If you're happy w/your 1st RN job ...

Jennerizer, ASN, RN · Oct 13, 2006

I started in PCU/tele nearly two years ago & I'm still here. Max pt load is 5:1, but usually 4:1 although tonight I only have 3 patients & it's pretty nice. :) Sometimes we get a tech, sometimes we don't - no guarantees.

JenNJFLCA · Oct 13, 2006

I work on a cardivascular surgical step-down telemetry unit, although we do tend to get all kinds of patients. I would say that 50% percent of the time we get 4 pts, 49.5% of the time we get 5, and 0.5% of the time we get 6 (which is scary...4 is even too many sometimes. The stepdown pts are supposed to be 1:3 but that rarely happens). Next month I'll be off orientation (scary!!!) and they better not give me more than 4 for at least 6 months. Will that happen? I doubt it. We are always short staffed. I am very thankful for my coworkers, they are very helpful, patient, and understanding so I know I can go to them if I ever need anything. My biggest obstacle is time management, like most new nurses!

smilin_gp · Oct 13, 2006

I work on a surgical/telemetry floor, and really like my job. At night we typically have 4-5 patients, occasionally 6 if we are teamed with the LPN-who is a great nurse, and those nights are very smooth generally. Keeping busy though because much of the VA patient population has many comorbid conditions.

early2bed,early2rise · Oct 13, 2006

My first RN job was with an outpatient community clinic here in NYC. I started there because I wanted to build confidence and to learn at a little slower pace since I had just gotten spat out of an accelerated RN program. After one year, I was more than ready to move on as the pay was far less than what I should have been making and I knew that there was plenty more out there for me to learn.

Anyway...I got a job on an acute rehab unit and it was not pretty. They new what my experience was, but for some reason, they had me juggling 8 patients after 4 weeks on the floor. That didnt seem right. The nurse manager then told me that I needed to pick up the pace because there would be times when I would have 12 at night. I left after 5 weeks.

Now I'm trying to find the right place for me. It has not been easy, but I think that my love for nursing will make it happen. Now at least I know more about what to look for and what to run from!

RazorbackRN, BSN, RN · Oct 13, 2006

would you tell me where you're working (what type of floor or unit) and how many patients you have? I will be graduating in May and still am not sure where I want to work. I do know I do not want to work on the floors where I'm doing clinicals. Each RN takes 10 pts with one LPN and maybe a CNA to help, and the RNs are always stressed. Not for me!
Thank you in advance! :)
Linda

I am happy with my job. I graduated in May and I work in the Burn unit of a pediatric hospital (of course, since we are the only burn unit, we also take adults pt's). Our unit is composed of ICU beds and our floor pt's. All of the nurses rotate between, as to not get burned out in one particular area, as you can imagine the burn ICU can be a very challenging area. On the floor our ratio is 1:3 typically but sometimes 1:4.

Cherish · Oct 28, 2006

bump

leixlip · Nov 2, 2006

Cardiac/tele, 1:5 days and 1:6 nights guaranteed!

GrnHonu99, RN · Nov 7, 2006

New grad in the neuro ICU. I love it. It is very challenging. The ICU for a new grad is difficult and isn't for everyone. I use all my skills in the ICU every day. Even though it is specialized I see a little bit of everything in the neuro ICU. I work on a 64 bed ICU floor (over 100 total neuro ICU beds) and we never have more than 2 pts.

DolphinRN84, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Nov 12, 2006

I am a new grad on a med/surg (vascular surgical unit). Nurse patient ratio on days usually varies: 1:3-4 with no patient care tech...we can get up to 5-6 with a patient care tech. I forget evenings and nights...nights i think its usually 5-6 since I'm day/night rotation, but I just started orientation this week so I'll be working days for awhile. So far I like the hospital and the floor...though I'm just really overwhelmed since I've only been on the floor twice already. There is so much to learn. But so far I like it. I just have to try to be calm and not be so anxious as much...though its hard for me! :uhoh21:

niccikatie · Nov 13, 2006

I LOVE my job :) I'm an RN in an HMO ENT clinic. I work with one MD and occasionally cover for some other MDs in the practice. On a day that we're in clinic (my MD is seeing pts, in other words) we see between 14-29 pts. I also manage the MDs voicemail, answer the priority/triage line, and help with reprocessing our equipment. I work M-F 8.5 hour shifts between 7:00-5:00 depending on the day, no holidays or weekends, and get paid on the same payscale as the HMO's hospital RNs, plus we're not union. It rocks

Paleobug · Nov 13, 2006

I just started my first shift yesterday. I work on a med/surg floor. Everyone I've met seems nice. The hospital even has a no tolerance of mistreatment of nurses by doctors or anyone else. I Just felt very awkward on my first day. I did feel overwhelmed. My preceptor said that I need to pick up speed and to manage my time more efficiently, but also it's normal to be slow in the beginning. I'll admit that it is hard and I am stressed, even though this hospital isn't overcrowed with patients like the others that I've been at. I haven't been around patients since last April when I was still in school. I want very much to make a good impression to my preceptor and my floor nurse manager. I'm still in the process of learning and jugling the million things that go into care of one patient x 6 or 7. I don't think that I want to stay with type of nursing. I'm also interested in OR, home health, case management (I have an MBA) and possibly psych nursing.

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · Nov 28, 2006

I also love NICU, have anywhere from 1-4 babies, can't imagine doing anything else!