[RUcon08]

So I made a topic not too long ago asking for advice on a similar situation, but with no replies. To re-phrase things, I'm a third-year nursing student who's in the process of getting an externship at a hospital. Currently I have a choice between either University of Pennsylvania's Hospital or their sister hospital, Presbyterian Medical Center. UPENN hosp currently has no critical care externship positions, but PMC does.

My question is if anyone has any insight to shed on critical care and med-surg(specifically, surgical telemetry for example) particularly when it comes to an externship. I'm currently in my med-surg clinical rotation, and really haven't found it to be anything great/appealing. As for my future I think I'd eventually like to do OR or ER, but my main goal would be to eventually become a CRNA.

ANY advice anyone could spare would be appreciated. Thanks!

[AmandaWIRN]

I am an ER nurse, and it is my opinion that if you want to be an ER nurse, and you have to choose from an externship in ICU or Med/Surg, go to the ICU- you will learn a lot more that will eventally help you in the ER, since much of ER work involves stabilizing & taking care of critical patients before they make their way to the ICU.

[Cammer]

If you are ambitious I would definitely opt for the ICU rotation. There is a tremendous amount of information to be learned in the critical care setting. The concepts range from critical disease processes to patient assessment skills to advanced equipment usage. It's not even debatable in my opinion.

Keep in mind that if your ultimate goal is CRNA, most CRNA programs require at least one year of critical care experience. Some programs will accept ER or OR experience to fulfill this requirement, and some will not. Because admissions to CRNA schools can be competitive it is best to pad your resume with the preferred experiences.