SICU new grad

NewbieinCriticalCare · May 25, 2010

Hey there fellow new grad!! I too am a new grad starting off in a Medical-Surgical ICU as well! I am ecstatic! Congrats to you too!! Few questions for you is your employer doing in-house education & orientation for you starting in critical care? For example my employer uses AACN Essentials of Critical Care Orientation (ECCO) program that gives the topics that are pretty essential in critical care and also goes over massive amounts of information pertinent to ICU. So a few really good references I have come across is Critical Care Made Incredibly Easy, Hemodynamics Visual Made Incredibly Easy, AACN's Essentials of Critical Care book, Kathy Whites Fast Facts for Critical Care, and ICUFaqs.com has a book as well. Pepid has software for either IPod/Iphone, blackberry, or palm just for nursing in Critical Care field as well. I hope this gives you some direction & some other resources. Best of luck to you!! And congrats again!

meandragonbrett · May 25, 2010

New SICU Nurse

Check out that thread.

PinkPickle · May 25, 2010

Thanks to both of you! :)

ICU bound · May 28, 2010

i have a question primarily for hopeful new grad rn. i am graduating with my bsn in nursing this upcoming december of 2010. i have my heart set on the icu, but every job posting i have looked at requires two or more years of nursing experience. being a new graduate that has landed a job in the icu, can you give me any advice that helped you earn your job offer?

i also would love any advice that anybody else can give me about how i can increase my chances of getting a job in the icu as a new graduate nurse.

NewbieinCriticalCare · May 28, 2010

To ICUBOUND: What I have found to be the most helpful in looking at & getting a job in ICU as a fresh New Graduate & from what has been shown to create successful & safe staff nurses is you need to find hosptials that have New Graduate Residency programs (for Critical Care, ED, etc..) almost all the hospitals that have these type programs really do structure them so that you have the support & resources available to you when you graduate & start working to help transtion from the student nurse to THE NURSE:yeah: :eek: ...Those are the jobs you apply for, because the positions that are posted up for regular STAFF RN jobs, they are expecting to orient you for a couple weeks and then your on your own & as new graduates you need WAY more support than that especially in critical care or ED. Also I recommend if your school offers specific electives (like one for critical care) take it, I obtained my ACLS certification prior to graduating (I paid for it out of pocket but I have heard from several seasoned critical care nurses & instructors but that helps to show initiative & drive if you are able to obtain that), also if you are a PCT/CNA at your local hospital try to work in their ICU to get more experience in that area. Also just start looking at any major hospitals that do have New Graduate Residencies and see what they require &/or what they provide to you as a New Graduate (in terms of classes, continuing education, preceptors, time frame (because some New Graduate Residencies can vary in time some are 3 months long, while others can last up to 1year). Hope this gives you some more direction! good luck in you endeavor!!

PinkPickle · May 28, 2010

i have a question primarily for hopeful new grad rn. i am graduating with my bsn in nursing this upcoming december of 2010. i have my heart set on the icu, but every job posting i have looked at requires two or more years of nursing experience. being a new graduate that has landed a job in the icu, can you give me any advice that helped you earn your job offer?
i also would love any advice that anybody else can give me about how i can increase my chances of getting a job in the icu as a new graduate nurse.

hope these tips help:

icu preceptorship: i had my preceptorship in the icu. i think this helps alot. although, i didn't feel like i had a good enough relationship with my preceptor to ask her for a reference or to apply to that specific icu. so if you can preceptor in critical care then do it, and try to get the preceptor and unit managers to like you and know you. the managers are the ones that end up doing the hiring. and the preceptor can give you a great recommendation letter/reference. and even if you don't get a job on that unit, it'll still help for other units you apply to. (side note: start asking for letters of recommendation any time you feel comfortable, from teachers/clinical instructors/previous employers)

acls: before you apply to jobs, i would take your acls certification. if you take it during school it may be cheaper. otherwise, it's around $200. it's worth it! it shows the managers that you took extra steps to prepare for critical care work. the class is an extension of cpr and focuses alot more on heart rhythms, code situations, and medications you give during codes. it was hard, but fun. and the instructors know that you are new so they work with you to make sure you pass.

rn volunteer: i would also sign up for nursing volunteer work, any kind that says you are doing something to maintain patient contact/skills. like 1x week for 4hours taking blood pressure, or starting ivs. you don't have to be doing it for months and months, just get it officially on your resume by the time you apply.

pass nclex: i really think once i got my rn license i became much more marketable.

