Question about per diem ICU nursing

[DizzyLizzyNurse]

Hello! I was wondering what is training like for a per diem ICU nursing job? Do they only want experienced people or will you get training like you normally would?

I have 7 years of LPN charge experience, and I've been an RN for over a year now. I worked long term care supervision for a few months (as an RN) and now am working in a long term care mechanical vent unit (have worked there 4 months). I am grateful to have a job, but I went to school to get out of long term care and feel stuck. My current place of employment has a hiring freeze in place and this includes current employees moving around. I've applied for the jobs that are posted internally but like I said there is a hiring freeze due to closing and opening new facilities. This will likely be true for a long time. I really want ICU experience so I was thinking about applying for another company to do per diem ICU. I think I might do fine since I am not a new grad, but I don't want to just get thrown in sink or swim.

Any thoughts?

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

i would be astonished if they took someone with that background as a per diem critical care nurse. per diems need to be able to walk in the door and go to work, and you are not there yet. you may not get enough work to be able to consolidate new knowledge if you're only dropping by a day or two now and then.

see if there's a critical care nursing course at a local big hospital you could take. meanwhile, see about per diem in a stepdown unit where there could be vent patients, and see if you could work your way around to critical care from there.

[DizzyLizzyNurse]

Thank you for the advice!

[JF808Rn]

I agree with GrnTea. ICU/Critical Care is so much more than MV type patients. It also helps that you have your experience as a LPN, but again there is far much more you would need to encounter before picking up ICU; let alone as per diem. Good luck and hope things work out for you soon.