New ICU nurse, advice welcome!

[TNgirl2010]

Calling all seasoned ICU nurses, I am starting a new job in a SICU in a few weeks with NO ICU experience. I have worked on a Med/Surg floor for the past 1.5 years but never worked in a critical care setting. Are there any good websites (besides allnurses.com of course), books, etc that I should know about before I make the transition? Are any of you members of a professional organization related to critical care? I greatly appreciate any advice, I'm scared to death yet very excited! :)

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

calling all seasoned icu nurses, i am starting a new job in a sicu in a few weeks with no icu experience. i have worked on a med/surg floor for the past 1.5 years but never worked in a critical care setting. are there any good websites (besides allnurses.com of course), books, etc that i should know about before i make the transition? are any of you members of a professional organization related to critical care? i greatly appreciate any advice, i'm scared to death yet very excited! :)

with a year and a half of med/surg experience, you're the perfect candidate for icu. you already know how to put in an iv, ng and a foley and can probably put them in while calming an anxious patient and fielding questions from an obnoxious family member. you already know how to line up your ducks before you call a doctor and that hospital nursing means missing christmas this year and thanksgiving next year. (if you're really lucky, your family will wait until you're off before having that holiday dinner, but i digress.) you're an experienced nurse.

i'd check out the "icu faqs" website. aacn has some good critical care books -- some of them can be downloaded to a kindle. scared to death is good; excited even better. good luck!

[TNgirl2010]

Thanks Ruby, that was exactly what I needed to hear! :) I'll definitely check out the ICU FAQ's site and the AACN. Thank you!