The nursing shortage is hitting us all hard and we are scrambling for staff. However we are taking newly graduated nurses and trying to teach them intensive care. Personally, I've never been too keen on this idea. I feel that a new nurse needs to be experienced in basic nursing technique and time management before they venture into the specialty areas.

I remember when I started in nursing, the hardest thing was to get my tasks completed be the end of the shift. It was next to impossible for at least the first six months. How can we expect a new nurse to critically think about the patient when they are still trying to schedule a bath and pass the meds, even for two patients. Even with a preceptor, how much of this knowledge is so much wasted energy for the newbie? In the long term, how comfortable are they; really, when they are thrust out on their own?


Is there anyone out there that learned ICU straight out of nursing school that can change my mind on this issue? Is sending a newbie straight into a specialty the wisest thing to do?

O_S