New Grads in the SICU???

sicushells, RN · Oct 2, 2008

I was hired as a new grad about a year ago into a SICU with my BSN. I don't know how or if the MSN/CNL would change anything for the hiring manager, but I might be careful (if you already have it) not to treat it like a leg up on the nurses that already work there.

sewnew · Oct 2, 2008

Thanks for your reply. Any words of wisdom that you can offer about working in the SICU would be greatly appreciated.

No I do not have my MSN/CNL yet, but that's what I plan on pursuing. Basically, the program that I plan on attending is a direct entry program for people who already have a Bachelor's degree in another field (I am currently in an accelerated program to get my BA in liberal arts). I felt that it was faster to just go for my BA and then go to nursing school for my Master's instead of getting a second Bachelor's degree (The MSN/CNL program is only 16 months instead of the 2 years for the traditional BSN program). So, it just made more sense for me.

But thanks for your tip for not treating it as a "leg up." Even though I will graduate from nursing school with a Master's degree, I will still be a "newbie" nurse and that is not as experienced as the veteran nurses who have been working on the unit for many years. I know that I will still have much to learn when I graduate...

clozad1 · Oct 3, 2008

Well I recently got hired in SICU and I am a new grad. Most hospitals in IL would like you to have some experience but it really depends on the manager interviewing you.

CrazyPremed, MSN, RN, NP · Oct 4, 2008

I'm working as a new grad in an ICU (even though I've worked as an LPN in the hospital setting. Although any nursing education is valuble, I think (personally) that you will have the same skill set as most other new grads. I think that SICU's can be the most challenging ICU environment, and the hospitals where I have worked ALL have chewed up and spit out many new grads. I would be wary.

I actually recommend starting in a Medical ICU - especially if you don't have a lot of hospital experience. Where I live, they tend to give new grads better orientation, and you get the opportunity to work through many problems at a somewhat slower pace. That is just my two cents, though. You may find many people on this board who feel otherwise.

Good luck!

CrazyPremed

sudwerks · Oct 4, 2008

I'm a new grad in the MICU and it's pretty intense. A lot to learn and know for various types of really sick people that come in. I don't have a MSN (BS Biology) but don't know that an MSN prepared nurse could learn any faster.

Fortunately, I've just begun a 12 week orientation so make sure you receive something comparable!

inee · Oct 6, 2008

im a new grad in SICU as well.

i think it depends on YOU--not the facility for the most part. you have to impress your interviewer and let them know you are serious about working there.

1. you have to have your med-surg skills all straightened out. i was always strong clinically as a student, i was far better than a lot of my classmates when it came to bedside skills--passing meds, knowing what they're for, critical thinking, communication skills with family/nurses/doctors, etc...you should have your basic skills down already (NGT insertion, IV insertion, IV pumps/piggybacks, pharmacology calculations, rates, etc...).

it will be difficult and i wouldnt recommend going straight to ANY ICU, much less SICU (the most difficult ICU environment) if you dont have excellent clinical skills as a student.

2. you have to be serious, persistent, and willing to do anything to succeed. study your critical care concepts, know your diseases and pathophysiology like it was the back of your hand, know the meds given there and the equipment--swan ganz, a-lines, cvp monitoring, ventriculostomies, chest tubes, CO/CI, EKG, etc...

3. probably the most important thing you need is CRITICAL THINKING and a very, very, strong pathophysiology body of knowledge. things can go really bad really fast and you should be able to detect sudden changes and be able to react accordingly.

im not going to lie to you or sugarcoat anything--IT IS FREAKING HARD. and it will take A LOT of dedication. i have had patients go bad on me--AAA on one and a ICH on another that both died (though no fault of my own :wink2:) and it is fast-paced, nervewrecking, and crazy when that happens. you need to keep your cool, be able to think FAST and act FAST, and be able to calm the family down with the other hand while talking to the doctor on your left ear.

it is not for the faint of heart; but i have done it (7 months into it and will take CCRN) and so have many others. A HUGE responsibility--and thus, a HUGE LIABILITY rests on your shoulders should you proceed. a lot of the tele nurses who float to our unit as scared crapless and many of them decline and rather go home than float to us. a lot of the ICU and CCU nurses dread our unit.

the big question is, WHY?

why should you put unnecessary burden on yourself? why should you want to go through the eye of a needle just to succeed in that unit? why do you brave the raised eyebrows of the 10-, 20-, 30- year veterans who ALL had to go through med-surg/telemetry before going to SICU? why should you suffer the ridicule and spit of the doctors who would rather deal and talk to the "real ICU nurse" than you fresh grad meat?

for me? BECAUSE I CAN.

:smokin:

