Which ICU position for CRNA?

Trauma Tom · Jul 20, 2004

I understand you dilemma. Ask yourself if it were not for the money which would you choose. Eleven thousand dollars is a lot of money, however it will not seem like as much money later after you finish CRNA school. Timing is also important. Will both hospitals require two years of training? What is your committment after the two years? What makes their training take two years? Do they offer additional training or do they want you to stay for the entire two years so they call it additonal training. Do you want to go to CRNA school after only one year in the ICU? I suspect you want hospital number one but are discouraged by the attitude of the nurse manager. I would explain to her your career goals. I would tell her of your preference for that hospital, but explain to her that you do not wish to work there if they are not supportive of your plans. Ask what period of time they would feel comfortable with you working for a normal, as opposed to two year training program. If after discussing your needs as well as the needs of the hospital, perhaps you can work out a compromise. They may not want to be a training ground for future CRNA's, however most ICU's in teaching hospitals are sought out for that very reason and nurse managers are naive if they think they can totally avoid this situation. You may gain their respect by being honest and trying to reach a compromise that meets their needs as well as your own. If not, tell them you cannot work at a facility that does not support your future educational wants and needs and then go work at the other hospital. When I was interviewing at various hospitals for a position in the ICU I had a nurse manager tell me that they expected a two year commitment for their training. I said I planned on attending CRNA school and due to scheduling I could not guarantee more than 18 months. They dropped the requirement on the spot. You never know what you can get unless you ask. Good luck to you.

Hello All,
I just found this forum today, so am new! I have a question and am looking for advice. I am in an accelerated BSN program, graduating in August, and hope to work for a couple of years and then go on to become a CRNA. I am deciding between 2 ICU positions, and wanted advice on if you think that one would be more helpful in getting accepted into a CRNA program.
Hospital 1:
SICU at a large University based hospital. They offer a 2 year orientation plus a residency program. It sounds like they see a little bit of everything, from Open Hearts to transplants. The nurse manager told me during my interview that her unit is not a training ground for anesthesia school, so it is obviously a touchy subject for her and may not be happy about providing a recommendation when the time comes.
Hospital 2:
ICU at a smaller hospital. I would see a little bit of everything , but nothing as critical as at Hospital #1. THe nurse manager seems supportive of RNs leaving for higher education.
As another factor, hospital 2 is a hospital in the same network as my college, so my schooling is paid for. If I choose the position at Hospital 1 I would have to pay back $11,000. My intuition is telling me hospital 1, but as a poor student, the thought of paying $11,000 is a deterrent. However, if it helps me get into anesthesia school, then it will more than pay for itself. Any thoughts on if the hospital setting you work in is a factor in selecting applicants to interview?
Thanks for any advice!

EmeraldNYL, BSN, RN · Jul 20, 2004

Well, before you decide I think you need more details. How big is the unit at the smaller hospital ICU? It may be somewhat smaller than the SICU at the big hospital, but if you will still be exposed to vents, pressors, and hemodynamic monitoring, you should be okay. Are you required to sign a contract for any length of time at either hospital? I know that my hospital required that I sign a contract for 18 months as a stipulation of them sending me to the critical care course and orienting me as a new grad-- I was okay with that, you may not be okay with tying yourself down like that. Another thought-- you don't necessarily have to ask your nurse manager for a recommendation letter, you can always ask a charge nurse or preceptor. I think you should shadow for a day on each unit to determine where you will be happier-- it is so important to start on a unit that supports new grads and is conducive to learning. I would also question more specifically what kinds of patients the smaller hospital ICU handles-- you may still get a good experience there.

TraumaCowboy · Jul 27, 2004

undefinedundefined :smokin:

hi, i am traumacowboy some of ya'll may know me as the clinical coordinator at john peter smith hospital fort worth... the trauma hospital for tarrant county and affiliated with twu... yes the faculty reads these threads....

micu, sicu, icu.... they will all help you with the basics you need to know, granted you have a strong clinical preceptor and or cns... if ya' have to split hairs so to speak, sicu is a logical choice because you are seeing patients post op. or i should say recovering the same patients you'll be putting to sleep one day... keep in mind, more important than the icu experience in most circumstances is your science gpa... not nursing gpa... but your pure science gpa... so, if your science gpa is right up there which i would suspect it is (benefit of the doubt), do you still want to pursue paying back time and money... just food for thought... good luck

hello all,
i just found this forum today, so am new! i have a question and am looking for advice. i am in an accelerated bsn program, graduating in august, and hope to work for a couple of years and then go on to become a crna. i am deciding between 2 icu positions, and wanted advice on if you think that one would be more helpful in getting accepted into a crna program.
hospital 1:
sicu at a large university based hospital. they offer a 2 year orientation plus a residency program. it sounds like they see a little bit of everything, from open hearts to transplants. the nurse manager told me during my interview that her unit is not a training ground for anesthesia school, so it is obviously a touchy subject for her and may not be happy about providing a recommendation when the time comes.
hospital 2:
icu at a smaller hospital. i would see a little bit of everything , but nothing as critical as at hospital #1. the nurse manager seems supportive of rns leaving for higher education.
as another factor, hospital 2 is a hospital in the same network as my college, so my schooling is paid for. if i choose the position at hospital 1 i would have to pay back $11,000. my intuition is telling me hospital 1, but as a poor student, the thought of paying $11,000 is a deterrent. however, if it helps me get into anesthesia school, then it will more than pay for itself. any thoughts on if the hospital setting you work in is a factor in selecting applicants to interview?
thanks for any advice!