Registered Nurse (RN), Critical Care Reviews - Page 19

Critical care nursing qualifications should include a minimum of 1 year med/surg training. You do not want to be a novice nurse learning the basic elements of nursing care on a critical patient who requires a higher level of critical thinking. Although there have been many of my colleagues who have successfully transitioned from a novice RN directly into critical care nursing, I personally feel med/surg experience before entering into the ICU proves to be more valuable. I went to the STICU (SURGICAL TRAUMA ICU) with 6 years med/surg and still found some parts of the transition challenging (in particular the ventilators). I even came from the step down trauma floor so I was some what familar with the type of patient care. The upside was having supportive colleagues who aided in me having a smooth transition from med/surg to critical care. Whatever your decision may be just remember nursing is a calling, a trust in YOU to make decisions whether good or bad that may change a life forever.