bcburke90

never heard of that... hopefully its a trend that doesnt' catch on!

Hi there, I was a new grad on MICU when i started in july 2012. It was indeed very overwhelming at times (i had many different preceptors, one of which who sounds exactly like yours) but defintely got better over time after orientation. I know many nurses on my floor who stay until 9pm (or later sometimes) but that doesnt make them a bad nurse, just thorough!. I would definitely focus on time management though, what really helped me is using sticky notes on my report sheet to make a to-do list as I went through the day of things that needed to be done/ mentioned to doctors (ie lab values, dressing changes, drips needing changing) This allowed me to stay focused on task when you start to feel you have too much to do. As for emergency situations I am surprised you didnt have much exposure to this during orientation, but that is definitely the reason you froze in that room.... and thats expected!!! One time I was already on my own and my pt had wiggled to the bottom of the bed and extubated herself. I had no idea what to do so i turned around and put an isolation gown on.... the patient wasnt even on isolation!!! I yelled out for help and the other nurses swooped in and started bagging her while others grabbed respiratory, the doctors and paged anaesthesia to reintubate.... and this all happened while i was gowning up! But thats how you learn! I hope that during that experience you had you learned the most important things to do when a patient drops their pressure and you can start anticipating what needs to be done, (pressors, fluids etc). But all that comes with experience! All in all, stick with it! YOu are learning more than you think you are and you wont realize until the next time your patient drops there pressor and youll be in there doing everything and a new grad will be in awe of you as you're zooming around being super nurse! Stick with it, ask for help, if another patient on the floor is crashing GET IN THERE! the more exposure the better! And def contact the nurse educator! Good luck!

dont be discouraged! I had a 2.9 and got into fairfield university's DNP program!! Work hard on your essay and show leadership and initiative on your resume and you'll get it!!

congrats! Its alright i am probably going to accept my Fairfield DNP offer!

Congrats pavementRN! I have a couple of coworkers who are in UCONNs FNP and Primary care NP program and they love it!

hello! I was hired as a new grad BSN to the st. raphs MICU in 2012. Since then the hospital is now YNHH. At st raphs i was paid 27.25 an hour and was increased to 29 an hour when we became YNHH. I know YNHH hires new grads (not sure if you have to be BSN or not) but it definitely is difficult to get your foot in the door. Good luck! They had a general hiring freeze for a while during the st raphs acquisition but that is over now so just apply to everything!

Hi All! I applied to: Fairfield University FNP DNP- accepted Quinnipiac University FNP DNP- in review- interviewed Sacred Heart University FNP MSN- in review- interviewed I am getting anxious because I really want to go to QU but Have to send a 1000 dollar deposit to Fairfield by April 11!! Good luck everyone!

when I first started in the MICU as a new grad i would often use daily rounds as a starting point for research. Use the patients you take care of to research their disease, put the pieces of their comorbidities together and rationale for treatments. The physicians at my hospital use Up-To-Date for their research and i will often use that to do research. I also ask the friendlier doctors for rationales when they have time and we discuss things. By doing this eventually you will be able to predict treatment plans and be a valuable resource to the doctors, they will also appreciate your curiosity since doctors (atleast the ones I know) love to teach and explain things. Remember not all doctors are like that so beware, and choose times to ask wisely. Good luck! Also it seems like you get EVERYTHING right now, but eventually you'll realized that pretty much everyone has Diabetes and CHF, gets intubated, develops pneumonia and then develops AKI. You will notice patterns and expectations (and hopefully you can prevent these!) Goodluck!

I started in an MICU as a new grad and was terrified. I had worked as a tech on the SICU the summer before and during my senior year with allowed me to feel somewhat comfortable with handling patients on vents (like if they become disconnected during a turn you just put it back on.... freaked out the first time that happened). My advice to you is to try to absorb AS MUCH AS YOU CAN during your orientation period. Ask for that crashing patient coming from the ED, ask another nurse to show you a procedure they're doing that you're not familiar with, thats what this time is for. Know that your manager and preceptors will not let you be on your own until they know you are competent. and my biggest piece of advice is DONT STOP ASKING QUESTIONS OR BEING CURIOUS ABOUT THINGS AFTER ORIENTATION. If you're not 100% positive about something, ask. If you are 100% positive about something and just want to hear it out loud, ask! I will always say to other nurses" I just need to talk through this for a second." As time goes on you will get more and more comfortable, and now people even ask me things! Just trust yourself, trust your coworkers, and most of all HAVE FUN. and always try to keep a positive attitude, that always helps too especially in stressful situations!

My MICU is mostly 20s, some early 30s. Im 23 myself. Our night shift staff is older than the day shift, like late 30s-early 40s.

hi! I applied to SHU as well and did the group interview.. have you heard back yet? I am still waiting!

oh good to know!!! Good luck!! What program did you apply to?

hello! Wondering if anyone else has heard from QU? I am still waiting but need to accept my Fairfield offer by April 11 if I do not get in here! I interviewed at the beginning at March! I am getting anxious! Also has anyone been checking their status of application on the website? Mine still says "under review" and am just curious if its worth checking! Thanks!