other things that helped me: i have another bs. in psychology with 3 years work experience at a hospital in mental health. also, i went into the interview confident that i was a good fit for the job. be expressive that you are motivated and excited to learn, that you will ask tons of questions, that you know you don't know everything, but it's ok because you are going to learn through their program/mentoring. they ask questions to assess if you have critical thinking skills and can think quick on your feet. i mostly just answered honestly, and when you don't know the answer is "abcs, patient safety, scream for help." talking about teamwork and being a patient advocate is also important.

they will ask: why you want to work at their hospital/unit (so research their website). why icu? (fast-paced, challenging, various diseases, etc.) know your goals and how they'd be good for that unit.

good luck finishing school and passing the nclex and finding a job! (celebrate after each accomplishment!) don't get discouraged if it takes awhile to find a job. once you find something, the wait was worth it. i think if you follow these tips i came up with, it'll help you land other jobs too. even if you get stuck on med/surg for a year or two, you'll be a good applicant for them to consider with these things on your resume. my unit only hired 2 new grads and 2 experienced nurses. one of the experienced nurses has a year of med/surg. so, just tell yourself, you'll keep working hard to get on the icu unit, no matter if it's right away or within a few years. let me know if you have any more questions. i love trying to help. :lol2:

turnforthenurse, MSN, NP · Jun 2, 2010

hey there fellow new grad!! i too am a new grad starting off in a medical-surgical icu as well! i am ecstatic! congrats to you too!! few questions for you is your employer doing in-house education & orientation for you starting in critical care? for example my employer uses aacn essentials of critical care orientation (ecco) program that gives the topics that are pretty essential in critical care and also goes over massive amounts of information pertinent to icu. so a few really good references i have come across is critical care made incredibly easy, hemodynamics visual made incredibly easy, aacn's essentials of critical care book, kathy whites fast facts for critical care, and icufaqs.com has a book as well. pepid has software for either ipod/iphone, blackberry, or palm just for nursing in critical care field as well. i hope this gives you some direction & some other resources. best of luck to you!! and congrats again!

from a student perspective, i also highly recommend "manual of critical care nursing: nursing interventions and collaborative management" (keen & swearington).

and **thank you** hopeful new grad rn and newbieincriticalcare for your advise! i graduate this december and ever since i had my critical care rotation i have had my heart set on the icu! i work in a hospital as a nurse tech - not in the icu, but i have been picking up shifts there and i hope to transfer over there to make it my "home unit" before i graduate - even if i don't get hired on that particular unit i will at least be able to list that floor on my resume :)

Passionate4Nursing · Aug 25, 2010

Dear SICU,

I was reading the earlier thread regarding the UCSD New Grad Program. I have questions for you and was wondering if you could help me. I was actually also chosen as one of the applications to be forwarded to the SICU department. I never got an interview, and the next thing I know, they've sent me an email saying they're already hired someone else. So, CONGRATULATIONS! :)

I applied again for the New Grad Program for October 2010. I got the email today saying my application made it to the CCU department which is great! I noticed that people got emails for interviews a week after that email was sent. Is that correct? Other questions I have:

1. Is there a specific hiring manager for the ICU? And would the CCU and SICU have the same hiring manager? Im thinking it would be really helpful to call this person and introduce myself over the phone. What do you think?

2. How soon did you get your interview after that email? After the interview, how long did it take to get hired?

3. Other tips?

About me: I precepted at JMMC in Walnut Creek Neurosurgical ICU, ICU, and CCU for 4 months. I LOVED IT :) I also got accepted to the Veterans Affairs Residency program for student nurses and worked independently for a year (did actual RN work). I have also had many interviews but never make it to the end. It's frustrating. I actually had a phone interview with Redwood Memorial Hospital (in Fortuna, CA) and was #1 waitlisted then got offered the job in med-surge. At this time, I thought I would have plenty opportunities and I declined their offer. It was 5 hours in the middle of no where, bad pay, and I have never even been to the facility. Deep down inside I felt like I could really do better. Now, I somewhat regret that decision, but still remain hopeful for other opportunities LIKE THIS ONE *cross fingers** Oh and lastly, I graduated a BSN program Magna Cum Laude in April 2010. I just worked so hard and cannot wait to get to your level. Congratulations again! Please help me!

Passionate4Nursing · Aug 25, 2010

Oh and that was for SICU New Grad. But please feel free to give me comments/advice.

PinkPickle · Aug 26, 2010

HI!

Thank you so much. I have been loving my new job, although it's very difficult.

