Starting a Career in
Critical Care Nursing
IS CRITICAL CARE NURSING RIGHT FOR ME?
If you are thinking of starting your career in critical care, take this mini quiz.
| 1. | I enjoy learning new things and constantly challenging myself. | YES | NO |
| 2. | I learn quickly and am able to solve problems. | YES | NO |
| 3. | I like to figure out why things are happening to my patients. | YES | NO |
| 4. | I handle myself well under pressure. | YES | NO |
| 5. | I like to network and discuss issues with other healthcare professionals. | YES | NO |
If you answered YES to any of these statements, Critical Care Nursing may be right for you!
WHERE CAN I WORK AND TAKE CARE OF CRITICALLY ILL PATIENTS?
For years, it was a common belief that critically ill patients were only cared for in intensive care units (ICU) or coronary care units (CCU). More recently, it has been recognized that there are critically ill patients in a variety of settings: emergency departments, post anesthesia recovery units, interventional radiology, cardiac cath labs, burn units, step-down units, telemetry units, progressive care units, pediatric intensive care units, and neonatal intensive care units - to name just a few! The opportunities to work in critical care have never been better. The challenge is going to be figuring out which of these areas is right for you!
HOW DO I GET STARTED IN CRITICAL CARE? Here are some simple strategies to help you get started…
Join a professional organization. It looks great on your resume and it says, “I take my role as a professional nurse seriously.” Joining AACN now is a great bargain! Because AACN is committed to helping students get started, a 33% membership discount is offered to student nurses.
Take a critical care course, internship or any other educational offering. This will help you learn about critical care nursing before you apply for the job. Employers are always looking for applicants that have baseline knowledge and skills. AACN members receive discounts on a wide variety of books, pocket reference cards, and other resources to help you get started.
Keep up with the latest critical care nursing information. AACN members get two free critical care nursing journals and one newsletter per month. Also, AACN members get a discount on the NTI, AACN’s annual conference where you’ll find dozens of topics to choose from.
To see the demographics of our AACN members Click here
This is best time to consider a career in critical care. The AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF CRITICAL-CARE NURSES can help you get there. 1-800-899-AACN.
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