Scared!!!

A little bit of apprehension is healthy; a whole lot of fear is not. Don't be afraid! You are going to be paired with a preceptor for a long time before you get turned loose on your own. Just pay attention, look up (and WRITE DOWN) new things you run into, and just be a sponge. Know that you are never truly alone; there will always be other nurses on the unit. Come in every day ready to learn and you will.

It can be done! I started in ICU and I lived through it. :)

I am currently in orientation for ICU and we only had classes at the beggining for 3 weeks straight, and then we were sent off to the floor with a preceptor for 3 weeks and were in class again. Just from class alone, you learn to appreciate what ICU is really about and realize that is a tough job, but that's why you're going thru the internship, to learn and be prepared. It is really tough, first two weeks on the floor I just wanted to quit every time I went in. I dreaded it and couldn't sleep before my shift. I noticed a big difference in the third week and I was getting better, I knew I would make it. Be definitely scared but a healthy scare, must be respectful of it and be ready to learn. Good luck!!!!!!

I know how you feel because I'm right there too. I accepted a position in our Step Down ICU. Great place to start with both ICU and Med-Surg patients. I will be in our hospitals ICU residency program that goes along with orientation. Just gotta pass NCLEX first, don't have a test date yet.

I'm excited and scared for mine. still smiling though

Totally get how you feel. I started in the ED straight out of school. After a short, 6 week orientation I started my first day by myself and was scared to death. The overwhelming feeling of knowing that if I make a mistake I could kill someone took it out of me. Just realize the weight of your responsibility, take orientation seriously and don't be afraid to ask for help/ask questions. You can do it!

I'm not telling you it's going to be easy, I'm telling you it's going to be worth it.

Author: Art Williams

I work in a busy trauma/surgical ICU, and we hire a lot of new grads. The ones we worry about are the ones that aren't a little scared. Take full advantage of your orientation and your preceptor. If you go in with an open mind, the desire to learn, and a healthy fear, you will do great. Good luck!

I work in a busy trauma/surgical ICU, and we hire a lot of new grads. The ones we worry about are the ones that aren't a little scared. Take full advantage of your orientation and your preceptor. If you go in with an open mind, the desire to learn, and a healthy fear, you will do great. Good luck!

Thank you for this.

Congrats! It's normal to be nervous. My advice:

Bring a notebook and write things don't so you don't have to ask the same questions over and over (phone numbers, where to find certain policies, etc.).

When someone is teaching you, don't interrupt. Save questions until the end. I'm saying this because most people think they don't interrupt others (usually with a question that pops into their head), but just about everybody does it, and it's a thing I've noticed that will start to really wear out people's patience.

Don't beat yourself up over every little mistake. Expect to be confused and slow, and know that this is perfectly normal. Don't try to cover up your mistakes, ever. You may think you'd never do this, but you will be tempted.

Lastly, when you've had a bad day, don't focus on what went wrong. Try and think about how much you've learned.

Get familiar with how to look things up at your hospital. For example, if I have a question about what is best practice for a certain diagnosis, I usually start with UpToDate. Find where to look up information about diseases, medications, equipment, and policies.

Write down anything you aren't familiar with or feel a need to look up and do so when you get home. Or buy a critical care text and look up your patient's diagnoses when you get home, it will help you get more familiar with common disease processes or surgeries.

Ask thoughtful questions. Ask your preceptor what they expect and set goals for each day. Nursing can get really task oriented, but a good critical care nurse should pick up on changes and be thinking about potential causes and concerns.