Concerned for new grad in ICU supervisor role

3 I am concerned for a friend who has accepted a hospital ICU supervisor position. This is a new grad with no nursing experience other than as a CNA for a year (not in the ICU). This is a small hospital, so my friend will be responsible for caring for those in the ICU as well as stabilizing for transport anyone who needs a higher level of care.

As an ICU nurse, I remember the first year of nursing well. I also started in the ICU (of a major metropolitan hospital) and loved it. However, I had great mentoring and a lot of support. I can't imagine transitioning from a new grad to ICU supervisor in a matter of weeks. I care a lot about my friend and want my friend to succeed. I have spoken to my friend about my concerns, but she does not appear to be at all worried. Obviously, there is nothing I can "do" but hope for the best and remain supportive of her, but I must say I am truly shocked that a facility would place a new grad in this position. I was ICU charge for years, and it is not easy. She is very competent FOR her level of experience, but I fear for the safety of her license and her patients.
She's been warned.Nothing left to do but pray.

This is coming from another seasoned ICU charge nurse. I as well completely disagree with both the hiring decision on the employer's part and the decision to apply and accept by your friend. Truthfully, I am not even sure how she got an interview for a position like that with ZERO nursing experience. I would think the MINIMUM qualifications for that type of position would be to have several years of recent ICU experience in and a year or so of charge/shift supervisory experience. I hope she has some sort of management background at least seeing that she doesn't have the ICU skills locked down. I have a feeling that she will be in way over her head, she will learn this quickly, will end up going home crying every day, and will quit after two weeks. There is a lot to be said for hands-on, on-the-job training but this is a little ridiculous. My guess is that the management at this facility is so horrendous they are scaring everybody off and are now desperate to fill that position. (Don't go there for care anytime soon -- LOL!!!)

The hospital that hired your friend is just as negligent as she is for accepting such a position. How do the nurses that work in that unit feel about it? They are more qualified for the position by far, just for the fact that they have been working in that unit. If none of those nurses wanted the position, that should have told her something. Best of luck to all involved, but it seems that they have set themselves up for failure. Nothing against your friend, but it takes more than a license to be a supervisor, and definitely more than a nurse with no nursing experience at all.

WOW......I am shocked...Your friend, I am sure, feels proud of this position, that they choose her....but I am just as sure she has no clue what can happen and go wrong. The smaller the hospital the larger the liability. Your resources are limited, no back up, and yes bad things happen. Frankly, the hospital should be ashamed of itself allowing this new grad take this on.....trust me she will take the fall when it all goes wrong...she will lose her liscence not the hospital. Make sure she malpractice insurance......wow.... I wish her well....I have worked the bedside and supervised facilities large and small alike. Critical Care is my speciality........she is in way over her head.....frankly, I wouldn't take a position at a place so negligent and uncaring as to place someone in that position without proper experience, level of expertise and back up.....something as simple as getting an IV is the difference between living and dying......Wow.....scary place.....wow......you have every right to be concerned.....have her read the post...I'll be her friend and try to talk to her.....she is in a very dangerous position.....the skill set to both care for patients and be in charge and make decisions is difficult under perfect circumstances........I will send prayers and good vibes but she should bail out.....NOW...get her feet wet somewhere willing to mentor he and give her the tools to a sucessful career

I don't know your friend, but I have faith in her. Continue to encourage her and give her POSITIVE advice. Nobody knows what she capable of handling,not even you, so don't doubt her. Obviously, they saw something in her that made them vow her a good candidate for the position... This is not the first time a hospital has put a new grad in his type of position and I doubt it will be the last!

Quote from Closetoyou21I don't know your friend, but I have faith in her. Continue to encourage her and give her POSITIVE advice. Nobody knows what she capable of handling,not even you, so don't doubt her. Obviously, they saw something in her that made them vow her a good candidate for the position... This is not the first time a hospital has put a new grad in his type of position and I doubt it will be the last!

wow, that is so dangerous. As a new grad the transition from student to nurse is overwhelming as it is. I can not imagine adding ICU to that, yet alone charge! Infact my nursing school told us not to apply for ICU positions because as a new grad you are not qualified. And most hospitals in my area have a 6mos-1 yr orientation to the ICUs before they let you practice alone, and that is for RNs with hospital expereince. It is scary on the hospitals part for hiring her and also on your friend's part for accepting the position. As a supervisor who will she turn to for help. She needs to have a qualified mentor with good clinical skills. As far as accepting such a position, I fear your friend may be over confident, which is a very dangerous thing in the medical world. Will she ask for help when she is unsure or just go ahaead and do a procedure that could harm a pt? It sounds like she does not even know that she is in over her head. Stay far far away from this hospital. They don't care about thier pts or nurses. This is the type of situation that makes people leave nursing forever. I am afraid you friend will burn out quickly or lose her license.

Quote from LiveToLearnI am concerned for a friend who has accepted a hospital ICU supervisor position. This is a new grad with no nursing experience other than as a CNA for a year (not in the ICU). This is a small hospital, so my friend will be responsible for caring for those in the ICU as well as stabilizing for transport anyone who needs a higher level of care. As an ICU nurse, I remember the first year of nursing well. I also started in the ICU (of a major metropolitan hospital) and loved it. However, I had great mentoring and a lot of support. I can't imagine transitioning from a new grad to ICU supervisor in a matter of weeks. I care a lot about my friend and want my friend to succeed. I have spoken to my friend about my concerns, but she does not appear to be at all worried. Obviously, there is nothing I can "do" but hope for the best and remain supportive of her, but I must say I am truly shocked that a facility would place a new grad in this position. I was ICU charge for years, and it is not easy. She is very competent FOR her level of experience, but I fear for the safety of her license and her patients.

Quote from Flo. I fear your friend may be over confident, which is a very dangerous thing in the medical world.

Maybe your friend has lots of potential, and maybe she’s got what it takes to be a super nurse. However, the “clinical eye” is developed through experience. She might really do well in that role-----but one thing is for sure, she will need a good mentor.

Quote from Closetoyou21I don't know your friend, but I have faith in her. Continue to encourage her and give her POSITIVE advice. Nobody knows what she capable of handling,not even you, so don't doubt her. Obviously, they saw something in her that made them vow her a good candidate for the position... This is not the first time a hospital has put a new grad in his type of position and I doubt it will be the last!

I'm sorry, but your friend is being set up for failure. There is no way a new grad should be in the ICU straight out of nursing school, let alone in a charge nurse/supervisor position. I'm am not trying to bash your friend, but she just don't know what she don't know.Where will she get the support from? Who will be there to guide her in the most critical time when a pt is coding and need to be transferred out? Oh yeah, NOBODY. Because she will be the "go to person" that everyone else in the code is going to be coming to for answers.Is she even ACLS certified? Has she even been in a code before? You are a great friend to let her know she may be making a mistake. I fear for the pts and her license. I sure pray to God nothing happens where she may be sued because the hospital is gonna throw her under the bus if something happens.