do you think...?

are they Jcaho certified, if so, yes, good ICU

No, BarbPick, it is not Jcaho certified, also it is not a level I trauma, teaching hospital.

are there any other hospitals in the area? It is a Royal pain in the A** prior to to the jhaco inspectors visit. Every this is pretty much spit polished.

You don't have to be level one trauma to get good ICU cases. Catholic Hospitals are usually run well. Being private, maybe they don't need Jahco.

just a little (perhaps unwanted) advice

i have never worked at a level 1 trauma center

i have worked at multiple (15 or so) hospitals that were level 2 or 3

i have worked in the ed since getting my bsn 5 yr ago - and just finished a year in the cvicu (which i worked per diem in addition to the ed)

so - don't hinge your plans on having to work at a level 1 trauma etc....

if you want good icu experience - ask them about their icu census, how many pt's they usually have that are intubated, do they see chest tubes, a lines, cvp's, and swans??

Thank you, BarbPick and athomas91,

Your advice is very helpful. But what is "Royal pain in the A**"?

Thank you very much

Athomas91, What about ICP monitoring? good or doesn't matter?

I will throw my 2 cents out here. JCAHO has nothing to do whether a hospital is good or not. There are plenty of dumpy hospitals out there that maintain their accreditation that you are safer staying away from both as an RN and as a patient!

That said, if you are aiming for CRNA school, the hospital does not need to be a Level 1 trauma center, but academic/teaching hospitals care for sicker more complex patients and therefor offer better learning experience. There are also plenty of people who work in private hospitals that get into CRNA school. It's all about how good your experience is. A friend of mine was turned down for school because she worked in a small community ICU and did not get a lot of really sick patients. She then spent a year at a large teaching hospital ICU and was accepted the following year. Good luck.

Quality not quantitiy.....take the hardest patients consistently. It is much harder work, but the experience you gain is priceless. Let the charge nurse know you want the hardest assignment, most difficult patient.....take it as an active classroom....you CANNOT beat bedside experience. And then emphasize this in your admission essay or interview. Just my 2 cents:roll

GoodLuck!!