MarcM86

Just my two cents-but if you have the opportunity to get something this prestigious on your resume without bankrupting yourself, swallow your pride and do so! Take it from the guy who bankrupted himself moving to Florida for a job because even something for $11/hr wasn't an option a few years ago for a new grad. Also, does anyone know where this new medsurg icu is going? space is obviously limited on the mgh campus, and from all the info i've read on the lunder building, its basically the new home of the neuro icu, 60+ neuro stepdown beds, radiation oncology space, a new er, and then a number of operating rooms. Regardless, hopefully they spoke to the staff to get their input and made this a tremendous building. http://www2.massgeneral.org/lunderbuilding/lunder%20flyer.pdf

Hey there, I did the transition from New grad straight to the icu (level one trauma, teaching hospital, etc etc.) I was a solid student in nursing school, but not a star. I never worked in a hospital as a CNA. If you want to work in the ICU, go for it. Many nurse managers I've had the opportunity to meet say that if they had to train someone in the ICU, they would rather have a new grad than an experienced med surg nurse (training them to critically think vs. task-oriented thinking). The old "put your time in on med-surg" before you go to a unit doesn't really apply. But you got to put the time in outside of work, you may not feel like cracking a book and studying stuff when you get off a 12 hour shift, but its necessary. Its a helluva learning curve, but its worth it. Good luck

I moved from Boston to Tampa, FL....enough said haha

thanks for your reply, you seem like you have a lot of experience. I was told today that they were afraid i didn't know where to find the resources for things such as drip dosing- i replied that not only is it in the card in my pocket, but its kept on various places on the unit, etc, and they obviously have not seen the paper trail i leave in the room of printed out drips and iv compatibility sheets! (I wanted to say are you crazy? why would i ever do something i wasn't sure of? but didnt) I could understand if they had an issue with my critical thinking or something, but that accusation was an absolute blindside- and that makes it harder since I have no idea how to remedy it since i have no idea where they got that idea. There other issue was i take longer on tasks- well yes, i've been there 8 shifts! My first night i did busywork like emptying the foley, changing out suction, restocking the server, etc earlier in the night to make my morning easier, since at 5 am its meds/bath/dressings/mixed venous and abg's/calibrat the swan/lab replaements/out of bed to chair, and i finished on time, though was reprimanded that "suction cannisters arent changed before 5 am....and the foley is dumped at 6 (i had dumped it at 530, no lie). I even asked if i could start baths/dressings earlier so that i could have more time as i'm a novice to some of it, and i was shot down. All in all, thats a lot of crap to do in an hour and a half when you "should" be done at 630. its not like getting two patients out of bed each with three chest tubes, a swan, foley, and external pacemaker is going to be a quick task. I realize that the patients need there sleep, but whats the harm in me starting a little early so i can complete my tasks on time?

Hi everyone, new to the site and the nursing world. Story in a nutshell: Graduated in May 2009 with a BSN and finally got a job in Florida as a new grad in a critical care program that rotates you through the different units. Basically, the first few months are mostly classroom doing the AANA ECCO program, and you build up to your 3 12 hour shifts per week. My first "rotation" is six months long, so I came of orientation at the end of May and worked through the 4th of July solo, got good reviews from my preceptor and coworkers, etc. After that I was rotated to the Cardiac/Thoracic Intensive Care unit, given 8 shifts, and then "facilitated"-basically being tested to see if you can handle the patient load alone. The managements main complaint was that i did not have the concentrations and max dosing levels of some vasoactive drugs memorized, and that I take longer on some tasks. They said that they thought it would take another 4 weeks for me to be able to work alone (bringing my orientation on this unit to 8 weeks) Therefore, the unit did not want me, and I have just had a meeting with my rotation director where they are questioning whether I'm fit for critical care or not. My question is, does 8 shifts seem a little short to anyone else? Granted, i was oriented in the neuro unit, but shouldnt there be a bit more leeway coming into the new unit, especially as a new graduate having not experienced 90 percent of what goes on there? I was told that since other rotators are able to pass, i should too, and that they dont have the budget for someone who needs a longer orientation. Am I truly not fit for critical care nursing? Thanks for any advice