I know the job market is tough out there. It took me about 8months (4.5 after license). SICU only hired 2 new grads last round, and sadly are not hiring for Oct2010. But other units still are, although spots are very limited. I've heard CCU is another great unit, alot of cadiac patients, so brush up on those diagnoses, treatments/surgeries. As for when to expect an email about interviews.... so every department is different. They all have their own managers who do the interviewing (with about 2 others). My floor had the manager, nurse educator, nurse clinical specialist for example. There's really not a good way to know when that specific unit will interview or even hire. I would call the HR recruiters and tell them you are very interested and trying to stay up to date on the progress of your application. Bluntly ask if they know when they will be setting up interviews, how many are they expecting to hire? And anything you want to know. When you actually get to an interview, don't ask how many are they hiring. I'm not sure it it'd be helpful or not to introduce yourself to the CCU manager. I had heard in the past that that would be helpful, but I felt uncomfortable doing it myself. Another thing to ask HR, they will give you a better idea of it it'd help, hurt, or make no difference. Just remember, they forwarded you application already, which means you already impressed them and have qualities that they were looking for. So that's a really good start! :yeah: My application/interview time/hiring was extremely unusually fast. And since it's a different unit it's just going to be dependent on that manger. It depends on so many things specific to the unit, how many they are interviewing, who knows what else. I would think they'd give you about 3-4 weeks notice before starting work to know you were hired. (So if you don't know ask HR, when in Oct). They it could maybe 2-4weeks before for interviews? So you may get called immediately for an interview, or it may take a few weeks. Most likely the manager will be the one calling you to set it up.

I think your preceptorship experience is huge in getting you "forwarded." I think you are already an excellent candidate for that reason. And your VA experience is awesome. So you were a volunteer then for that year?

I wish you the best of luck! I did alot of reading from this website about interview prep. And if you look up my profile, I have some posts I did about interview "help" just from my experience. Mostly to people asking me for advice on boosting resumes. But I think I also did some on actually interviewing. I heard that my interview was very different from interviews in other units. Some are more personality and critical thinking, others are more situational questions, it just depends. So be ready for anything. The biggest thing is, be confident that they already liked you and they should you have a great resume. Phrase things in the interview like "when I start..." not "if you hire me." Express: excitement to learn, willingness to to be taught, and the drive to work hard and not give up. And no matter your actually future plans, if asked say that you would love to make this unit your lifelong career and you have no intentions of leaving! Don't ever indicate that you really want to go off and leave for school and this is a stepping stone, or that you are just taking this and plan to transfer to a different unit. They want to invest time and money into you, so make them feel like you are a good investment. And it's ok to say you are open to more schooling (if you are), just don't imply that you're leaving them or using them.

I hope this helps. Please write if you have any more questions. And I'll try to help. Also, let me know about interviews etc. :) Good luck!

Dear SICU,
I was reading the earlier thread regarding the UCSD New Grad Program. I have questions for you and was wondering if you could help me. I was actually also chosen as one of the applications to be forwarded to the SICU department. I never got an interview, and the next thing I know, they've sent me an email saying they're already hired someone else. So, CONGRATULATIONS! :)
I applied again for the New Grad Program for October 2010. I got the email today saying my application made it to the CCU department which is great! I noticed that people got emails for interviews a week after that email was sent. Is that correct? Other questions I have:
1. Is there a specific hiring manager for the ICU? And would the CCU and SICU have the same hiring manager? Im thinking it would be really helpful to call this person and introduce myself over the phone. What do you think?
2. How soon did you get your interview after that email? After the interview, how long did it take to get hired?
3. Other tips?
About me: I precepted at JMMC in Walnut Creek Neurosurgical ICU, ICU, and CCU for 4 months. I LOVED IT :) I also got accepted to the Veterans Affairs Residency program for student nurses and worked independently for a year (did actual RN work). I have also had many interviews but never make it to the end. It's frustrating. I actually had a phone interview with Redwood Memorial Hospital (in Fortuna, CA) and was #1 waitlisted then got offered the job in med-surge. At this time, I thought I would have plenty opportunities and I declined their offer. It was 5 hours in the middle of no where, bad pay, and I have never even been to the facility. Deep down inside I felt like I could really do better. Now, I somewhat regret that decision, but still remain hopeful for other opportunities LIKE THIS ONE *cross fingers** Oh and lastly, I graduated a BSN program Magna Cum Laude in April 2010. I just worked so hard and cannot wait to get to your level. Congratulations again! Please help me!

