Does nursing experience in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit or Neonatal Intensive Care Unit meet the ICU requirement for admission to the program?
In years past, we have accepted nurses whose experience is exclusively neonatal or pediatric, but it is the exception rather than the rule. The critical care experience required of nurses prior to entering anesthesia school presumes that a certain knowledge base exists when it comes to a number of chronic diseases of adulthood, invasive monitors (i.e. arterial lines, PA catheters), vasoactive drips, etc. A lack of understanding and nursing experience in these areas tends to make the early part of the anesthesia school experience more difficult and stressful than it otherwise would have to be. We do, however, look at each individual applicant in terms of what they have gained from their ICU experience, and we do factor all parts of the application into our decision for acceptance into this program.
Related Questions
- I had limited pediatric experience in my nursing program. Can I still get a job at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC as a staff nurse?
- Is neonatal or pediatric ICU experience acceptable for the one year ICU experience requirement?
- Can I substitute non-public accounting experience to meet the requirement for certification?
