Transfer from OR to ICU???

[cooper86]

help! i just graduated from nursing school with a bsn on april 30, and unfortuantely i have been hitting some road blocks when trying to achieve my goal of working as an rn in an icu. a local hospital had an icu fellowship, but i never heard back from them, and it's been 2 months since my application was submitted. therefore, i decided to apply for jobs at another local hospital, a world class teaching hospital, but for positions that are not icu positions because this particular hospital doesn't hire new grads for the icus unless they have had prior icu experience as a tech. i have been interviewing for a cardiothoracic or position, but i'm concerned because i know that or nursing is night-and-day with bedside nursing. if i accept the or position, will it be even harder to get into the cardiothoracic icu because the type of nursing is so different? do you know anyone who has transferred directly from an or to an icu??? or should i try for another bedside nursing position (there's an acute medicine opening)??? or will it help me since i will be working in the cardiothoracic or with the cardiac surgeons, and therefore i'll be experienced in the cardiac area at least??? what should i do???

[Nccity2002, MSN, RN]

Hi Cooper,

With the present economy, I'd take it!!

You can always transfer to the ICU...and who knows, it may grow on you.

Good Luck

[cooper86]

Nccity,

I definitely hear ya about the economy... I'm just worried that an ICU nurse manager would rather see that I've had experience in acute medicine than OR since at least medicine floor nurses have bedside skills... you know?

[KayRN910]

I had this kinda happen to me when I graduated - which I actually ended up taking a different job all together in the ER, but my plan was (if I took to OR job), work there, show I had excellent work ethic and willing to learn, then try to network - maybe try to wiggle my way in with the manager I wanted to work for and say, you know I've been working in the OR but the ICU is really where I think I want to be....

Bottom line, if you take your not so dream job, you have to show you are an excellent learner and be on time and not call in, so they will be willing to take a leap of faith on you.

But, I will tell you that to be an OR circulator, it's an extensive orientation process. The place I got offered a job said it was like a 6 month orientation, including some classroom and such. It's pretty hardcore - so really think about if you will be willing to commit to it and not be miserable. I also would've had to sign a contract because they put so much time in training you, so you might want to ask about that, too.

[cooper86]

Thanks for the replies! I did end up taking the OR job... and I'll just keep my fingers crossed when I'm eligibile (after 1 year) to transfer horizontally in the organization...