liz0105

Accepted! Can't wait to meet you all in person!

Pardon my following bluntness, but that's probably the New Yorker in me roaring... Screw your advisor's advice... They are not you, they are not your values, your dreams, or your aspirations. They are solely yours, and yours only. Keep at your dream! Graduate with stellar grades, (don't forget to volunteer, when you can!), put together a plan to first get a job, then get into the ICU, then get into CRNA school. Keep your eyes and ears open to networking opportunities, work your tush off, and get recognized for your work and knowledge base. Find a CRNA mentor who will take you under their wing. Throughout all this, you will have plenty of time to think of 'why' CNRA school. Time will only make your intentions clearer. And, in the off chance that it doesn't, there is a whole big world of APRN roles out there. One of the true beauties of nursing is that there are so many opportunities to learn and specialize. Best of luck to you applying to your externships and with the rest of your program. You can do this!

I have worked in the ICU at large teaching hospitals both in New York City and California. The difference in patient ratios blew my mind when I arrived in CA nearly two years ago. Back in NY, if we had empty beds, we admitted patients regardless of our staffing situation - the ICU attending would just shrug and say, 'The nurses will deal with it'. One day, I found myself with FOUR patients, two of which on vents, the other two fresh mastectomy DIEPs with hourly flap checks and unrelenting nausea. Took one break and ate my lunch standing up in 15 minutes. That night, I applied for my RN license in CA. In CA, we do not admit into empty beds without appropriate coverage. My first break is 30 min, and our second break is 45min-1hr, depending on how 'hot' your ICU looks that day - and we ALWAYS get breaks. Ratios in the ICU are either 1RN:1 pt or 1RN:2pt, sometimes even 2RN:1pt (ECMO, Rotaprone). I cannot STRESS how much more supported and how much happier I am as a nurse in California. I understand that some CA nurses have their issues with their respective institutions, just speaking from my personal experience...

With your experience in heme/onc and BMT, try for Sloan Kettering. Columbia also has a great Peds hospital. Unfortunately I have no recs on travel recruiters for the area. Good luck!

Nice! I'm interviewing on the morning of the 22nd, as well! Good luck!

Nice! I'm scheduled for the morning of the 22nd. Good luck!

GRE Verbal - 157 GRE Quant - 154 GPA - unsure as I took the long road to nursing. my undergrad was abysmal ( 5 yrs ICU experience in large teaching hospitals Received email last Friday.

This will be my first CRNA school interview. Any others out there that will be interviewing next month?

My advice to you is regarding my experience in NY: I have been in your shoes, and have similar aspirations. My advice: baby steps. First focus on getting a job. The market in NYC is becoming more and more competitive. With a hospital closing almost every six months, you are competing against experienced nurses for jobs. That said, get your foot in the door as an RN and get experience - on the floor/stepdown/PACU/wherever. New grad jobs in ICUs are hard to come by, and if you do get in, it's enough stress 'learning how to be a nurse' on top of learning drips, vents, titration, etc... Once you're in a job, do two things 1) learn as much as you can, and 2) network. Work and learn as much as you can when you get there - show colleagues and superiors that you are a team player and dedicated to your work. Find out who the ICU manager is and network, network, network to get on their radar. For the record, my first job out of school was in a surgical stepdown. I worked for a year, then transferred to the Surgical ICU. I have now been there for a year. Personally, I am very happy I took this route to the ICU - I had a solid foundation of assessment skills, communication skills with patients (and surgeons!! Gah!!) and was able to take my experience to the ICU - where my focus was on learning drips, titration, NICOM monitoring, etc... Good luck!

Thank you all for your advice and insight! Looking to pull the trigger on a move soon!

Hi everyone, I'm curious to know if any ICU RN's out there are currently practicing in an ICU where they are called upon to do CRRT at the bedside. Currently, all HD/CRRT/SLED are done by HD RNs in our hospital, but there is an initiative to train ICU RNs to do CRRT (only). We have been told that the ratio for this assignment would be 1:1... Just curious to know anyone's experience with this. Thanks in advance!

Hello all, I'm a BSN with 2 yrs experience in SICU. Looking into possibly relocating to FL (Tampa/Ft. Myers area). Are there any particular hospitals/systems to look into/avoid? Also, what is the going per diem rate for RNs? I understand it's a very different market than NY, and I'm just looking to get as much info as possible before I commit! Thanks in advance for any insight!

OP - how did this interview process turn out for you? I am curious because I am also a new grad, and will be working on a surgical-step down unit as well...

I graduated from an ADN program in NYC this past spring, and recently began my first job at Manhattan hospital. There are hospitals that will hire ADNs, but, as with the rest of the economy, you have to put in a good amount of effort and networking to get in front of someone who can make things happen. In speaking with other people in my class who have found jobs, we have all begun RN-to-BSN programs (both online and classroom programs) and we all found our positions through networking - volunteering, mentors, etc...

In NYC, I personally know that Beth Israel, Wyckoff Heights, New York Downtown Hospital have hired new grads. Columbia-Presbyterian has a New Grad-specific job posting every season, and North Shore-LIJ has a critical care fellowship open to new grads. I graduated from an ADN program this spring in NYC... began networking my first year of nursing school, found a mentor, stayed in touch with my clinical instructors, etc... those people were invaluable resources in keeping an eye out for openings for me. It wasn't easy and it took a lot of patience and effort to stay on their radar, but it paid off - I'm orienting now and will start on my unit next wk. My recommendation would be to reach out to your previous clinical instructors who can vouch for your performance.. start volunteering at a hospital to get into the organization and start networking around. Don't rely on HR or job boards - they are black holes for new grads. If you haven't already, make sure you have ACLS and PALS.. take a training course that would set you apart from other new grads, i.e. critical care, phlebotomy, picc/central lines, etc.. Good luck! Don't lose hope... you made it this far, already!