Daisy_117

I agree with a lot of what marienm notes here. As a burn nurse the pts that I have taken care of are not always healthy and there can be a number of psychosocial pieces that factor in to the situation. We run a full ICU for Burn patients and on a rare occasion can get overflow from SICU. Being only one of two full fledged Burn units in a 5 state area makes for a very interesting patient population. The other thing to remember about burn is that you are dealing with patient populations that span the cradle to the grave. Everyone is susceptible to be burned. It can be one of the most rewarding places to be as a nurse, but it can also be one of the most emotionally trying. As a burn nurse you can expect to deal with the unexpected at all times and the psychosocial aspect can make this even more trying. I would definitely wait until you are hired somewhere to get your ACLS or PALS certification, they will likely be a requirement at some point on Burn, but as a new grad it can be difficult to fully understand the circumstances and situations around when to push what and truly how you initially will respond in situations. As you get out and are exposed you pick up the critical thinking that is important to making these rash decisions in high stress situations and you learn how you will react under pressure. Good luck as you finish school! Nursing is a very rewarding and challenging career path.