1st job GI Lab. Future Options?

[SuburbsGirl]

I am a new RN. I was just offered a position in a GI Lab at a teaching institution.

I do like GI, but I had hoped to work a year or 2 on a med-surg floor 1st.

With this job market, I need to take this job, and I am the kind of person that will commit to it for at least a year without looking for the next thing.

Can I move after GI Lab? Thanks in advance.

[brownbook]

Assuming that jobs are really hard to come by I think it would be foolish to turn down this job.

I do understand wanting to get some med/surg experience.

Once you are comfortable as a GI RN talk to your unit manager about wanting to get some floor nurse, med/surg, experience. Hopefully your manager is intelligent enough to not want to lose you and see the benefit of your getting more experience in other areas of nursing. You could offer to orient on your day off on med/surg and be available to work there the occasional weekend or extra shift. Or find out if your hospital has a float pool.

Depending on your responsibilities in the GI lab you will, could, might, gain good skills. But any experience you get will look better on a resume than none if you apply for other jobs later in your career.

You may find it is a wonderful area to work in and after a few years wonder why you ever thought you would need or want med/surg experience.

[CP1983, ADN, BSN, RN]

Hey!

From a new grad to another, I would stay for maybe two years, since I was reading that a nurse typically gets comfortable in any specialty after a year. Also, you will indeed lose some med-surg skills or knowledge because endoscopy is a nursing specialty but it would be good to keep yourself current and up-to-date with med-surg stuff by take free CEs, maybe some medsurg classes from hospitals which is a good thing or maybe a refresher course (but they are very expensive). But you will indeed learn some GI skills that will carry on to any other specialty (IV skills, assessment, working with the physician in the procedure room with colonoscopies, EGD, biopsies which can carry over to OR, pushing Versed, etc but I know CRNA/ anesthesiologists are usually responsible for this) etc. I am starting in two weeks, I am very excited and the staff seems very nice, including the docs. I am happy that the manager decide to hire me and take her chance. I am so nervous and terrified but I can't wait to learn, :) Good luck!