Nurses switching to ICU have no structured preparation path

“I’ve been drawn to NICU nursing. I’ve found myself researching and trying to find ways to transition into this position. The only thing stopping me is the fact that I’ve applied to several job applications (in general at the same hospital) and now I’m anxious for another “app under review” “app declined” “another internal source chosen” etc :( … I did interview for 2 endo positions and realized I wasn’t a fan of on call. A little background— started working in general OR (9mo) as a circulator, t”

“We train with one preceptor, outside of uncontrollable circumstances (aka they call out). New grads train with what we call clinical coordinators - they’re the nurses who have been on the unit the longest, they’re always charge, and they know the unit backwards and forwards. We get 13 weeks - one admin, 12 clinical. You are responsible for checking off a list of skills with your preceptor within those 12 weeks. You have to place an IV, hang primary meds, hang secondaries, hang blood, complete wo”

“Hi! I’ll be a new grad in the NICU in a couple of weeks! I have some peds ER experience but mostly adult ER and ICU experience as a nurse tech. Give me advice!! submitted by /u/tothestarswholisten4 [link] [comments]”

“Background: I think it’s pretty common knowledge that orientation takes place over a matter of weeks to a few months in many places. There is at least one preceptor training the individual for the job. Feedback from the preceptor is given to the nurse manager. Successfully completing orientation comes with a permanent job offer. The Questions: what processes or procedures are used for establishing the successful or unsuccessful completion of orientation in your unit/hospital? Are there shift com”

“I recently left my old hospital with 10 year experience in both med surg and ICU. I am looking to apply to a new hospital, specifically UCSD. The hospital is large with multiple locations and clinics. I want to sent myself up for the best chance to work at this hospital (dream hospital) and with my skill set, I can qaulitfy to work for multi units and clinics. I am not picky and would not mind working at either clinics or a few different units that I know I will enjoy and be good at. Is it OK fo”

“not in onc icu but did med-surg onc for couple years before switching to icu. the emotional weight is different, you will see same patients come back again and again til they dont. get good shoes and find a senior nurse who dont mind questions, you gonna need both”

“Hi All! Brand new grad RN here, I start my job at an Oncology ICU next week, I’ve perused the sub but can’t find much about what this kind of icu is like. It seems pretty niche, I got some good answers from management but I was wondering if any of y’all have experience in this environment and what it is like. Thanks in advance! submitted by /u/Equivalent_Many_2702 [link] [comments]”

“Hi! I’ve been a nurse for about 3ish years. I recently transferred in May from med surg to ICU and want to go into CRNA school. Everything in the icu is so new I feel like a new grad again but I want to start laying a foundation so I can get my CCRN and so on. I’m not sure where to start. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you! submitted by /u/Pitiful_Albatross_16 [link] [comments]”

“I got a job offer at Emory university’s medical ICU 5G/6G. If you happened to work there or know any nurses there, please explain what the culture and work is like. Are there high acuity patients? Did you enjoy your time there? Please share!! submitted by /u/Impressive-Cut-5852 [link] [comments]”

“I just got the invitation to interview for an icu rn position. I’ve been a medsurg nurse for 2 years. What questions can I expect, how to prepare, or any advice would be helpful. Thanks :) submitted by /u/Massive_Ad8634 [link] [comments]”

“I have three weeks left in a 14-week orientation. I did an 8-month externship in a very high-acuity neuro ICU and CVICU during my last semester in school and three months post-graduation. I saw a lot of stuff. Balloon pumps, CRRT, impellas, neuro patients with EVDs, etc. After that, I precepted in a Tele unit and felt like I was doing great, gaining confidence, my unit was supportive and the culture was amazing. They were all friends, played sports together, were invited to each others' wedd”

“Hi everyone! I’m transferring from ICU/CCU to cath lab next week. I’m looking for tips on getting started in cath lab. What should I expect? Should I brush up on anything? For reference I have been in critical care for a little over 2 yrs now and started as a new grad. I’m confident in my ability as I thrived in ICU but I am nervous about being new again. I hear the learning curve is pretty steep so I’m wondering if there’s anything you all would recommend doing before I start. I did take pretty”

“I’m a new RD (since March) and I work in a hospital setting. Soon I’ll have to have my critical care training with the units and I’m nervous since I haven’t done any real critical care outside of a couple weeks in my internship almost a year ago. Does anyone have any good resources/recommendations/advice relating to critical care that I could look into? I know about ASPEN and the Academy. I’m a very protocol, set rules, kind of learner so any thing of that nature would be greatly appreciated. Lo”

“I've been an ICU nurse for four years (my whole nursing career, I'm 38). I started at a big academic center and I'm at a smaller place for about a year now. I was hoping moving to a smaller unit would be easier, mentally. It's not. I'm a good nurse, I know my stuff, but my anxiety is killing me. I'm constantly questioning myself after the fact. Like thinking about it home - did I actually pull dobutamine or was it dopamine? That kind of thing, despite the fact that I doub”

