[missnasheah]

i just recently took my nclex-rn exam,
i want to work in the icu but i worked as a nurses aide during school and while wait for the results of my exam. i was wonderig if i should start my nursing career as a med/surg nurse or in the icu?? my longterm goal is to become a nurse practioner specializing in critical care.. any advie will be greatly appreciated..

[heartsmart]

I've been a nurse for 17 years, starting out on a med/surg floor, then migrating to Cardiovascular. The one year of Med/Surg gave me a solid foundation to build on. Most non-surgical, non-traumatic ICU patient's are in ICU because of a Med/Surg condition gone bad.
There's so much to learn on Med/Surg and it will help you to find your true 'niche' in nursing.


Good luck to you on whichever road you choose!

[LynnaeRN]

Personally I love working in the ICU and I was a nursing assistant also but I chose to work a Step-down unit before I decided to go to ICU. I think it help see things differently and help me get my organizational skills together before I went to a more chaotic atmoshpere and some place that I needed to think critically and quick at any moment. It is your choice but I do not think that working a med/surg floor for a year before going into the unit.

[BigRedNurse]

I'm sure that you will be discouraged from working med-surg. It appears that a lot of nurses think that this is "beneath them" , and are encouraged to go straight to the ICU. I AM a med-surg RN who is encouraged to work ICU, but, I don't feel that I am, as yet, experienced enough to work with such critical patients. I've worked med-surg for a little over 4 years now, but ICU and telemetry floors still scare me. I am NOT the RN who thinks she knows everything, trust me. I guess I'll always be learning. Go wherever you can get a job and are comfortible with. Eventually, the ICU will have no open positions, and the new grads will have no choice but med-surg for a while. Personally, I think it's for the best. It certainly helps to have the med-surg experience before moving on to ICU. I would KILL for the staffing in ICU, but feel that, at least for now, my patients are better served with me here. The best of luck to you, whatever you choose.

[LynnaeRN]

I agree with you BigRed...Also there is an issue with some new grad, (Not All) but some come out of nursing school and feel that they know it all and are hard to precept because they know it all and do not want to learn. I have been a nurses for 3 1/2 years and I am the first to tell you that I do not know it all and I am willing to learn anything new on a daily basis. I love to learn new things. If you do not feel comfortable starting out in ICU you may want to try a step down unit because that can prepare you for ICU because the patients are not as critical but that are not stable enough to go to a med/surg floor. But honestly you really to search deep inside and see where you feel confident and where you are willing to work to get the experience and the knowledge you need to advance in the nursing field.

[SoldierNurse]

Originally Posted by missnasheah

i just recently took my nclex-rn exam,
i want to work in the icu but i worked as a nurses aide during school and while wait for the results of my exam. i was wonderig if i should start my nursing career as a med/surg nurse or in the icu?? My longterm goal is to become a nurse practioner specializing in critical care.. any advice will be greatly appreciated..

If grasshoppers carried a 9mm, then birds would leave them alone, LOL...

If, your long term goal is to be an NP specialized in critical care, then if you can find employment which includes an ICU internship, then I say go straight to critical care nursing.

My first nursing area out of ADN program was Telemetry. I had 7-9 patients on the 7p-7a shift. These patients were very ill, and often transferred to ICU. So, after almost 1 1/2 yrs on the Tele Unit I applied/accepted full-time ICU RN position... and loved it!

BTW, I have the upmost respect for Med/Surg RNs & LVNs. They are the best time managers on the nursing planet! Nonetheless, Med/Surg & ICU are two different worlds... not really a matter of one more important than the other just different.

[abu1030]

When I graduated I initially worked in a float pool which was primarily all Med-Surg. I loved it but I also knew that I ultimately wanted to be an ICU nurse. I do not pretend to know it all! I go to work and try to learn something new every day. I now work in the ICU and absolutely love it. I also had one of the best preceptors there. She has been with the ICU since the late 80's and is a fantastic teacher.

The other thing that I have done is to remain with the float pool on a per diem basis. The units can call me directly if they need me, or come see me during work. I have had some of the unit directors visit me on a shift with a schedule in hand. This way I can select the days and hours that I want to work.

Sorry to ramble....I think that getting at least 1 to 2 years as a med-surg nurse is very important. Working as a floor nurse helps you develope certain skills that you really can not get anywhere else. Like multi-tasking with multiple patients, organizational skills are learned immediately on the floor, prioritizing, and the old "Boards Favorite" Delegation.

I hope this helps

[kimba09]

I'm a bit like that. I work for a nursing agency but becuase I'm studying to do something else, I've only asked to go to two specific wards at a disability institution [ventilator/tracheostomy and Huntington's Disease]. This give me a good rotation between floor work and working in an ICU-like environment.

The great thing about with an agnecy is the work flexibility.