Question about getting into ICU.

I would recommend that you hunt around the hospitals in your area, and see if one will train you in a preceptor program in their CVICU or CCU right after you receive your ADN. If you currently have a Bachelor's ina life science, you will not need a BSN to gain entry to many of the programs. If you do not, you can gain your ICU experience while getting your BSN, and I think that is a terrific idea.

There are a few of us that were ADNs and were accepted. Do not let anyone tell you that you cannot do something you want in order to achieve your goals. I do recommend CVICU or CCU though. Those units will have the best amount of applicable information and education for what you will need to know.

I have heard a lot of people say that CCU or CTICU is the best ICU to go to to get experience that will appeal to CRNA schools, and I dont disagree completely but wanted to add something to that. I work in a Medicine ICU and the school I got accepted to took four people from our hospital, a person from CCU, CTICU, NSICU, and MICU (me). I know of two others that got accepted to other schools, one from CCU and another from MICU. So you dont necessarily have to go to a certain unit to get the experience you need, I would reccomend that you go to the unit that you think you would learn from and enjoy the most, because they all offer the experience that you need to be admitted to a CRNA school.

I agree. I didn't mean to leave out that other units will also serve as great places to learn. From my experience, it seemed that having stong understanding of CVICU events paid off the most. I worked SICU/NICU/CCU-CVICU.

Thanks so much for the advice. I'm glad I found this website, its so helpful. Right now I really have no guidance or a mentor type person. My advisor is a psych major and really doesn't help me. You guys are great and really help keep a person motivated and headed in the right direction. Just wanted to show you some thanks and tell you how much its appreciated.

Just check out your potential hospitals you want to work at. Of course as mentioned your best bet is a new grad ICU intern/preceptorship program. I was going to go your route (ADN then BSN while working) however, I realized the hospitals around me new grad ICU programs required BSN grads. So I decided to go LPN-to-BSN route. Usually it can take a couple years to get into an ICU so (no new grad preceptorship), floor experience you will have but how much ICU experience would you get before you got your BSN? Probably not too much. When it doubt stick it out though...you'll get through it all, I'm not there, but I know I will be one day.

To the OP:

Your plan sounds fine. Just dont tell anyone on the unit about it. Its not worth the political fallout.

I am in an ADN program and working as a nurse tech in the ICU. Sometimes they let me float down to the CCU for the experience. Once I graduate, they have a 6 month new grad orientation program that not only extensively trains you in critical care but allows you to float all over the hospital and get the entire picture of pt care. It is fantastic. I am thinking about doing CRNA as well after I finish up my BSN (or MSN)...still on the fence about which direction I want to take it. My advice is to apply. The worst they can say is no.

Lorus,

can you please explain more? Should prospective NA students keep their plans quiet about their future plans to keep their jobs in ICU?

I didn't keep it quiet. I went into my ICU and after talking to people they knew I would be trying to go back to school after I got my year of experience. Turns out there were 4 people applying that year that ALL got in. This year there are 5 and they all got in, myself included. I didn't hide it because my unit manager took pride in knowing her ICU prepared people to get back into school. I would start out in the ICU why waste time on the floor if you know what you want. I never knew people were having a hard time getting into ICU's. I had NO problem at all. I did interview at one hospital who didn't start new grads in the ICU for at least a year. Guess what I didn't work at that hospital, and everything has worked out fine. Oh yeah...types of ICU are different per school. Most schools tailor your interview toward the type of ICU experience you have that is great. So they won't ask about balloon pumps if you work in a MICU. I worked in a MICU/SICU so that was a great experience!!

Should prospective NA students keep their plans quiet about their future plans to keep their jobs in ICU?

Sorry it took so long to reply..

I should mention that my opinion is only based on the experience Ive had so take it with a grain of salt. I work in a university based, level one trauma center's SICU. As I started writing this reply, I was of the opinion that If I had it to do over again, I probably wouldnt say a word to anyone about wanting to go to school, applying, or getting in. Now that Ive had a chance to really think about it, I would just say to be very careful about who you talk to about your plans. Its only a matter of time untill everyone on your unit knows anyway...

I wouldnt mention anything about trying to get right into school if I was in the process of applying for a job because it might work against you getting that job. I took the middle road and was vaguely honest, saying that Id like to 'get a masters someday.' Would you, as a manager heading up a unit that is running waay over budget, invest the time and cost to train a new nurse that comes right out and tells you they are only going to be there long enough to gain the necessary experience to get into school? In the last year, my icu has lost 5 strong nurses to anesthesia school and 1 to np school. Some had to leave on short notice, and 'left the unit high and dry', but most left in a good way. Either way, its still a lot of good nurses to lose in a short amount of time, and it left a bad taste in management's mouth. Of course most of the time when you're applying for a job you have very little knowledge of the unit's issues and politics, so inadvertantly saying too much about your goals might work against you. Mentioning an interest to persue further education makes an applicant sound like a motivated individual. Professing a hellbent desire to charge onward to school makes an applicant sound like a bad investment.

Keeping things quiet while applying: This one's tough, because no matter how under the radar you are about your plans, the cat comes out of the bag when you apply. You have to ask someone for a letter, sometimes a few people. Some schools ask specifically for a manager's letter, others are ok with a charge nurse. I picked a charge nurse I had worked with frequently and also trusted. (Asking a manager to write a reccommendation seemed to me like giving them advanced notice that I was leaving.. Not to mention that they had never once seen me at the bedside and wouldn't have been able to produce the type of letter that I wanted).

We all know that ICU's are little fishbowls and rumor mills.. Word gets around, and some people handle news of others heading off to school differently than others. Most have been really supportive and offer encouragement. A few are jealous naysayers and do little more than talk. Some look at me like im about to jump ship and abandon the unit. Some of the old vets on the unit (who couldnt imagine that anyone with less than 25 years of experience should be allowed to go on to anesthesia school) have put me under the microscope and get on me about every little thing. I dont mind though, it actually makes me a better nurse, even if that isnt their intention.. My advice, is to get your letters from people you trust and hope they keep it to themselves. Before long, people will have something else to talk about and forget all about you applying..

As far as telling folks about getting in: Naturally the second I found out that I got in, I systematically went from A to Z on the contacts list on my cellphone and called everyone I had ever known to tell them the good news.. I was a bit more selective with who I told at work. If they already knew I had applied, and they asked, I told them. The trouble with doing that is that since I havent locked down my departure dates yet, I havent told management about my plans for leaving. I will certainly give appropriate notice, and leave in a professional manner, etc.. Id just prefer that they heard it from me first rather than thru the grapevine.

The way I see it right now in my unit, leaving is something that has to be handled with a great deal of tact so that (1) my remaining time there is not hellish, and so that (2) future anesthesia hopefuls working their way thru the unit dont have to fight an uphill battle. No need to make this process any more difficult than it already is..

Loooong story short, dont say a word when youre trying to get a job, and be very selective about who you talk to as you apply and get in. Hope this helps..

This question might not fit in here, but here goes anyway

i have to choose between a rural ICU and well (duke university med centers) neuro ICU for my preceptorship this spring

and im not really sure which one i want to do..................your thoughts and suggestions will be most appreciated