“Hi! I currently can’t leave my current unit (ED at a level one trauma center) until I hit my one year which is 7 months away. I have all ED experience, 6.5 years. I’d like to transfer to an ICU at that time I’m eligible for transfer. Is it silly to study and test for my CCRN even though I can’t transfer for another 7 months? I got Barrons book & Kupchiks CCRN program- started diving into studying the materials. I’m just so burned out from ED and ready for a new challenge. Give me some hope p”

“I’m interviewing for a PCU position soon and would love some advice I have previous PCU experience, but it’s been about 2 years since I’ve worked in that setting. I’ve worked in dialysis since then, so I’m comfortable with things like patient assessment, fluid balance, renal issues, and recognizing changes in condition, but I definitely want to brush up on my PCU-specific knowledge before the interview. For those of you who currently work in PCU, what would you recommend reviewing before an inte”

“I’m a new(er) nurse, I graduated in 2020 and did about a year on a med/surg/covid unit and then burnt out and started a small business with a friend and now I’m back. They have me on the unit as essentially a new grad, I’m in orientation now doing part time. I’m on nights now but days were hell, I’ve always been a night shift person, but that’s not what was strenuous about it. I’m part time and I had a different perceptive for every single shift which was very disorienting and felt like there wa”

“Break Relief RN – ICU/Telemetry: What’s your experience? Hi everyone! I’m curious about the Break Relief RN position, specifically the ICU/Telemetry break relief role. For nurses who have worked in a similar position, what was your experience like? What does a typical day look like, and how does the workflow compare to being a regular bedside ICU/telemetry nurse? I’m also wondering: How busy or stressful is the position? What are the main responsibilities besides covering breaks? Do you feel lik”

thank you so much for your advice ! :) will definitely study those

submitted by /u/Murky_Sleep5985 [link] [comments]

“Wondering if any other hospital does this? We have a “women’s pavilion” side of our hospital (L&D, Postpartum, NICU) and then we have a “main tower” side (Med Surg, ICU, Tele, etc). I guess they are SO short over in the main tower that their quick fix is to float us over there (I’m specifically NICU) to help with “basic nursing tasks”. Can’t tell you the last time I touched an adult. Is this something you’d feel ok with? On the flip side, those who work with adults, would you feel comfortabl”

Do you know if the neuro trauma icu at mca is a good unit to work on?

“Hey, this is what I tell my new grads. "You're not dumb, you're just new." ICU requires a lot of critical thinking skills and knowledge that you will learn with EXPERIENCE. You can't magically change this. You have to endure not knowing things until you experience it. I'm sorry. But, it is normal to feel uneasy, like you are an imposter. You'll feel like this for about a year until you learn that it's OK not to know everything. You just need to know what your re”

“Any tips for an experienced peds nurse moving to a PICU at a top peds hospital? I did a year in hemo/onc and a year in periop and have been a nurse for 6 years. submitted by /u/Willing_Discussion92 [link] [comments]”

Need some serious help with decision making on a job offer from some fellow critical care PAs, please please comment or DM me. I am a new graduate PA and got a…

“Hello all! I’m a 3yr peds cardiac icu nurse and I’m looking to transition to postpartum or nicu. I’ve been getting denied applications into nicu so I wanted to get some insights on how I can transition to nicu. I also am curious how postpartum is / your day to day / do you love it? Thank you! submitted by /u/AlbatrossSharp1313 [link] [comments]”

“I just put a catheter in my first real patient, not a mannequin lol. It didn't go so great... The wife and daughter were in the room watching and the daughter works in healthcare she didn't specify what she does, but that made me extra nervous. basically the iodine exploded everywhere.😭 and then I was fighting with this man's penis to get it to stay still, and then I couldn't find the urethral opening for forever. It ended up working out and the catheter was placed no problem, d”

“Hi everyone, I am a registered nurse interviewing for the pediatric intensive care unit at a nationally recognized pediatric hospital in a major city. When I spoke with the recruiter, they let me know that they typically look for experienced nurses in acute settings such as the ED or ICU. I have 2 years of experience in an adult med-surg/gyn unit, and I am looking to branch out into a new setting to strengthen my nursing skills. I have always been interested in working in pediatrics since I grad”

“I second this, and add PACU and specifically Cath Lab! PACU is much more chill and they always want critical care/ER people. Cath Lab is so fascinating imo and they want the same people but the only thing with that is you’d probably be taking a lot of call.”

