Question for Adult ICU nurses

ICURN2004 · Feb 14, 2007

james i thought you HAD to do a couple of years in the adult ICU prior to your entrance into CRNA school. i think that you should do a few months in the med surg just because it would refresh your adult nursing before you have to be introduced into the different world of things such as swans etc. good luck to ya. debbie

PMFB-RN, RN · Feb 15, 2007

Hello,
I am a NICU nurse, like my job and have no desire to leave until I get ready to apply for nurse anesthesia school. HOWEVER, I have been hearing a lot about how one should get some adult ICU experience before going to CRNA school. This sounds reasonable as I have heard that you have to deal with SWAN catheters, and since I only remember the name SWAN from nursing school and have no idea the purpose??? (PPHTN)?? Even our kids in the NICU with PPHTN do NOT have SWANS, but we do have A-lines, etc. So, to get to my question: Can a NICU nurse make it (going through a training program) in an adult ICU?? Or, do I need to suck it up and do med-surg before going to the adult ICU, please ANY information is helpful and appreciated.

*** I think time on med/surg would be a waste for you. I came directly to a 26 bed SICU as a new grad through a nurse residency program (actually still in it). The med/surg would benefit you if you needed to learn priority setting and time management skills. I would guess that you already have those. I would find an ICU where you can get a 3 month or longer orientation or possibly go through a residency program.

FWIW I find swans (AKA PA catheters) to be pretty easy to understand. What gets me is managing vaso active drips.

Mags4711, RN · Feb 15, 2007

I am a current NICU nurse and former adult ICU nurse. My dear friend is currently in adult ICU (she went to where I came from) and had been in NICU. She is gearing up for CRNA school herself.

First, go directly to Adult ICU, do not pass Go, do not collect anything, go!!! You will be just fine. You will realize what an incredible cake walk NICU is in comparison (most days), but you will do just fine.

Second, and this is something my dear friend just discovered, be in Adult ICU *fulltime* for a year before applying to CRNA school. She just applied and interviewed. The thing that caused her denial was the fact she had only been in adult ICU for 9-10 months and for only 24 hrs a week. They wanted her to at least have been there full-time for nearly a year, but part-time really killed her application. And she had 7 years adult ICU experience from before she went to the NICU. It just wasn't considered current.

OkieICU_RN · Feb 16, 2007

Truly depends on the school. Most that I have checked into require adult ICU experience. There are some that don't though. Some programs will even consider PACU or ER experience in place of ICU. They are rare, but they are out there.

You might check the Pre-CRNA forum on this site, it's very helpful and people there may have more insight for you.