Recommendations for New Grad in PICU

llg, PhD, RN · Nov 5, 2005

Congratulations on the job, Brina. As on old NICU nurse, "some of my best friends" are PICU nurses!

My recommendation is to establish a good relationship with your unit educator. Let them be your guide as to which books to buy, etc. In fact, the PICU where I work gives each of their new grad hires a book as part of their orientation. You'll want to "blend in" with the other nurses on the unit and be consistent with how they view their patients as a new nurse -- and a good place to start is to use the same learning materials and resources if possible. I would give them a call and ask them if there is anything THEY would like you to do or read before you start.

Also ... as someone with LOTS of experience orienting new grads, I always recommend that they NOT invest much of their time and energy trying to learn their new job before they actually start it. While it is admirable to want to arrive at the new job as prepared as you can be, by focusing too much on that now, you might not get as much out of your final school experiences as you should and risk failing NCLEX if you "take your eye of the ball" so-to-speak.

It's like football. When a receiver starts to run with the ball BEFORE he has caught it and secured it safely under his arm, he often drops the pass or fumbles the ball as he gets hit by the defender. Focus on finishing school and learning as much as you can there before graduation Then focus on passing NCLEX (very little of which is PICU-focused). Then and only then should you start investing a significant amount of time and attention on PICU material.

Come to your new job fresh and eager to learn ... having done your best at the school stuff ... having been successful at NCLEX ... having taken a little break and gotten some rest and relaxation ... ready to start a new challenge.

And again ... congratulations! and good luck!

llg

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Nov 6, 2005

Congrats Brina!! Welcome to the fold. llg made some very good points in her post. All I would add is that you should bring a willingness to learn with you on your first day, and try to stuff down that fear of failure that I know you'll have. The only stupid question is the one you don't ask, so ask lots! Nobody expects you to know everything, or even all that much about PICU things. That will come with experience. At this stage of your career it's better to know what you don't know and where to go to find out. I hope you love your new job.

indigosoul329 · Nov 30, 2005

here's a question for everyone-

i have been orienting in PICU now for a month...and i am slowly coming to the conclusion that it's just not for me. i hate this because i KNOW how much effort is put into orientation/preceptorship and how much money it costs and how hard it is to find staff...but i just dont seem to be enjoying it at all and i have already come to a point where i dread going to work every shift! the staff is awesome, although a little intimidating - but there's NOTHING wrong with the place or the people, i think it's really just me - and i am certain that this is not the right environment for me. so how do i go about dealing with it??? how do i tell them that i am so unhappy and that it doesnt feel right?

thanks in advance- this has been eating me up for days

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Nov 30, 2005

I'm sorry that you're not finding PICU to be where you need to be. But it's like everything else in life, it's not for everybody. I give you credit for seeing it, acknowledging it and wanting to move on. My advice? Be honest with your manager. It might be easier to take your thoughts to your preceptor first, since s/he will know the lay of the land there better than you. S/he will be able to help you decide how to present it to your manager. The expense and effort aside, your honesty will be appreciated more now than in six months or a year, when you've collapsed from the stress. We all need to do what we love and love what we do, and if PICU isn't giving you that, then you need to find something that will. Life is too short to stay with something you hate out of a sense of obligation. I sincerely hope you find your special place and that it doesn't take you long. Good luck.