“I’m an LD nurse and have only worked on high-risk units and even did some travel nursing. I’m currently in an NP program, but recently have had an itch to try out ICU before I graduate. I think critical care would be invaluable knowledge, and honestly I’m not being challenged by LD anymore. However I do feel like the learning curve would be steep and with classes on top of it, overwhelming. I just don’t know what to do, especially because I’m extremely confident and comfortable in my current spe”

“Do you have an A4/CQI/or like process? This is the very definition of overproduction and wasted movement”

“Yes, I know. I think starting there is good for people new to the NICU world. Downgrading acuity is what I don’t recommend because you won’t be prepared for critical babies. Every NICU gets them it doesn’t matter what acuity you are. Can’t turn away a 28 weeker if there is no time to transfer before delivery.”

“What exactly do they think is ‘recovering’ in a post-op ICU patient? That tube is staying in”

“Hello fellow ICU/PACU Nurses! What is your hospital’s policy for intubated/vented patients coming out of the OR? At my previous hospital, established ICU patients would typically go straight back to ICU after surgery. I'd say about 99% of the time. If it was a newly intubated/vented patient, PACU might stabilize/recover them first and then transfer them, although it also depended on anesthesia and how unstable the patient was. If anesthesia felt they needed to go directly to ICU, they would”

“I got an invite to interview for a fellowship role and I just wanted to get some more info. For reference I’m an IMU nurse of 1.5 years (6 years total nursing) and looking to become an ICU nurse. Everything I google is super old and I’m not getting much traction because on FB, so trying Reddit. Tyia! submitted by /u/nerfball4cats [link] [comments]”

“Hi! Thank you so much for your advice! I really do appreciate your input. I did want to clarify that I am in no way equating my experience to being equivalent to an RN by any means. I’m very aware there will be a learning curve, and I’m more than willing to put in the work and learn. I wasn’t really asking whether I should start in an ICU per se. I was more so asking for advice on how to leverage my current experience toward what an ICU would look for when applying to new-grad ICU residencies, a”

“I (29M) have been offered and accepted a position as a new grad RN in the PICU at the largest children's hospital in a major city. I am extremely excited to pursue this new career. However, I currently work at this hospital as a behavioral therapist on the pediatric inpatient psychiatry unit and behavioral response team. I frequently work with float pool nurses, and when they find out I am going to the PICU, about 80% question my decision while the other 20% express how much they love the PI”

“So I am going to graduate in December with my BSN! I was wondering what should I do to help land a job in a preferably a level 1 or 2 hospital’s icu. For context I’ve been in healthcare for almost 4 years(I did medsurg/oncology for a stint and have worked in a LTC facility almost the entirety of my 4 years). I currently also have worked at a small level 3 icu as a critical care tech for over a year and have been a nurse for extern in the same unit since may and have absolutely loved my ICU job.”

“Recently our executive team and new CNO has decided to use our ED as a ICU. They've decided to take outside hospital ICU/IMCU transfers and board them in the ED. They have told us that ER nurses will be expected to take these transfers from outside hospitals and provide care for them and continue to take an ED patient load. One patient has passed already due to minimal appropriate staffing and monitoring. I'm tired, boss submitted by /u/Keurigthecoffeemaker [link] [comm”

“Hi friends! I’ve had a pretty crazy week. I’m currently an ICU nurse and have been in my current specialty for awhile. My unit is fairly specialized, so while we manage vents, titratable drips, and specialty devices, we don’t consistently see the same level of multisystem critical illness that some other ICUs do. Because of that, I’ve been wanting to move somewhere that will push me harder and help me broaden my critical care experience now that I have a solid foundation. A little while ago I ap”

“So somehow did not get an ICU rotation in school, not even one day. I’ve got about a year and some change working in IPR and my coworkers joke that I’m the “black cloud” of the unit as I have been in many rapids and even a code blue. I also kind of enjoy the chaos (sometimes). We’ve had surprisingly unstable patients on my unit but I know that it’s still a different experience than MedSurg. I am feeling like I want to switch to acute care… maybe MedSurg, step down or ICU (maybe ED also not too s”

“At the hospital I work at, RTs do them for the medsurg floors, but in emerg and icu do their own”

“We do them at every job ive had. Psych, long term, SNF , home visiting, and research.”

“Hi I am training in Child Neurology. I am interested in hearing if anybody that has gone through that training has then applied to general pediatric ICU fellowship. I’m trying to compare the pros and cons of doing a pediatric ICU fellowship versus doing a one year Neuro critical care fellowship. If anyone has any experience with this, please let me know. Also, what are the day-to-day, week to week, month-to-month schedules like as an attending in each field? If I do decide to go into a general p”

“This is exactly how my med surg training was as a baby nurse. I’m about to transition to icu after 3 years in med surg and am fairly confident this is exactly what it’ll be like all over again. What kind of nursing were you doing before this??”

