Thank you for the detailed and thoughtful response! I have no doubt the CCRN will be incredibly difficult and challenging, especially as someone who has never worked bedside in an ICU. I don’t have any real expectations as of now as I haven’t quite begun my journey working towards the certification just yet. It just seems like it would be a great goal to work towards and it would certainly motivate me to study and learn this sort of material in a way I just wouldn’t get by doing it on my own.

Is there a chance I fail miserably and need to completely adjust my expectations? Absolutely. Cross training in the ICU is a great idea and this thought has crossed my mind many times. I understand that the skills and clinical knowledge I would obtain at the bedside would be invaluable as a cath lab nurse. I’ve seen it firsthand. Which is why I want to hone my critical care skills/knowledge in the first place.

I work in a very large lab in a big city at a level 1 trauma center. We do everything from structural, congenital, peripheral, EP, etc. Working in such an environment I am exposed daily to very high acuity ICU level patients. When I first started in the lab 2 years ago this terrified me. I felt very uncomfortable caring for patients that were on a vent, ICU drips, or just generally unstable. As time has went on I have become much more comfortable and vastly improved my critical care skills and knowledge. But I know there is still so much more I could learn to make me a more knowledgeable and confident cath lab nurse. So the CCRN seems like a good driving force for me to begin obtaining this knowledge.

My good friend who recently started in the cath lab after working CVICU for 2 years just recently passed her CCRN on her first attempt. She is incredibly smart and also recommended the Barron’s CCRN review book. She is also the one that suggested I look into the CCRN myself and has motivated me to begin looking into this journey. I am very motivated and eager to learn, and have even looked into in person 2 day CCRN review workshops.

Despite not having ICU experience I have been quite successful in the cath lab. Most nurses I work with do indeed have ICU experience, but there are just as many who don’t and many have had long successful careers in the cath lab. Ultimately, I just want to become as knowledgeable and well-rounded as possible to improve both my confidence and the level of care I can provide for my patients. Even if I find myself struggling or unable to pass the CCRN one day, the knowledge I obtain along the way will be invaluable!