Passionate4Nursing · Aug 26, 2010

HI!
Thank you so much. I have been loving my new job, although it's very difficult.
I know the job market is tough out there. It took me about 8months (4.5 after license). SICU only hired 2 new grads last round, and sadly are not hiring for Oct2010. But other units still are, although spots are very limited. I've heard CCU is another great unit, alot of cadiac patients, so brush up on those diagnoses, treatments/surgeries. As for when to expect an email about interviews.... so every department is different. They all have their own managers who do the interviewing (with about 2 others). My floor had the manager, nurse educator, nurse clinical specialist for example. There's really not a good way to know when that specific unit will interview or even hire. I would call the HR recruiters and tell them you are very interested and trying to stay up to date on the progress of your application. Bluntly ask if they know when they will be setting up interviews, how many are they expecting to hire? And anything you want to know. When you actually get to an interview, don't ask how many are they hiring. I'm not sure it it'd be helpful or not to introduce yourself to the CCU manager. I had heard in the past that that would be helpful, but I felt uncomfortable doing it myself. Another thing to ask HR, they will give you a better idea of it it'd help, hurt, or make no difference. Just remember, they forwarded you application already, which means you already impressed them and have qualities that they were looking for. So that's a really good start! My application/interview time/hiring was extremely unusually fast. And since it's a different unit it's just going to be dependent on that manger. It depends on so many things specific to the unit, how many they are interviewing, who knows what else. I would think they'd give you about 3-4 weeks notice before starting work to know you were hired. (So if you don't know ask HR, when in Oct). They it could maybe 2-4weeks before for interviews? So you may get called immediately for an interview, or it may take a few weeks. Most likely the manager will be the one calling you to set it up.
I think your preceptorship experience is huge in getting you "forwarded." I think you are already an excellent candidate for that reason. And your VA experience is awesome. So you were a volunteer then for that year?
I wish you the best of luck! I did alot of reading from this website about interview prep. And if you look up my profile, I have some posts I did about interview "help" just from my experience. Mostly to people asking me for advice on boosting resumes. But I think I also did some on actually interviewing. I heard that my interview was very different from interviews in other units. Some are more personality and critical thinking, others are more situational questions, it just depends. So be ready for anything. The biggest thing is, be confident that they already liked you and they should you have a great resume. Phrase things in the interview like "when I start..." not "if you hire me." Express: excitement to learn, willingness to to be taught, and the drive to work hard and not give up. And no matter your actually future plans, if asked say that you would love to make this unit your lifelong career and you have no intentions of leaving! Don't ever indicate that you really want to go off and leave for school and this is a stepping stone, or that you are just taking this and plan to transfer to a different unit. They want to invest time and money into you, so make them feel like you are a good investment. And it's ok to say you are open to more schooling (if you are), just don't imply that you're leaving them or using them.
I hope this helps. Please write if you have any more questions. And I'll try to help. Also, let me know about interviews etc. :) Good luck!

Thanks so much for the advise. I tried contacting the CCU Hiring Manager...actually, there's two of them. I left a message on their office number yesterday and today, but no luck. I would go to their office in a heart beat if I did not live 6-7 hours away. In my message, I indicated I was excited to hear from them and that I was from the Bay Area, but definitely willing to move. I also said I heard wonderful things about the hospital and the units. Hopefully, that goes some where. I will keep trying to call. I am SO desperate for an interview. I really want this job.

The VA job was not a volunteer job. It's basically a New Grad Residency Program, but for student nurses to help them get ahead. They teach you how to be independent RNs already. Like, I would go to the homes of Veterans by myself and assess and come back to the office to tell the MD my findings and what I thought the disease was and she would prescribe medications based on what I saw.. even if she never got a chance to look at his presenting symptoms. It was a huge trust thing between me and the team, but I earned their trust pretty quickly. I loved that job! I also spent times in the Urgent Care where we cared for a lot of heart attack patients, and even had this severe burn patient. I often triaged as well. The program is called Veterans Affairs Learning Opportunity Residency. They pay you as a new grad RN with no experience so I got $28/hr which was wonderful. I have been trying to get a job with the VA as well, but no luck I had an interview for Urgent Care but they went with an internal transfer. Not even the VA Palo Alto New Grad Program would give me an interview since they have their own internal thing going on. It's upsetting, but I have to keep moving forward.

I feel like I should bust out my books already and start reviewing. I feel rusty. I start my immunization RN job soon... at least that's some "nursing."

I'll definitely keep you updated! Sounds like you're doing good at the job! :yeah: I can only hope to be in your shoes some day (and I hope that someday is next month :) )