“Honestly my preceptor was just like this and I learned a LOT. I learned how to be efficient with patient care and properly chart (she would give me sticky notes of everything I missed and make me correct it). She’s one of my favorite nurses on the unit now but I needed how strict and scary she was at first lol. Compared to other preceptors this was better for me learning wise.”

“I started on a covid/ medical surgical unit 6 years ago but have been in the ER for the last few years. I love the ER! And I’m pretty dang good at it. BUT- I’ve found myself getting pretty burnt out lately for all the obvious reasons. Violent frequent flyers, patients yelling at me about wait times, patients angry that we can’t solve their chronic conditions in one night, busy waiting room, constant adrenaline dumps, homeless patients checking in multiple times a night (makes me feel awful,) hav”

“At my hospital, they only go straight to ICU if they came from ICU intubated or staying intubated postop. They make the awake ICU patients come through PACU 😩 even at 3 in the morning with a clean & ready unit bed 🫪”

“Hi friends! I’ve recently moved to ICU setting coming from a GP. I’m looking for more in depth CE on reading basic bloodwork and acid/bases. I know the basics but I’m struggling with correlation of certain values with clinical signs, etc. Drop your best CE 👇 thanks in advance! submitted by /u/YourPal-Fall [link] [comments]”

“Last night was my first day transitioning to the ICU. I was told to basically observe, absorb, and learn as much as I could. I was paired with a very experienced older Filipina nurse who clearly knows her stuff. She was extremely competent but she had ZERO patience for teaching and can be blunt and rude. When she heard she is being paired with me her eyes rolled and left the huddle room. I met her in the floor then she went “Grab your WOW because you will be hands-on and I dont like sharing comp”

“Hey everybody, which unit is the best to interview for and join as a new grad RN that wants to work in icu later down the road. I want to pick a unit that gives me the best experience if I want to join ICU later in the future The options I have include: Medical IMC Cardiac/Vascular Interventional Cardiac Short stay Advance Heart Failure IMC Any input and advice is greatly appreciated submitted by /u/Contest-Inside [link] [comments]”

“Assuming you’re asking about getting into the Ed/ICU… TIPS and new grad season is the “easiest” way to get any ED/ICU interviews. Outside of that, the filters typically filter out people who aren’t ED/ICU experienced. Oh and of course, if you have an insider connection.”

“I am a fairly new ICU nurse trying to grow my knowledge. I got intrigued about the type of questions on the CCRN and CMC. I looked up AACN practice questions and realized there was so much I still do not know. Did you all learn through experience or were there textbooks/websites/etc you learned from? My ICU is a smaller community MICU, and I’m at the point where I need to be proactive with learning for my future self. submitted by /u/InternationalWish179 [link] [comments]”

“Hi everyone, I’m a new grad RN and I’m terrified. 😭 I’m starting on a telemetry med-surg floor, and I genuinely feel like I forgot everything. I spent basically my entire summer relearning everything for the NCLEX because I knew I’d need that knowledge as a nurse. I went through all of Archer’s videos, reviewed every body system, and hand-wrote a TON of notes. I passed in July, but now it’s almost September and I feel like all of it has disappeared from my brain. I don’t even remember how to re”

“Hey all, I started on an adult Med-Surge floor a year and a half ago as a GN and have finally scored an interview in the Pediatric hospital (which I wanted before I ever got hired to my current floor). However, since I went straight to adult Med-Surge as a new grad I have no experience in pediatrics. I *do* have experience in emergency care as I was an EMT for several years and I also have experience working with kids as I worked at a summer camp for 6 years. I'm just unsure of what to expec”

“I just started a new job as a CVICU nurse with experience in a rural icu and er. What advice do you have on how to get situated and learn the new devices that are used? I am already comfortable with vents and A-lines because I used them a lot but my small icu did not do crrt or anything fancy. Thank you for any advice. submitted by /u/Icy_Future_7483 [link] [comments]”

“Has anyone interview with St. Helena ICU as a new grad? Can you tell me a little bit about your experience & what kind of questions they ask?? please anything will help!! Also could you tell me a little bit about their ICU?? PLEASE 🥺 submitted by /u/Maximum-Pick-587 [link] [comments]”

“I’m an IM intern and just started my first week in the ICU. I honestly have no idea what’s going on yet. I try to ask my seniors as much as possible. What are the best resources to watch or read? submitted by /u/External_Board3883 [link] [comments]”

“Anyone make the transition from med surg to pcu? My dream is icu but i’m having such a hard time trying to get in because I have no icu experience. So pcu would be the next best thing right? I’m fortunate enough to work at a hospital where pcu ratios are 1:3 which i think it really good for pcu. Biggest thing i’ve heard ppl dislike about pcu is that the ratios are similar to medsurg with higher acuity patients but the ratio at my hospital is really good. For reference I usually have 4-5 in med s”