NEW RN: Need recommendations

Fast Facts for Critical Care by Kathleen M. White is fantastic for a start. The Medscape app is another wonderful resource that is even free!

Fluid, Electrolyte and Acid-Base Companion by Joel Topf. And it's free.

Precious Bodily Fluids: The Fluid, Electrolyte and Acid-Base Companion for Free

Even if you aren't taking ACLS or ABLS yet, get the books and start studying. They are really good references and will help you with decision making. Fast Facts saved my butt more times than I can think of my first year. Don't get too tunnel visioned on the patho, you will pick that up as you go along, focus on meds, best and worst case scenarios (and what you would do if it happened), assessment skills, and interventions your first year.

IE: my patient is in DKA the insulin is what reverses the acidosis and ketones, blood sugar can be normal and the patient still be in DKA. If sugar falls too fast they get cerebral edema/AMS. I need to dipstick every void, perform neuro checks with my finger sticks, and if they are transitioning off the drip make them eat so they can keep getting insulin (rookie mistake people think the glucose is fine and the patient isn't eating so they hold insulin, then the ketones go back up and the pH drops)

AACN has some useful stuff. Notably their essentials of critical care and procedure manual (2 different books). If you aren't already a member, it's well worth it. You get sent two critical care journals and have access to old issues online as part of the membership. And free cne.

I recommend The ICU Book by Marino and The Ventilator Book by Owens

I definitely agree that taking notes on concepts you aren't familiar with (diagnoses, procedures, medications, treatments, etc) and looking them up on your days off will be enormously beneficial as you progress in your career. I recommend a broader book at first (such as Critical Care Nursing Made Incredible Easy) because that will cover a lot of topics you will see throughout your training. As you advance in your rotations and come across more complex patients, you may benefit from a more specialized book and online resources. Good luck!!