AMD88

There isn’t a new NP that comes out of school fully competent. As a new NP in any specialty, there is tons of on the job training in the first few years. That doesn’t mean I was not competent for the job and my program did not fully prepare me for the start of my NP career. I was not placing lines and running codes on my first day. But I knew the basics of treating common medical conditions in critical care, managing vents, ACLS and knowing when a patient was about to crash so I could move them to the ICU and get help from my Attending. This would be a normal expectation for a new NP in critical care that did not go through a residency program. I’m basically encouraging people that despite not having ICU experience as a nurse, you can still become a Critical care NP. Would it be better to have experience in ICU? Of course, but like I said in previous post, it didn’t work out for me and it did not hurt my NP career at all. NP programs do not prepare you to be a fully independent practitioner in critical care or any specialty. That takes many many years-hence residents and fellows are doing thousands of hours so that when they get their first job out of school, they have to be ready to run codes and place lines on day 1. 2 years later, I’m running codes, doing procedures independently and managing critically ill patients. I’m sorry if my prior post was misleading but what I meant, was I felt prepared by my education and did not struggle when I started in ICU any more than any other new NP, regardless of their experience, struggled. Of course I still had plenty to learn but this is clearly something that can be done if you are willing to put in the work.

So I’m just now realizing people have posted to this forum that I haven’t responded. So everyone knows my nursing experience which was no ICU experience and I landed a job in internal med as a NP one month after passing boards. Well to give you an update, a month later I landed a job in critical care working nights. Although I had no ICU experience, my program fully prepared me and I did really well in that position. 6 months later they gave me a full time job paying very well. I’m now dayshift, half ICU, half pulmonary (I’ve only been doing this for a month) and I can tell you I’m highly regarded and top within my group. Don’t worry about your nursing experience. Get your first job as a NP, bust your butt and then you will get your dream job. It just may take some time. I was very fortunate to get my dream job right away but my acute care education fully prepared me and no one ever questioned my lack of ICU education within a month or two.

And as far as employment, most of the people that have interviewed me have been more interested in hearing about my clinical experience than my nursing experience. I do think unless you are in an area with a large need for acute care NPs, it can be difficult to start out as a new grad in the ICU. Most places around me want an NP with some experience. My goal is to work in the ICU at some point as an NP. I am starting out doing internal medicine at STR & LTC facilities. After a few years experience, I plan to look for a job in a hospital preferably ICU.

I was in your same shoes a few years back. I got into an adult acute care program without any ICU experience. During orientation I asked the head of the program if my lack of ICU experience would prevent me from being successful in the program and if I should find a job in ICU and she told me they would teach me everything I needed to know and if I am happy with my current job (which I was) to keep it. I have completed the program and passed boards on my first try. I will say I did have to put extra effort into learning how to manage a vent and drips but otherwise, I had no problem. Even in the clinical setting my preceptors were shocked when I told them I was not an ICU nurse. I have worked in just about every specialty Neuro, Ortho, GI, Cardiac...and the list goes on. I felt that my broad knowledge of many different areas prepared me slightly more than the students that had ICU experience. Most of them had very specialized ICU experience such as Neuro/Cardiac ICU and some of them had a hard time learning about all specialties because their nursing career had been so focused. They would do really well when we studied their specialty and then struggle with the others.

I have to do an adult critical care rotation too but I'm going to do that towards the end of my program so I'll probably be hitting you up for more advice as that gets closer. I'll definitely focus more on interpreting labs. I'm taking patho now so this is a good time to work on that. Rounds will definitely be intimidating for me because I've never had to do anything like that before. I work on a neurosurgical floor now and I'm trying to move to the ICU. When I float to the ICU the nurses are involved in rounds so hopefully that will make it less intimidating. I'll definitely buy the hospitalist handbook before my internal med rotation. Is there a particular book that would be helpful before I do my critical care rotation? I am also doing a cardiac and neurosurgery rotation. I already have the books I used to get my neuro certification to brush up on before my neuro rotation. Cardiac is my weak area so I planned to find a good handbook to review before starting that rotation. I'll definitely be humble. I'm very down to earth and I know the annoying "know it all types" and that's not going to be me!! Luckily, I've picked all my preceptors and I already have a good relationship with them so that should help with the intimidation factor. I just want to do well because I want to learn a lot and not slow them down. I also want them to want to hire me when I finish. Thank you for all your advice. Your response is very helpful!! I've read tons of ACNP threads on this website and I always see your post and they are really helpful.

I am in an ACNP program now (only in my second semester)...I'm going to start clinicals next spring in internal medicine inpatient with a great preceptor who is very very busy. I want to know what I should be doing now to prepare for clinicals. I started making a list of common diagnosis I see in the hospital and I thought that reading up on them on uptodate might be helpful to learn what labs/diagnostic test/medications are normally ordered. Does this sound like it would be helpful? Is there anything you wish the np students you precept would focus on more before they start clinicals?

Does anyone know what books we need for ngr 6101 and ngr 6636?

I am also part time. Could you email me? I have a few questions about the program. I don't know anyone who has done this program so I've been searching for any kind of information about it. My email is [email protected]

Jonnet2002 i am also in the adult acute care track and I'm from macclenny, fl. I haven't seen anyone else on here say they were accepted to the adult acute care track. I was getting worried id be the only one :) Do you know anyone else in the program or anyone else that has completed the program? Are you doing part time or full time?

I previously posted about UF admitted me to fulltime when I needed part time. They came through and gave me a part time spot for the adult acute care np program. Is anyone else doing this program or has done this program? I have a lot of questions about it but I don't think the general admissions people I have been talking to know specifics on each track.

Yea I agree, it's really disappointing. I wonder if this program is going to be as unorganized as the decision process was. Does anyone know someone that has gone through the program FT and worked FT? I don't have kids and I just work 3 12's.

So I emailed UF and they said they made a mistake that I did get in for the adult acute care program but I got in fulltime and unfortunately I will have to work throughout the program which is why I applied for part time so I will have to decline unless they are able to switch me so If anyone gets in to the adult acute care program part time and would like to switch please let me know :)

I got in for fulltime and I applied for part time...

I'm in macclenny and I received an acceptance letter for peds acute care yesterday. But I applied for the adult acute care and I don't want to do peds. I plan on emailing them tomorrow to see if there was some mistake and if I can get into the adult acute care program.

I've been let go once by a state trooper for speeding and then I did receive a ticket by another state trooper for speeding, but he gave me the least amount he could and I was going way over the speed limit so I probably deserved that one. But the time I got the ticket, my badge wasn't visible but I was wearing scrubs. The time I didn't get a ticket my badge was visible.