1st ICU job out of school - help need to make decision!

Nitecap · Mar 3, 2006

Hello -
I am a new BSN grad (May - whoo hoo) and I was just offered two positions in a critical care internship at the same hospital. I have to pick between two SICUs.
Options:
1. Fresh post op open hearts focus with other SICU overflow
2. SICU - trauma, neuro, GI, vascular and a few progressive beds thrown in for good measure.
I have worked both floors for one shift as a tech. I feel like the #2 SICU is a more safe pick. The open hearts gets me out of my comfort zone as I am on a coronary ICU doing clinical so I am bit intimidated by the open hearts. The patients on the #2 SICU are more like patients I deal with now. But a month ago when I started clinical I was just as nervous thinking about starting in the coronary ICU.
Option 1 rotates days and nights and option 2 will be all nights. All nights is easier for me with my family but option 1 is possible to do with a little more work.
Help! I would like to apply to CRNA school in 2-3 years.
Which one would you pick? I am about to flip a coin and call them with my choice:uhoh3: !
Any suggestions?
Thanks
PS- I know this is an old question but it is ME now and I need some advice :)

First find out if you will be taking open heart right off the bat. Some smaller units require their newer peeps to wait a year or so b/f taking the hearts. Many and most large CV units will train you to hearts right off the bat. If you can take the hrts right off the bat I'd go the CV route in my opinion and then once you get your feet wet try to pick up shifts in Trauma. Really trauma is good exp. but in the CV unit you tend to progress the pts faster with aggressive vent weaning and what not. It seems that if you work in a CV unit already the CVICU would be a natural advancement for you. All i kow is one thing for sure. When I look at my program over half the students worked CVICU. I dont think descisions are based soley on what unit you work on so that that for what its worth.

UCDSICURN · Mar 4, 2006

What Nitecap said. A note on your comfort zone issue. The more you experience, and the more experience you get under your belt, the more you'll be comfortable with. Don't let your comfort zone as a new graduate, dictate where you go. Any new graduate is going to have a very small comfort zone. In a year from now, it will grow exponentially, and you'll look back and laugh at what you were worried about, and be in awe at what you've learned and how you've developed.

Hope this helps........

yelir · Mar 7, 2006

I agree with the above......plus in CVICU you will have more experience with lines and devices than most other ICU's.

christymwinn · Mar 7, 2006

All the above sound like really good advice!

Also remember to follow what you feel more interested in too. It sounds to me like in a way you have already made up your mind. With the 2nd unit you can work the hours that is best for you and your family, you already have a good comfort level there, and it would be a good experience that would help you to decide if you want to move over to the first unit at a later time.

Go with your heart, it will lead you the right way :heartbeat

Christine