RNs in the ICU?

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Hello!

Im a registered nurse in Sweden currently finishing my CCRN which is about 1,3 years to complete including a masters. In Sweden you are not allowed to work in the icu without further education (CCRN, MSN), but I'm just curious how it is in the us? Can a newly graduated RN start working in the icu immediately? :nailbiting: Ppl do that?

I also would appreciate if someone please could tell me the differences between EMT, paramedic and RN? In Sweden RN with CCRN, nurse anesthetist etc run the ambulances with help of enrolled nurses with somewhat more education then EN on the floor.

Thanks guys

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

Welcome to all nurses

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Hi there!

Our healthcare system is far from standardized. As part of our constitution, there are a lot of 'powers' that are reserved exclusively for state governments. The control of healthcare services is a function of each state. This includes all professional licenses and organizational approvals. Hospitals are licensed by their state health departments. Graduates of profession programs must take the same licensure national examination (NCLEX for nurses), but our licenses are issued and regulated by our respective state boards. Each state has a "Nurse Practice Act" that defines exactly what nurses (LPN/LVN, RN, NP) are permitted to do.

EMTs & Paramedics have their own scope of licensure. They are only licensed as "first responders" to provide out of hospital care. When the patient is admitted to a hospital, their role is ended. Routine emergency response and ambulance transport is not provided by nurses. The exception is for long-distance or specialty transport such as newborn transport to NICU or transporting a critically ill patient to a specialty treatment center - by ground or air. These may be staffed by 'flight' nurses.

When it comes to employers, we are entirely free-market. As long an an employer complies with the operational rules that are outlined by the state licensing board, anything goes. Only one state (California) has a mandated nurse-patient ratio. I don't know of any states that dictate nurse qualifications for working in a specialty area... that is left entirely up to the employer. It is absolutely OK for new grads to be hired into specialty areas.

It's not quite as scary as it sounds. Employers are usually very cautious about staff competency - because they don't want to be the target of huge lawsuits that will happen if they are found to be negligent. So, if a hospital hires new grads into ICU, they will have a process in place to ensure that they receive training and support for as long as necessary.

It can be confusing and chaotic - even for us natives.

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Thank you for the welcoming! I can't believe I haven't found this site til now! :nurse:

Wow thank that is confusing, lol!

i was thinking of going to the states in a couple of years and preferably practice my skills :roflmao: however with the economics in the states I think makes it harder for a hospital to sponsor you AND the process of getting a license in that state you wanna be in sounds quite complicated to be honest.

What does your CCRN include? And how long does it take? How usual is it to combine nurse anesthetist and CCRN?

Nico

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It sounds like CCRN means something different where you are it. Here you can't test for the CCRN without ICU experience. Our CCRN is just an exam through the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). All you have to do is prove you've worked enough hours in the ICU and pass the test. The test is 150 questions from different area of critical care nursing. The AACN website has more information.

Nurse anesthestia is masters prepared nurse that takes ~3 years of full time study to complete. It prepares you to work in the OR not the ICU.

I was hired into ICU as a new grad and it worked out well for me.

My guess is that any hospital that sponsors you here would want to sponsor you in an area you have experience in already, but there are cetianly needs here. Good luck!

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

2 years of bedside RN experience caring for "acutely and/or critically ill patients" is required to test for CCRN according to the certifying agency's website. http://www.aacn.org/wd/certifications/content/initial-ccrn-certification.pcms?menu=certification

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Agcaruso! Thank you for clearings things out!

Well in Sweden, or dare I say in Scandinavia, you can do your masters in ICU minimun 1 years of full time study with courses on advanced level, as well as doing a master. The courses include advanced fysiology, patofysiology in areas such as pediatrics, surgical and medicin. You have a certain amounts of hours you need to do on a ICU ward with a special assesement for certain procedures, situations etc. I'm done with my masters in march and then I can call myself an "ICU nurse" otherwise I wouldn¨t be able to work at an ICU unit.

Would my education be equivalent to your CCRN exam?

How usual is it that men working as nurses in the us? Any "Murse" here? lol :up:

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Oh and one more thing... is there a difference in the us between RN and BSNs?

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
Oh and one more thing... is there a difference in the us between RN and BSNs?

Nurses in the US are trained as generalists. My school had rotations in a nursing home, a pediatric unit, labor and delivery unit, telemetry unit, and psychiatric unit. I also had a clinical rotation with a nurse manager of a med-surg unit. I had a community health rotation, where I spent a lot of time with a school nurse and other locations in the community. I also had an opportunity to spend time (84 hours) with a staff nurse at a local hospital in the recovery room. Other students were in the ED, ICU, Med-surg units, pediatric units etc. Specialization is learned on the job or if a nurse chooses to go into advanced practice, which requires a masters or doctoral degree. A nurse can specialize as an advanced practice nurse in pediatrics (acute or primary), family care (primary), acute or primary care of adults, women's health, psychiatric care, or as a nurse-midwife. There are a few programs that allow specialization in critical care, emergency care, or even cardiac care. An associates or bachelors degree or a nursing diploma (certification) is required to get an RN license. Most hospital RNs have an associates or a bachelors degree.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Would my education be equivalent to your CCRN exam?

For CCRN certification, you have to work as a nurse in an acute care and/or critical care unit for two years and then pass the test. See the CCRN website. CCRN for us is not a degree or a license. It's a certification.

How usual is it that men working as nurses in the us? Any "Murse" here? lol :up:

Not uncommon. There are 3 male nurse working on my 30 bed med-surg unit and my nurse manager is male.

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Thank you Lev =) So a BSN is also 3 years for us? In sweden you can't be a RN if you don't have a BSN.. confusing. :wacky:

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

BSN is generally 4 years. Most people take two years of prerequisite courses (can be less time if you take classes in the summer) and apply to a BSN program and then are generally in school for another two years full time. There are some accelerated BSN programs where you can complete the program in 18 months. (They go full time into the summer with no breaks for winter.) Associate degree programs require fewer prerequisite classes and have fewer nursing classes, such as research or community health. They focus on the basics.

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