OMG, I cannot believe it...I need PICU interview tips!

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Jan 16, 2015

Congratulations! PICU nurses are the BEST! :yes: If it's odd to say you love taking care of critically ill children and their families, there are a LOT of odd people around. Present company included.

There absolutely will be clinical questions. There will be a strong focus on respiratory and hemodynamics, because pretty much every PICU patient will have problems with one, the other or both. So bone up on both and make sure you know the norms for each age group. There will also be questions relating to growth and development. And of course, the ubiquitous prioritization questions, interpersonal conflict questions and the strengths and weaknesses ones. Two hours sounds like a long time, but you'll find the time really flies.

I'm sorry that your niece was a patient on the unit, but on the other hand, it's given you an inside peek at how the unit runs. It's also gotten you some exposure to the team and they to you. That can't hurt. I wish you great good luck! Make sure you update the thread so we all know how it went!

AnnieOaklyRN, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Jan 17, 2015

Thank you Prime Time for your input, I will brush up on the subjects.

The only thing I am really worried about is if they ask me about hemodynamic monitoring or pediatric ventilation, I will do some research of course, but are there any main points you can think of?

HPRN

vampiregirl, BSN, RN · Jan 17, 2015

Good luck in your upcoming interview!

I'm not in the same specialty, but before I was interviewed for my current position (dream job) I also researched things that I suspected would be addressed in my interview. Of course a few things came up that I either didn't have personal experience with (but did have a knowledge of the procedure) and things that I wasn't 100% sure of. I was later told that one of the things that impressed them was my willingness to learn about new things. They don't expect you to know everything when you hired in a new specialty, that is what orientation is for:) They also may consider personality traits (to see if someone is good fit for a unit) and good critical thinking skills.

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Jan 17, 2015

vampiregirl said what I was going to say. They already know you don't have ICU experience so they're not going to expect you to give them a treatise on mechanical ventilation or want you to prime a transducer, but they may want to see how much you know about shock states and how to treat them. If you only remember one thing about hemodynamics, it's this: Don't squeeze an empty tank. Fluid, fluid and then more fluid before pressors... Have an idea of age-related norms; mean arterial pressure is often more important than systolic pressure, especially in neonates. Our usual parameter for a neo is MAP > 45 and the other numbers will be whatever they are to attain that. There's a little equation that helps figure out the minimum systolic for older kids - 70 + 2x the child's age in years, while "normal" is 90 + 2x the child's age in years.

The main thing is to remember they KNOW you don't have experience and so just answer their questions to the best of your knowledge. You'll be fine!

AnnieOaklyRN, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Jan 17, 2015

Ok thanks for the additional input! I will do as much research as I can about the facility and about caring for sick kiddos. I am just very nervous, my true dreamy, I am in heaven job would be pediatric critical care transport, and this ICU does that, so this job would just be perfect. I would hope having my medic would help and once I got a lot of experience and was on my own for a while I could hopefully start going on those transports.

HPRN

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Jan 19, 2015

I think your paramedic experience would be invaluable and that the unit would be foolish not to grab you with both hands, groom you for transport and get you up and flying ASAP. My unit has a really busy transport team; the most successful members of the team were either paramedics at one time or were ER nurses. I've thought about applying for the team a few times, but there has always been some reason that I ended up not. You have my best wishes that this works out for you.

AnnieOaklyRN, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Jan 20, 2015

Thank you again primetime!

Yes, transport is not for everyone, I think a lot of nurses try it and realize they don't like it secondary to always being on the move, and in some cases I hear of motion sickness issues, which stinks!

i have thought about some questions I should ask, is there anything out of the ordinary you think I should ask, that I may not think of?

HPRN

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Jan 20, 2015

My over-riding reason for never hitting "submit" when there's a transport posting up is that we cover such a large area (see the map below) that some of our transports run well over 12 hours. Our team travels outside the red box to pick up children and adults on ECMO in addition to peds traumas, sepsis, respiratory failure and so on from inside the box. My youngest child is severely handicapped and lives at home so figuring out how to make that fit with a potential long transport, in addition to the fact that I'm not as young as I used to be... not really a good idea. Much as I'd LOVE it.

Questions to ask? Hmm. Ask about how long your orientation to the job will be. Ask if you'll be partnered with one or two people or with somebody different each shift. Ask if there's a defined career ladder and whether it's individualized or if everyone has to work the same number of shifts before moving up to the next rung. Ask about the nurse to patient ratio and the availability of support staff. (If the ratio is anything other than 1:1 or 1:2, think hard about turning it down. Safety of the patient is the biggest thing.) And ask a few questions about the transport team as well. That's to show your interest in working toward that.

AnnieOaklyRN, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Jan 20, 2015

Wow that is a large area to cover for sure!! I had no idea you were from Canada, it much be pretty chilly up there, since i live in the N.E. US and it has been quite cold for us!

Thank you again for all the information. If you think of anything else let me know, I will let you know how it goes, it isn't until 2/5. I got my interview confirmation email today, I am so nervous. The good news is I am more nervous about this interview than I am about taking care of sick kids!!

HPRN

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Jan 20, 2015

Actually we're right in the middle of a mild spell. We always seem to have one for the weeks when our snow-and-ice-sculpture festivals are going on. :roflmao:

A few nerves are a good thing. It shows how important the interview is to you. I'll make a mental note to send you some you-got-this vibes on the 5th.

AnnieOaklyRN, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Jan 23, 2015

Just a quick question for primetime or anyone else that can answer. Do they only bring in like 3 or 4 candidates to interview? Or does it depend on the unit? Will they ask me to shadow do you think, if they are interested?

HPRN