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| No. 30 | 
Sep 21, 2005, 08:27 PM
Originally Posted by iwantedtobestressed  Hey there! If only I had had a place like this to go to when I had newly graduated! I guess they probably had forums then, but I didnt know about them at that time . 1996
Anyway, Hooray for you for not putting up with all of the -------- that comes along with floor nursing. If you could have seen me during my three years as a floor nurse you would have laughed! I had all of these ideas just like you did. I can remember getting yelled at by doctors, getting evil eyes from PA's etc... And some of those nurses on staff! They will eat a young thing (new nurse) for breakfast! PLease dont quit yet!!!!!! There is hope for you! I will tell you how I avoided quitting nursing.....
After three years on a tele/med surg floor doing float pool and hating it, I worked on the pediatric floor one night (due to low staffing.) I kinda liked it, and then after doing this several nights over a six month period, the leader of the NICU/PEDS unit called and asked if I would go to the NICU and feed babies for a shift! I was scared to death! I was an adult nurse for heavens sake!
It has been seven years since then, and I can say that it was the best decision I have ever made in my life, other than going back to college for my degree.
Do not go to a level three NICU (really sick babies) go to a level two. Less stress, and not a teaching hospital. I am serious! You would love it! When all of your friends are up on the floors working like dogs... you could be bathing a little 4 pound baby girl and putting sweet clothes on her, rocking her to sleep! It is the BOMB!
Check it out anyway!
Jeri
Jeri, do you currently work in NICU? One of the areas I have been pondering over is womens health, I am very interested in this area but I have been told that most places want you to have X number of years experience prior to entering this specialty. Any comments regarding this?
 | | Advertisement Sponsored Links | | | | No. 31 |
Sep 22, 2005, 11:39 AM
 So, so true Originally Posted by iwantedtobestressed Hey there! If only I had had a place like this to go to when I had newly graduated! I guess they probably had forums then, but I didnt know about them at that time . 1996
Anyway, Hooray for you for not putting up with all of the -------- that comes along with floor nursing. If you could have seen me during my three years as a floor nurse you would have laughed! I had all of these ideas just like you did. I can remember getting yelled at by doctors, getting evil eyes from PA's etc... And some of those nurses on staff! They will eat a young thing (new nurse) for breakfast! PLease dont quit yet!!!!!! There is hope for you! I will tell you how I avoided quitting nursing.....
After three years on a tele/med surg floor doing float pool and hating it, I worked on the pediatric floor one night (due to low staffing.) I kinda liked it, and then after doing this several nights over a six month period, the leader of the NICU/PEDS unit called and asked if I would go to the NICU and feed babies for a shift! I was scared to death! I was an adult nurse for heavens sake!
It has been seven years since then, and I can say that it was the best decision I have ever made in my life, other than going back to college for my degree.
Do not go to a level three NICU (really sick babies) go to a level two. Less stress, and not a teaching hospital. I am serious! You would love it! When all of your friends are up on the floors working like dogs... you could be bathing a little 4 pound baby girl and putting sweet clothes on her, rocking her to sleep! It is the BOMB!
Check it out anyway!
Jeri
ITA. Sometimes just switching specialties helps tons...I considered oncology and peds myself before leaving the bedside. Tele/stepdown has got to be one of the evilest, most stressful places in any hospital anywhere....
You make me wish I'd tried NICU now!  | | No. 32 |
Sep 26, 2005, 10:29 AM
Telemetry Unit
I am a new grad a I recently recieved a job offer to work in the Telemetry Unit. On top of being a new RN, I have never worked in a hospital before does anyone have any tips about this unit? Thanks a bunch.
| | No. 33 |
Sep 26, 2005, 07:14 PM
Originally Posted by control ITA. Sometimes just switching specialties helps tons...I considered oncology and peds myself before leaving the bedside. Tele/stepdown has got to be one of the evilest, most stressful places in any hospital anywhere....
You make me wish I'd tried NICU now!
hi everyone-
I recently began working as a new nurse on a Tele floor, 2 1/2 months ago. I have no clue what I am doing half the time. Thank God for my preceptor because I learning a lot from her, but I have no clue what I'm going to do when I'm on my own next month. I feel like I'm working as a servant instead of a nurse. some of these patient's think their in a hotel, which is absurd. A lot of theses patient's are self sufficient, but refuse to be a part od their rehabilitation. I know their is a lot responsibility in nursing, but school did not prepare me for this stuff. I hate bedside nursing I just wanted my med/surg exp. for a year. I will probably stay part-time after a year, but my first love is in psych which is what I have a degree in and I want to explore other avenues. I going to hang in there for this 1st year, but does anybody have other suggestions on what I can do?
redred
| | No. 34 |
Sep 26, 2005, 09:33 PM
I'm a new grad as well (May 2005). I have never liked working the floors. I am in th ER, and I dreaded nursing clinicals b/c I hated feeling like a servant to these patients who don't want to help themselves. So off to the ER I went. I absolutely love it, with every ounce of being inside me.
