Need Advice- OR to ED or ICU?

Hi Everyone!
After a year and a half in the OR, I want to move up the ladder and go back to school. I love the OR, but theres not much room for growth except management which I do not want to do.

I like both the CRNA profession and NP professions, so maybe ICU or ED.

ED- super fast pace, unpredictable patients (behavior and status), stat orders,fast pt turnovers. I admire ED nurses for their on the spot critical thinking, its such a great skill to have in the hospital and out. I could definitely learn a lot and want this skill set.

ICU- multiple lines, high acuity, ventilators, more time with patients/family, multiple meds. I have tremendous respect for the CRNAs, they are so smart, very knowledgable about everything and I want that. Plus I'm comfortable with surgical population and had exposure to surgical procedures/vents/lines.

In the end, I am coming from the OR so where ever I go, I will be starting from ground zero (barely any IV skills, no floor experience, minimal medication knowledge, basic nursing assessment)

Any advice for me on which to choose or what I can do to strengthen my nursing skills? I am gonna try to do ACLS, but anything else? I would gladly appreciate it!
Is there a way to spend some time on each unit to see where your heart takes you? I think one of the main differences between ED and ICU-- and come here without ever having worked ED, and only ICU-- is that you can get to know the patients and families and watch them over the course of an illness. I would imagine that in the ED the patients move through quickly so you don't know what happens to them after they get admitted. The ICU has many sub-specialties. Do you have one in mind you'd like to start with? Neuro, cardiac, trauma, general ICU and so on?
Thank You👏 Anon456 for your advice. I am a new RN that transitioned from the scrub role to the circulating role. I enjoy the atmosphere of the OR but enjoyed the pt care of other specialties. Especially after my preceptorship which made me hungry for new experiences. I too would like to transition to ICU or ED r/t experiences I've had in school and where I believe my strengths lie. Although, I fear that what little clinical experience I have with assessments and procedures/task management will diminish to a point where I am not a viable candidate for such specialties due to how vastly different RN responsibilities are in the OR.
ER hands down. I can't explain the magnitude of knowledge and experience I am getting working at ER compared to god-forsaken floors. Personally I would never work at ICU; different pace, gotta hold on to 2 patients for ages, etc, but at ED, we just tackle the most important thing and move on. I had to drop lots of floor nurse behaviors working at ED. But if you want to be CRNA, you know you have to do ICU, so pick your poison lol.
Thanks anon456!I was thinking SICU because surgery is all I know at this point. How hard is it to get into the ICU? I have heard many scary interviews that ask alot of med and drug calculations. Tarotale- What happens if you catch something from a pt (bed bugs, lice, TB, flu, etc.). The fact that you dont know a pts baseline is kinda interesting, yet scary. How many times have you caught something from a pt and whats the hospital protocol for it?Whatever choice I make, its gonna be a huge leap. I just don't know what I can do to help me make that leap easier
It all depends upon your own comfort zone. Coming from OR, you've been functioning in a highly structured environment. A full-fledged (knife & gun club) ED is completely at the other end of the spectrum & most ICU's are sort of in the middle zone. But if you're in a community hospital ED setting rather than a trauma-receiving environment, the transition wouldn't be that extreme. ED care is episodic by nature, and ICU patients may stay a bit longer, but some - like CVICU - may just function as extended recovery area with patients transferred to a different area as soon as the are a bit more stable. RE: getting in to ICU... talk to your manager & investigate opportunities in your own facility because there may be avenues you aren't aware of. Your manager deserves a 'heads-up' for investing in your training and giving you a chance in the OR. I would also urge you to engage in some self-directed learning by taking courses in dysrhythmia management, hemodynamics, advanced patho, etc. because you'll need to increase your depth of knowledge in order to function in ICU.Here's an out-of-the-box suggestion. See if you can become trained on IAPB. Based on my own experience, "pump jockeys" often cross the line between ICU & OR so this may pave the way. Best of luck to you on your career transition.
I'm a fairly new grad, I'm curious what is "IAPB"? This is great advice and insight.