What do schools think of a critical care float pool?

[iLovemyJackRT]

I have a solid 1.5 yrs in a medical/surgical ICU at a level 1 trauma center.

12 month travel contract at a level 2 medical surgical ICU.

For the last 6 months I have been working in the critical care float pool at level 1 university hospital. I now have experience in cardiac/neuro/peds and medical transplant ICU pt's. I'm concerned whether or not this will hurt me or help me? Do schools look negatively upon not being 'full time permanent' somewhere?

Have any of you SRNA's or CRNA's been excepted with this type of experience?

Please share you opionions and thoughts. Any advice is greatly appreciate.

Brooke :heartbeat

[Sarcolemma]

go for it. get your ccrn. sounds like you have great experience. I started applying after 2 years in the ICU.

[Putu2Sleep]

I think the 1 1/2 years in MSICU is good enough. I do think schools maybe look down at float pool just because (at least in my experiences) float pool nurses don't get the sick patients and are usually stuck with the boarders or the chronic patients. But like others said get the CCRN and I think you will be just fine.

[saturno14]

I think you should get your CCRN and start applying CRNA schools.

[hypnos]

I think the 1 1/2 years in MSICU is good enough. I do think schools maybe look down at float pool just because (at least in my experiences) float pool nurses don't get the sick patients and are usually stuck with the boarders or the chronic patients. But like others said get the CCRN and I think you will be just fine.

I had worked in Neuro & Trauma ICU for about 17 years when I applied. Much of my career was either as a traveler or float pool. I just hated the politics of the FT unit stuff. When I applied at 2 schools (both of which I was accepted at) I'd been a float pool nurse at Level I trauma center for a couple of years & had the supervisor of the service write one of my letters of recommendation. I can honestly say that as a veteran ICU nurse, CCRN, & CNRN I was NEVER given the easy assignments (it was a county teaching hospital where few pt's were easy anyway). Anyway, at my interviews never once did anyone question my experience. In fact, one of my interviewers commented on the fact that as a float pool & contract nurse I displayed the ability to be extremely flexible in my environment, a quality they seek in applicants. I'll be starting the program I chose in August.

[wayunderpaid]

Old thread, but I have been float for almost 2 years and I just got accepted to a very competitive program. Float is awesome. You always have to be ready for anything, your ICU cross-training provides you with top critical thinking skills, and IMO, assignments were not at all easier. In fact, we often got "dumped" with the really heavy assignments because unit nurses wanted an easier assignment (though this was NOT true in the trauma ICU where those nurses always wanted the open beds to get fresh admissions from the field). All in all, any float ICU can play the "always ready for anything" factor in a positive way. I wonder how the OP did...