LTACH to ICU
I’m looking for some advice from ICU nurses/managers or anyone who has made a similar transition.
I graduated nursing school and started my first RN job as a new grad at an LTACH/specialty hospital owned by Select Medical. I’ve now been working there for about 8 months as an RN, and I’m interested in transitioning into a true acute-care ICU through an ICU bridge program.
Although it’s an LTACH, we take care of fairly complex patients. I regularly care for trach/vented patients with multiple comorbidities and complex medical issues. Our nurses are the rapid response team and we manage patients on critical drips.
I recently found an ICU bridge program that requires a minimum of 6 months as an RN, so I’m wondering how competitive I would be with my current experience.
For ICU nurses/managers:
How would you view 8 months of LTACH experience when hiring for an ICU?
Does experience with trachs, vents, critical drips, and rapid responses help make up for not having traditional acute-care ICU experience?
Would you consider me a new grad, or an experienced RN with 8 months of experience?
What could I emphasize on my resume to make myself more competitive for an ICU bridge program?
Realistically, do I have a decent shot at getting into an ICU bridge/residency program?
I’m not expecting my LTACH experience to be equivalent to ICU experience, but I’m hoping it gives me a good foundation to make the transition. I’d appreciate any honest feedback, especially from ICU nurses or managers who have hired nurses coming from LTACHs.