The same question everybody keeps asking...

[jspacegirl]

Is it better for a new graduate nurse to go right ahead and start out in the ICU or get a year or two of med/surg or telemetry experience first?

I am extremely confused. I think eventually I might want to be a CRNA, which would require 1-2 years experience in critical care. Even if I don't go the CRNA route, I think I would still want to end up in ICU or ER anyway, so wanting to be a CRNA is not the only reason I want to go into critical care. All of the major hospitals around here have 3-4 month critical care internships for new grads.

In my heart, I do think I would probably feel a lot more comfortable getting down the basics of nursing in med/surg before going into ICU. But people tell me that if I want to go the CRNA route, I should just go right into ICU, and to take advantage of these great critical care internships. I just don't know. At 27, I'm not terribly old, but this will be my second bachelor's degree, and if I do go to school again for the CRNA, I don't want to be that old, so I worry that I would be wasting some precious time by not starting out in the ICU right away.

I wish I could make a decision and know that it's the right one, but right now I feel like whatever I decide is going to be wrong.

Oh, and as a side note, my nursing school prides itself on the fact that a majority of its new grads go straight into working in specialty areas, rather than med/surg, so I feel this pressure of being seen as an underachiever if I don't go straight into the critical care internship.

Even though my question has been asked a million times before, I would greatly appreciate any advice or insight. Thank you!

[NursKris82]

I graudate in Dec. and am interested in ICU. I think that if your hospital offers a great orientation and you really want to be there- go for it! I think you may the right decision and I hope you get in!