MED SURG OR ICU FIRST? (with FreshRN)

Should you go do Med Surg before going into the ICU? Let's talk about it with Kati Kleber!
__________________________________________________________
The views and opinions expressed on this channel and/or in the videos on this channel are that of myself and not of any educational institution and/or employer. In compliance with HIPAA and to ensure patient privacy, all patient identifiers in all videos have been deleted and/or altered. The views expressed on this channel and/or in the videos on this channel are personal opinions. The information I present is for general knowledge purposes only.

[mariangely]

I worked in Med-Surg/Tele with a 5:1 ratio for about 1.5 years, PCU for about 1 year, then made it to ICU. Idk how grad nurses start in the ICU! I wouldn’t have been able to work in the ICU right out of school. Definitely thankful for my med-surg and PCU experience. It taught me everything about time management and basic nursing skills.

[SugarRose]

I started in ICU- then neuro and it was SO stressful and intense. I have never hated a job as much in my life. I am transferring to Med Surg for just the basic foundation.

[kyt-lqpv]

I am now in 3rd year, did med/surg nursing placements last year during my 2nd year and absolutely learned A LOT of skills, knowledge and valued my time there. It can definitely get busy at times (mostly when we have transfers, blue codes, etc) but it was definetly worth the learning experience. It can be tiring but if you start your day focusing on positives and taking a moment to be as organised as you can then the shift will definitely go smoothly. Also, it's good to ask questions (when not busy) and the nurses I worked with in that unit are very knowledgeable and organised.

[jpadila]

Lol. My experience has been: you apply for the ICU as a new grad they won’t even look at you. Pretty much majority of critical care positions require critical care experience, OR a critical care training program for those with med-surg experience. So... it seems clear that there isn’t a choice but to pay the dues.

[riceluv]

I started in ER! Well my new grad orientation had 6 weeks of med surg and pcu then the rest of orientation was in ER. I’m staying with ER!

[Etherealvioletco]

Kati should start a YouTube channel too!!

[honeybunnycalifornia]

Definitely depends on personality of each individual. Good video

[chirish]

Med Surg first. No new grad belongs in any ICU, especially any Level One Urban Hospital. You are a risk to the pt, and your license. The fact being you will eventually have a shift with staffing where you'll have to call the shots for someone needing immediate interventions. In the ICU you should be close to mastery level with your hands on skills (IV, NG insert, Foley) and pt assessments while also knowing what bloodwork/XR/CT scan a pt may need or recommended to your resident. Until you reach the point where you don't have to think to do something and basic nursing care can be done on "auto pilot" and run successfuly as Charge RN on some lower risk units first.

[Pretti_Tingz]

While there may not be a clear answer as to whether or not you should start out in ICU, I would say that I don't think you should go from ICU to a MedSurg floor.

[EmergencyTop]

Kati is so sweet. Love that smile. Nice video very informative.

[RetroGamerTy]

I am a recent grad but I'm in the stroke/neuroscience med-surg unit. I'd like to go to the neuro ICU eventually, but I'd like to get more experience and knowledge before I make the leap.

[TheOverlyIronic]

Hey, do you guys have BSN's? I'm going to be applying to Nursing schools soon, but can't make my mind up between an ADN or BSN.

[roselinebenjamin]

Thank you. I think that we. all have to know our limits though

[milou]

Hey, I'm a 3rd year BSN major with the hopes of entering into anesthesia. I have a pretty decent GPA but I was wondering if there's anything else besides my GPA that would help me stand out as an applicant for CRNA school? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated :) loved the video!