Oh well....

NO! NO! Do not give up! Keep trying to get in there. In the meantime, is there a position in the endoscopy lab? Would you consider Cardiac Cath? Perhaps Recovery? (When the mountain is too steep, instead of continuing straight up, go around a little) What I'm trying to say is it may take a little longer to get where you want to be, but by getting a position in one of those other departments, you will be gaining skills as well becoming affiliated with some of the managers, etc. who could help you get where you want to be. :redpinkhe Good luck to you.

Cath lab and surgical recovery both strongly prefer a year of critical care experience. There is an ICU training program, which is six months long. I'm wondering if getting into the ICU would give me a strong foundation to go wherever else I might want to go later on? Would the OR take me more seriously with some critical care experience?

There is a hospital an hour away that has openings in their OR, and it looks like they're willing to train the right applicants. However, I owe my current facility two years in exchange for the scholarship money they gave me to go to school. So, I'm thinking the ICU training program....just worried, what if it's a horrible mistake?

Sorry for rambling. I'm just extremely discouraged right now.

You may find that you love ICU....I guess it's worth a try. (...In the long run, if you don't, maybe they will have a training program in two years, or you could get to move to a different facility then.)

Is there a way to go to a different facility, but pay back the money to the current one each month?

Yeah, they all say require a year's experience. So? Go for what you want anyway. What are they going to do? Tell you no? If they tell you no, okay; but what if they tell you yes? Just because they "prefer", doesn't mean that is what is "required". Honestly, most all jobs "prefer" or "require" a BSN, but do you know how many ADN are working those jobs? As far as ICU - it can be great, if it is your cup of tea. Remember though, no matter what road you take, everything you learn is yours to keep! HaaaaHaaa. (I love learning!) Just, don't give up!

Virgo, how far are other hospitals? Why not commute to an O.R. job?

When the mountain is too steep, instead of continuing straight up, go around a little.

I LOVE that quote!!

OP, you may have to take a circuitous route to the OR...try getting a position in PACU or pre-op holding. Get that experience and then try for the OR. Don't let anything stand in the way of your dreams!!

Thank you everyone, for your responses. After some soul searching and much thought, it appears that one year of critical care experience seems to be the golden key to nearly every other opportunity here in my area. I think a six month training program sounds wonderful, considering the two weeks of orientation that I got to the tele unit. Plus, maybe I will love ICU. Maybe it's my niche. If not, I know there is a place for me to come back to here on my current floor, as I haven't burned any bridges.

I don't want to jinx myself, but I did it. I applied for the ICU training position. I'm feeling good about it. It's not the OR, but it is an opportunity to advance my skill level and open other doors down the road, and I can always keep that OR dream on the back burner in case anything changes in the way they hire, or I can apply to other hospitals after I've fulfilled my two year obligation. Wish me luck!

I don't want to jinx myself, but I did it. I applied for the ICU training position. I'm feeling good about it. It's not the OR, but it is an opportunity to advance my skill level and open other doors down the road, and I can always keep that OR dream on the back burner in case anything changes in the way they hire, or I can apply to other hospitals after I've fulfilled my two year obligation. Wish me luck!

I wish you luck! ICU will be great experience. You will learn alot!

I went from Tele to PACU and now the OR. I also couldn't find a place that would hire inexperienced OR nurses in the place I wanted to work. I ended up in a small town hospital and I was able to learn and be in the OR in this small setting. I was also lucky to get into PACU without ICU experience...but Tele was a good foundation...and then the other PACU nurse worked seven years in the ICU so she was eager to teach me what she had learned. I also had the critical care course as a tele nurse. I have found that I know more about pharmacology and critical care than a lot of the nurses I work with or have worked with. I also feel that I can relate to the anesthesia docs a little bit better (well not all of them...argh).

Don't give up...everything happens for a reason!