NC and I feel grateful to have FINALLY (after searching since November) have been offered a position on cardiac tele. I have been told by 4 different hospitals here that ICU/CCU &ER typically need 1-3 yrs experience...

I consider myself to be in the same boat as a new grad, I graduated with Associates in RN in may 2003 but have not worked since 4/2005 b/c my husband was dx with Cancer and subsequently passed away in 12/05....

I have chosen not to work b/c i have a 15 yr old son and we have had a hard time with my husbands death. i dont regret my decision to stay home with him though, our time together this past year is irreplaceable.

we chose to move to charlotte b/c my mom is here.... but i will tell you that i have already had 2nd thoughts (kinda stuck here for a while b/c we bought a townhouse in NOV) ..... i was working in home care as a new grad and had no real hosp experience..... so that has been a problem here whereas it wasnt a prob in Connecticut.... before i left i was offered $26 (new grad starting salary) at a hospital and was offered a spot in the ER with a new grad intern program....... here i am offered $21 ($19 for new grads so i guess i am very lucky) and basically i was steered toward this cardiac tele position (which is considered "progressive care" a stepdown unit from CCU)

they didnt give me many options.....but i am excited....it is an opportunity to gain some med-surg experience with a little more in the area of tele.... it think cardiac tele is a good stepping stone for new grads if you are in an area that doesnt take you into ICU or CCU areas right away....

good luck and let me know how you do...... are you graduating in may?

what part of the country are you in?

feel free to PM me if you would like to have someone to keep in touch with during this "mutual" transition

lisa

melanie1126 · Mar 15, 2006

I went through orientation in May with several new grads who had been hired to CVICU at my hospital, but they all had BSN's. However, I get the impression that this must be a new practice b/c I hear many of the more seasoned nurses saying that CVICU is not the place for new grads.

suzanne4, RN · Mar 15, 2006

I have been working with new grads in the CVICU area for over 20 years, how they do is directly dependent on the orientation that is given. For the CVICU, as a new grad, you should be looking at an oreintation of at least six months, it is usually just three months for a "normal" ICU, but in the CVICU, you have many more play toys to get familiar with and that doesn't happen overnight.

Good luck in your future career.

TopherSRN · Mar 15, 2006

I'll be a new grad working in CVI and I can understand why older nurses would not like the idea. The learning curve for CVI is probably as steep as it gets. Thats why I have been studying everything I can get my hands on with regards to CVI since november. I wouldn't feel right walking in on my first day knowing absolutely nothing.

While I think new grads should be allowed to start in CVI, I feel very few are ready for it. The dissension may come from people realing they're are in over their head on their first week off orientation, therefore wasting 12-16 weeks of the units time/money/energy.

TennRN2004 · Mar 17, 2006

[quote=TopherSRN

While I think new grads should be allowed to start in CVI, I feel very few are ready for it. The dissension may come from people realing they're are in over their head on their first week off orientation, therefore wasting 12-16 weeks of the units time/money/energy.

I totally agree. It is not the place for you if you can't be honest and say I don't understand something. These pts are notorious for drastically changing in about 10 seconds, you have to be on top of it, recognize what's going on, and know how to quickly intervene. While I think some new nurses can do this and do it well, others spend their first year being hesitant and not being able to put the whole picture together. A good orientation and not trying to be too independent at first with these pts is the key to succeed. If you're not asking questions, and able to think about 4 different things at once, you'll miss something crucial on your patient. If I were you, I would see about shadowing a nurse in the CVICU to get an idea of how fast paced and intense it is and see if you get a feel for it. There's nothing wrong with working in another unit for a year to get a good critical care background, then transition into the heart unit, that's what I did and I'm glad. I felt much more comfortable and ready to start heart orientation.