My mother has been a nurse for 30 years, and she has said that is has changed dramatically from when she first started. Nursing is all that I've ever wanted to do, and she's encouraged me to follow my dreams, but she said that if she had to do it all over again, she would never choose nursing knowing how it is now. She is 4 years away from retiring (early, b/c she doesn't want to put up with it anymore), and she is literally counting down the months: 49. She has done just about a little bit of everything: med/surg., clinics, psych, just to name a few, but she is now the charge nurse on a psych. unit where she is the only RN, has 1 LVN and 2 assistants. She has up to 25 patients (so you know that she has to do all the teaching, assessments and discharges), starts her day at 6:30, and sometimes doesn't get home until 11 or 12. Sucky job, and I can totally see why.
I hope that you find a career or area of nursing that works for you if you decide to stay. Happiness is worth more than 4 years worth of school. Good luck.
| | No. 35 |
Sep 27, 2005, 07:07 PM
every facility is facing the shortage, but it's your license on the line...if anything happens and there is litigation, the hospital will hang you out to dry...I too am in atlanta, transferring to a medical stepdown icu unit, average 4 patients per nurse, one cna, 12 bed unit...I work day shift...sometimes the cna will do your accuchecks and vitals, some times she won't...frankly, I'd rather have 3 patients and do it all myself.
I have heard that private duty nursing is quite rewarding and profitable...
It's YOUR license, you do what is right...although you are young, you have the foresight to move on when it is time (a great book "who moved my cheese"), I was dissatisfied with med/surg floor nursing and FINALLY took the step to move to another unit where yes pts are more ill, but frankly, it's less hassle then patients on the floor with umteen family members that are ****** because they "demand to know when the doctor is coming..." (when the patient is fine, they have just arrived and demand to see the physician)...
move with the cheese
atlantarn
| | No. 36 |
Sep 27, 2005, 11:21 PM
Level two NICU
[quote=CHICKEN]Jeri, do you currently work in NICU? One of the areas I have been pondering over is womens health, I am very interested in this area but I have been told that most places want you to have X number of years experience prior to entering this specialty. Any comments regarding this?[/QUOTE
Yes I do, and no you do not have to have experience where I work. Just do well with your interview and they train you on the job. Two friends of mine came from adult areas and were welcomed with open arms! It may help to have at least one year of nursing behind you before getting a job in an ICU, but we have had several nursing assistants who worked in our unit before graduating and then getting hired on as a nurse.
| | No. 37 |
Sep 28, 2005, 12:34 AM
To all, If you are overworked,you need to look at other areas. When looking,be sure to ask staff  t ratios. It makes all the difference in the world. I currently work part-time on a psych unit and we have been full for the past year-they transfer in from all over. I guess psych is not a money-maker,so hospitals everywhere else have cut beds. At any rate,for 32 pt we have 9-10 staff-a ward secretary,a charge nurse 4-5 RN or LPN and 2-3 patient care techs-Our pt care techs have college degrees in psych-related fields or are going to college for day or evening shift-nights get 5 staff. Everyone here works together. In larger cities,like Omaha I have worked with nurses who work for agencies and specify which shifts they will work and where they will work. They get to work when and where they want and get higher pay. I worked hard when I worked dialysis,but the staff-patient interaction was great. Everyone was like family. NICU sounds like a very nice place to work also-I would love to hold babies!
| | No. 38 |
Sep 28, 2005, 07:22 AM
Originally Posted by tonet0908 I am a new grad a I recently recieved a job offer to work in the Telemetry Unit. On top of being a new RN, I have never worked in a hospital before does anyone have any tips about this unit? Thanks a bunch.
Hi there,
I started out on a TELE/Stepdown Unit as a new grad and as it was well umm... a bit overwhelming @ first, I ended up loving it. It is overwhelming for the fact that 1) you're a new grad, 2) You have to learn many new procedures, interventions, and skills you only brushed upon in nrsg school, 3) every doctor has his/her own "little" ways of wanting things done, and 4) the fact that every hospital has it's own system to be learned. That being said, after I got all those things down (it took me a good year to feel autonamous), I truly loved my job. A few tips that helped me and you too may find useful was that I took notes, lots of them on little tips about each doctor, what they wanted, and what they expected of me. Take advantage of your resources. Ask questions and when an interesting pt comes in and is not yours ask the nurse if you can help out/observe a procedure. Also take advantage of your hospitals edu. opportunities. I was ACLS and ENPC certified w/ in 6 months of hire and took a basic critical care course w/in the first year. All of those classes helped out tremendously. Ask your charge if you can run to a code and observe &/do the charting to get a more passive exposure to codes. I did that and it helped me when faced w/ actually being on as code nurse for my shift. Just remember that you are never alone, when in doubt, just ask. Another helpful tip, when faced w/ calling a Dr on an issue always have your ducks in a row. Have the chart out, what your question is, current lab values, primary diagnosis, and ask the other nurses prior to calling if anyone else needs to talk to him/her. Nothing makes a Dr more upset than to call him and not have up to date data regarding the pt available. Carrying a quick reference nrsg handbook can also help. Another thing to have is a sheet that is your own personal "charting" on your pt such as a notecard that has med times, procedure times, vitals, lab values, etc. Fill this out @ start of shift and update w/ periodic pertinent info. and you will be prepared when a Dr walks by and asks you a random question about one of your pts. Hope this helps. I could ramble on and on....hhmmm...maybe I should go into teaching b/c I so love helping new grads. That's probably why I was also a preceptor. | | No. 39 |
Sep 28, 2005, 04:55 PM
Have you thought about Dialysis Nursing???
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