cm3580

Remain positive. When asked why you left, it is fine to say it wasn't the right fit. Before you take a new position, ask to shadow with a nurse on the floor. Talk to as many of the nurses and techs as you can. Get their prospective. Nursing has a lot of rewards but it is hard. If it wasn't, anyone could do it. If you got throught nursing school with the respect of your instructors, then you can become a good nurse. Studies show it takes 2 years to become comfortable and 5 years to become an expert. Learn all you can from other nurses. Ask for a mentor when you finish orientation. Good luck.

I hate to say it, but get out of there while you are ahead. That is too much money just to be a MA. You can go to work as a patient tech in almost any hospital, they will train you and pay all or most of your tuition to go to college to get your RN. Call the HR department at several area hospitals and ask for the nurse recruiter. They can help you out. Good luck.

I started doing ECMO in 1991. I had 5 years of adult ICU experience and 1 year of NICU experience. I moved to the combined PICU/CICU in 1993 and continued to do ECMO until 2001 when I took a management position. I started to do ECMO again almost two years ago when I left management. It is a huge responsibility. You must make sure you feel adequately educated and trained. Your patient can die in seconds if something goes wrong...and if you do it long enough, something will. You have to be ready to act autonomously and in an instant, because in most centers, there is not a perfusionist at the bedside. That being said, ECMO allows you to use your nursing skills to the fullest. It can be very rewarding and very sad. You become very close to the parent's of the kids. Make sure you are sure you want to do this. I suggest you spend a shift with an ECMO patient and really question the ECMO specialist about the responsibilities, training and ongoing education in your institution.