Nursing Career Track

[Joshua]

Hey guys,
I am starting my first year of a 2 year RN program in about 3 weeks and I am STOKED but I am already thinking about my career. I want to work in a hospital and I know a year or more of med/surg is a great way to start. I would love to work in the ER though. One of the reasons I want to be a nurse is to save lives so that means getting into acute care. Does anybody have any advice on planning a future career path? How about moving from ER to ICU/CCU or vice-versa? Anybody done that?

[SoldierNurse]

Originally Posted by Joshua

Hey guys,
I am starting my first year of a 2 year RN program in about 3 weeks and I am STOKED but I am already thinking about my career. I want to work in a hospital and I know a year or more of med/surg is a great way to start. I would love to work in the ER though. One of the reasons I want to be a nurse is to save lives so that means getting into acute care. Does anybody have any advice on planning a future career path? How about moving from ER to ICU/CCU or vice-versa? Anybody done that?

Hello Neighbor! You live probably 5-10 minute drive from me in Tumwater [Olympia]. In fact, I live within walking distance of South Puget Sound Community College. Is that where your ADN program is located? Anyway, small world, LOL.

ER & ICU are two totally different nursing areas. If you want to specialize in ED Nursing, then look for an ER Internship program that takes in new GNs [Graduate Nurses]. IMHO, working 12 months in Med/Surg should not be a requirement for new GNs. However, I'm not familiar with the hospitals in our area, except for Madigan Army Medical Center & Providence ST Peter in Oly. I work at MAMC, ICU East & my wife works the Stepdown Unit at ST Petes. My health care career path has been in the following order; CST 3 yrs, Telemetry RN 1.5 yrs, ICU RN 1.5 yrs, OR RN 4.5 yrs, and back to ICU where I plan on staying until I retire.

[Joshua]

HA, that's awesome! I lived at Breckenridge about 1 year ago! Probably not one block from you! Yeah, small world. We should go to The Office and have a couple of beers and talk nursing, lol. Well, I am going to CPTC for my first year and doing the prereq's at SPSCC where I hope to do my second year.
Yeah, I know ER and ICU are two different animals but I want to try them both. Just was wondering the best way to go about it. I have heard from nurses and also read that a year of med/surg is a good idea because it ingrains the fundamentals into you and makes it easier to transition to another department later down the road.

[SoldierNurse]

Originally Posted by Joshua

HA, that's awesome! I lived at Breckenridge about 1 year ago! Probably not one block from you! Yeah, small world. We should go to The Office and have a couple of beers and talk nursing, lol. Well, I am going to CPTC for my first year and doing the prereq's at SPSCC where I hope to do my second year.
Yeah, I know ER and ICU are two different animals but I want to try them both. Just was wondering the best way to go about it. I have heard from nurses and also read that a year of med/surg is a good idea because it ingrains the fundamentals into you and makes it easier to transition to another department later down the road.

Many years ago... while in the ADN program I took a critical care nursing course elective that involved rotations in both ICU & ED. Maybe such a similar course exist around here?