movin' on up

over the last week i've made a pretty big decision that is going to effect me for the rest of time. i saw a sign posted at work that there was a new cohort entering the icu may 14th. i have been thinking about critical care for awhile now & getting tired of med/surge. while i'm terrified of the intensive care unit, i knew that it was the next step for me. so after work the other morning i told my nurse manager that i was thinking of going. she gave me an amazing recommendation and boosted my confidence, i interviewed the next week and 4 days later i was working my first shift! i didn't realize that the transition would be that fast so i am kind of feeling like i abandoned my old unit.
while the transition was quick, the months to follow will not be. i now have to take 3 1/2 months of classes and precepting, and then i have to pass my test! this last week i started the ekg class, 3 more days of that. on top of classroom learning, there are online lessons and tests, and then advanced cardiac life support, followed by more classes. wow. i'm not really overwhelmed yet because the classroom is intertwined with actually being on the floor.
the first night on the floor was really interesting and the second night we had a different patient so i was able to learn quite a bit. there are so many machines and cords and drains... just a lot of obstacles to get to the patient. i think i made a good decision. i wanted to get icu experience before/if i go back to get my masters.
it's going to be stressful but completely worth it! forgive me if i'm absent for awhile and don't respond to my voicemails as quickly!