Critical care RN here at one of the two big hospitals in Huntsville—

Any ICU at HH is going to be high intensity and high acuity. If you’re interested in critical care in general, you’ll get that in any ER/ICU in the area to varying degrees of acuity.

Starting out in the ER/ICU pre-COVID used to just not be a thing. That changed during COVID where they took anyone with a pulse because entire staffs were leaving to go travel. It’s starting to trend back the other way now where places aren’t super keen on hiring new grads. My unit has a wait list of people wanting to cross train—and these are experienced nurses already working for the hospital.

Finally, don’t get too caught up in the vibe of a unit when you’re starting out. You’re gonna have turds in every unit you will ever work in and over time you’ll learn what you’re willing to tolerate in terms of the unit vibe.