sewnew · Oct 6, 2008

im a new grad in SICU as well.
i think it depends on YOU--not the facility for the most part. you have to impress your interviewer and let them know you are serious about working there.
1. you have to have your med-surg skills all straightened out. i was always strong clinically as a student, i was far better than a lot of my classmates when it came to bedside skills--passing meds, knowing what they're for, critical thinking, communication skills with family/nurses/doctors, etc...you should have your basic skills down already (NGT insertion, IV insertion, IV pumps/piggybacks, pharmacology calculations, rates, etc...).
it will be difficult and i wouldnt recommend going straight to ANY ICU, much less SICU (the most difficult ICU environment) if you dont have excellent clinical skills as a student.
2. you have to be serious, persistent, and willing to do anything to succeed. study your critical care concepts, know your diseases and pathophysiology like it was the back of your hand, know the meds given there and the equipment--swan ganz, a-lines, cvp monitoring, ventriculostomies, chest tubes, CO/CI, EKG, etc...
3. probably the most important thing you need is CRITICAL THINKING and a very, very, strong pathophysiology body of knowledge. things can go really bad really fast and you should be able to detect sudden changes and be able to react accordingly.
im not going to lie to you or sugarcoat anything--IT IS FREAKING HARD. and it will take A LOT of dedication. i have had patients go bad on me--AAA on one and a ICH on another that both died (though no fault of my own :wink2:) and it is fast-paced, nervewrecking, and crazy when that happens. you need to keep your cool, be able to think FAST and act FAST, and be able to calm the family down with the other hand while talking to the doctor on your left ear.
it is not for the faint of heart; but i have done it (7 months into it and will take CCRN) and so have many others. A HUGE responsibility--and thus, a HUGE LIABILITY rests on your shoulders should you proceed. a lot of the tele nurses who float to our unit as scared crapless and many of them decline and rather go home than float to us. a lot of the ICU and CCU nurses dread our unit.
the big question is, WHY?
why should you put unnecessary burden on yourself? why should you want to go through the eye of a needle just to succeed in that unit? why do you brave the raised eyebrows of the 10-, 20-, 30- year veterans who ALL had to go through med-surg/telemetry before going to SICU? why should you suffer the ridicule and spit of the doctors who would rather deal and talk to the "real ICU nurse" than you fresh grad meat?
for me? BECAUSE I CAN.

Thanks for your response. You have definitely given me a valuable perspective and some real food for thought... :up:

jspacegirl · Oct 6, 2008

I was wondering how difficult it would be for a new grad to get a job in the SICU? Do SICUs typically hire new grads straight out of nursing school? If the new grad had a MSN/CNL (clinical nurse leader), would that increase their chances of getting the job?
Any information is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I guess it all depends on where you apply, but I recently began an internship in the SICU at a prestigious level 1 trauma center. Out of all of us that were hired, most were new grads (this program is for anyone who is new to critical care). I think their reasoning behind it is that new grads are easier to mold into what they want you to be. Or so I hear. We will see! My journey has only just begun...

sewnew · Oct 6, 2008

I guess it all depends on where you apply, but I recently began an internship in the SICU at a prestigious level 1 trauma center. Out of all of us that were hired, most were new grads (this program is for anyone who is new to critical care). I think their reasoning behind it is that new grads are easier to mold into what they want you to be. Or so I hear. We will see! My journey has only just begun...

Best of luck to you with this and all of your future endeavors!!

xtine618 · Oct 8, 2008

Hi! Have you graduated yet? Or are you still doing clinicals in school? I am getting ready to graduate and my school makes us do 120 hour internship somewhere that you do bedside nursing. You can either find a hospital/unit yourself or have the school place you. Anyway, I applied to the MICU that I really wanted to work in and also asked if I could do my 120 hours there and it would help me with school and give them an opportunity to see how I fit in with the staff, if I was competent, kinda like a 120 hour interview. If I liked it and they wanted to hire me, then we both win because I got 120 hours at a place I wanted to go to and they got to give me 120 hours of extra orientation that they didn't have to pay me for. I got hired for the job, so it really did work out for me. A classmate of mine is doing this at SICU in the same hospital and I think they are hiring her too. It's good for the employer b/c they get to see how you perform which is a lot more than most other applicants.

Hopefully that made sense. I'm not sure where you are but here in Louisville, most of the schools require that their grads do 120 hours of "internship" before they graduate. So this might work for you if your school does this. Good Luck!

sewnew · Oct 8, 2008

Hi! Have you graduated yet? Or are you still doing clinicals in school? I am getting ready to graduate and my school makes us do 120 hour internship somewhere that you do bedside nursing. You can either find a hospital/unit yourself or have the school place you. Anyway, I applied to the MICU that I really wanted to work in and also asked if I could do my 120 hours there and it would help me with school and give them an opportunity to see how I fit in with the staff, if I was competent, kinda like a 120 hour interview. If I liked it and they wanted to hire me, then we both win because I got 120 hours at a place I wanted to go to and they got to give me 120 hours of extra orientation that they didn't have to pay me for. I got hired for the job, so it really did work out for me. A classmate of mine is doing this at SICU in the same hospital and I think they are hiring her too. It's good for the employer b/c they get to see how you perform which is a lot more than most other applicants.
Hopefully that made sense. I'm not sure where you are but here in Louisville, most of the schools require that their grads do 120 hours of "internship" before they graduate. So this might work for you if your school does this. Good Luck!

Nope, I have not graduated yet. I am actually still completing my pre-reqs to get into nursing school. Assuming that all goes as planned, I hope to attend nursing school starting in fall of 2010...Yeah, I know I have a lot of time to worry about getting a job when I graduate, but I guess I am just trying to project ahead and see if what I plan to do is even feasible. I guess my question is stemming from the fact that I have heard from many nurses on many occasions to get my first "golden year" in med/surg. I have also heard that it is not the norm for SICUs (or any type of ICU for that matter) to hire new grads straight out of nursing school.

Now with that being said, I have spoken to one person who is currently in the program that I hope to attend (I believe that she will be graduating in the near future). She told me that the school does have a clinical rotation that sounds similar to the type of rotation/internship that you mentioned. I believe that the student gets to pick a specialty/unit and work in that unit for an extended amount of time (I'm not sure of this, but I believe that this rotation lasts for approximately six weeks). So, I definitely plan on taking advantage of this opportunity when I am in nursing school.

Thanks for your response!