OR to ICU to flying?

[BK-RN]

i am an or nurse who is interested in becoming a flight nurse. i was an lpn first and worked med/surg and then once i got my rn i went straight to the OR without any med/surg time as an rn. i have also been an emt-b for five years and have firefighter I. i work for a volunteer fire company. i also have acls and will be soon getting pals and am thinking about tncc. did anyone here start out in the or and if so do you think it was harder to make the switch to get your icu experience than if you had just gone from med-surg to icu? i have the opportunity to continue doing or or to make a switch to a med/surg floor that focuses on medical patients (including pediatrics) and vasculature patients.i was just wondering if anyone here could shed some insight into which position would help me more in getting into icu so i can eventually fly.

[GilaRRT]

You need to have a strong foundation in critical care to excel as a flight nurse in most cases. Even ER experience will not provide as much critical care experience as working in a good ICU. I would say the ICU should be a priority.

This is coming from an ER nurse who had to play catch up when he started flying.

[BK-RN]

in the area i am in right now there are no icu openings. i was just wondering if it would be more beneficial to switch to med/surg until an opening in icu became available or if i should stay in the or. i was looking to see what would be more appealing to an icu manager.

[GilaRRT]

In that case, I would say, stay in the area you most enjoy. OR experience will not hurt, and hopefully you can transition into an ICU. PACU would be great experience and something else to consider.

[BK-RN]

thank you. im still doing the emt/fire thing as well so hopefully that will count for exposure too.