8 Tips for New Grads in the ICU - Show Notes

Sep 13, 2026

8 Tips for New Grads in the ICU - Show Notes collects practical guidance from three certified critical care (CCRN) nurses for early-career practice in intensive care units. The advice focuses on mindset, recognizing typical ICU nurse behaviors, taking initiative, self-advocacy, owning orientation, maintaining an organized shift routine, understanding and using alarms to prevent alarm fatigue, and protecting downtime. It also points to recommended resources for time management, learning initiative, and ICU reporting and report-sheet skills.

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8 Tips for New Grads in the ICU - Show Notes

Mindset and expectations

Recognize typical ICU nurse characteristics

Take initiative

Know yourself and advocate

Own your orientation

Keep an organized routine

Learn alarms and use them

Need downtime

8 Tips for New Grads in the ICU-Show Notes Below are 8 tips from three certified critical care (CCRN) nurses! \#1 Come in with an open and actively engaged mind ● Expect to be overwhelmed for awhile (at least 6 months) ● Fight the “I want to be perfect” mentality; while it’s admirable, it’s not possible – setting yourself for more stress and disappointment with that expectation ● Nursing is a practice – you’re never going to be at a point where you don’t make mistakes or be perfect. There is an art to this. The skills in nursing school aren’t the only ones you’ll need. \#2 Be aware of typical ICU nurse characteristics ● Assertive, direct, business-like attitudes, detailed-oriented, anticipating things ahead of time, know protocols inside and out, intense, autonomous (very familiar with protocols, able to enact orders/protocols independently and then discuss with MD) . ● You are still bringing something to the table, it’s just different than what the others who bring to the table who are already there. \#3 Show initiative ● You’ll have to be assertive yourself-go home to learn and understand more ● Invest time into making yourself better in the off time ● Round with MDs, seeking out learning opportunities ● Introduce yourself to others \#4-Know yourself and be your own advocate ● Know your learning style and communicate this to your preceptor ● Know your limits / what you don’t know so you can fill in the gaps ○ Please don’t be the new grad know-it-all ○ Find the balance between not knowing anything and being so obvious about that people question your ability to be a safe care provider, and being the know it all who continually acts like they do not need to be educated ● Find a mentor! \# 5-Own your orientation ● Orientation is truly an extension of nursing school without formal grading ● Ask for help when you need it-sometimes your preceptor cannot always pick up on times when things aren’t clicking ● Advocate for yourself! ● Work through the process of orientation; it’s a marathon and not a sprint \#6-Keep an organized routine throughout your shift ● Have a systematic routine way of assessments, your day, meds, etc. otherwise you will miss somethings ○ This helps get through the shift and not miss things. ● Stop and get organized first before starting your shift so you start on a good note. ● Resource: Anatomy of a Super Nurse, The Ultimate Guide to Becoming Nursey, chapter 7 \#7-Learn your alarms and use them to your advantage ● Have a love/hate relationship with alarms. ● If there is always one going off, you’ll never know when it’s real...turn yours off if it’snon-actionable or adjust thresholds per policy. ● Use them to remind you so you don’t forget. ● If you change a pump, add volume, silence an alarm, or whatever for another nurse – let them know! ○ Do you hear what I hear? Combating alarm fatigue-American Nurse Today ○ Alarm Fatigue: A Patient Safety Concern-American Association of Critical Care Nurses CEU (free for members, $10 for non-members) ○ Alarm fatigue; a top patient safety hazard-NCBI \#8-You need downtime ● Becoming a critical care nurse straight out of school tough and exhausting, take care of yourself ● Again, advocate for yourself ● Take time off for yourself, make time for yourself-no one will do this for you Resources for newbies to critical care ● Managing Your Time in Critical Care, Part I ● Tips for New Grads in the ICU: Showing Initiative ● Tips for New Grads in the ICU: Nurse Characteristics ● Tips for New Grads in the ICU: Be Your Own Advocates ● The FreshRN Podcast ● The NRSNG Podcast ● ICU Time Management Tips ● The Ultimate Guide to Creating an ICU Report Sheet (for new critical care nurses and nursing students) ● 3 Code Blue Tips for New Nurses (how to survive your first code) NRSNG also has quite a few great resources for nursing students and new nurses. There are various courses,

FAQs

What mindset should new ICU grads bring on day one?

Come in with an open, actively engaged mind and expect to feel overwhelmed for a while. Avoid aiming for perfection, since learning involves making mistakes and developing practical nursing skills.

How can new grads handle ICU alarms and avoid alarm fatigue?

Learn what each alarm means and use alarms to your advantage as reminders. If alarms are non-actionable, silence them or adjust thresholds per policy, and communicate pump/volume changes to other nurses.

What are the key expectations during orientation for new ICU nurses?

Treat orientation as an extension of nursing school without formal grading, and ask for help when things are not clicking. Work through the process like a marathon, advocate for yourself, and invest time during off time to improve.

Sep 13, 2026

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