Dear all, I am a senior nursing student who got notified of my practicum/capstone placement earlier this month. We were asked to rank a list of about 20 specialities. In past years, most students got one of their top 3 choices. Placements in the past were determined based on grades and student involvement. Over the past year, I have done everything to ensure that my grades were high, that I made an "A" in the class which determines if you get an ICU preceptorship or not, and that I remained involved in school activities. I was placed into a medical-surgical unit at a hospital pretty far away from me, which will be a good experience. I am excited to learn new things and am grateful to be placed there but I wish my school had told me that at the end of it, grades didn't matter. I am just looking for advice on the following: - How hard would it be to be accepted into a new grad nurse residency program specializing in ICU for a student who has not done their preceptorship in the ICU? (Looking into GA programs)...many of the hospitals I am applying to specifically say "senior practicum in ICU PREFERRED") - What can I do to make my resume look more competitive as a new grad in the ICU? I was a tech on a progressive stepdown unit but quit due to wanting to keep my grades up...didn't pay off and wish I had kept this job. - Any other advice that you think would be helpful for me in this situation would be appreciated. Thank you all so much ?