BlueBee

hi guys, i am medical surgical nurse and I want to become and ICU nurse. I just got ICU nursing made incredibly easy and Ekg interpretation made incredibly easy books to start. I am planning on taking ACLS. My questions are: 1) what is the best way to learn most medications that are used in the ICU? Is there a good book. Has any one done the AACN CRITICAL CARE PHARMACOLOGY course? Is it worth the $$$? 2) what about AACN Badic ECG interpretation 2.0? 3) beside ACLS what can I study that will better prepare me for getting a job in the ICU? Thank you guys so much for your help

Hi LunaRN, thanks for the great post. I have been considering ARMY nursing for a some time now. I submitted my resume for the AF, but I am yet to get a reply, it has been 4months. I am talking to an army recruiter, we talked over the phone, and we set up an in person meeting. I am a BSN, and I have worked in MED-oncology for 9 months. Could you give me insight to how it will actually be when/if I join? I have not made up my mind whether i would prefer Active duty or Reserves. I am single with no children. I would like to see the world and eventually get married. I am 28yr female. In active duty how often would I be deployed? Am I more likely to be deployed as a med/surge nurse? How hard is it to get training in the ICU in the army? Deployment: Are deployment lengths the same for active duty and reserves? How safe are the deployment sites. I know they say that medical personnel are generally safe but what has been your experience? What are he risks of PTSD for nurses who are deployed? I want to serve our soldiers but I don't want to be stressed that i may die at any moment while doing so. I don't mind being deployed I just want to do so in a relatively safe area. I know in the military there are no guarantee to safety but I want to weight the risks. Thank you