Time for a change

[sistasoul]

hi all,

i have been a nurse on a neuro/ortho floor for 15 months and i need a change. i am extremely stressed out on this unit. since we are the neuro floor we get all of the detoxers form narcotics and alcohol. we also get all of the change in mental status patients which usually consist of little old ladies and men who have new onset dementia or possible strokes. ortho patients are not my favourites. they are a huge amount of work to get them out of bed due to all of the restrictions on their movements. also the crocuffs, cpms, sequentials, etc., are time consuming to deal with. we also see a lot of pna, abdominal pain (diverticulitis, pancreatitis (most of the time due to alcoholism).

i am a very compassionate person and i like to give tlc. i have been told i have a great bedside manner. my most treasured times as a nurse are the times i can connect with my patients interpersonally. i feel these qualities would be a good fit with oncology. i am sure an oncology floor would be really busy with pain control issues and family dynamics. can anyone tell me if they have transitioned from a neuro/ortho floor or any other floor to an oncology floor and if they have regretted it or enjoyed it?

thanks

sista

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[fungez]

I did oncology for years. It's very intense. My experience is somewhat dated since I quit about ten years ago but I'll give you my perspective.

Patients are there longterm. Maybe less now so they have the colony stimulators to help raise counts and they have the better antibiotics. But you'll see the same patients over and over and really get to know them as well as their families. You get really close.

Patients tend to be "nice." Yeah, they're sick as dogs and they need a lot of care but they are not going to sweat the small stuff. When someone gets a diagnosis like cancer, he's not going to waste any time complaining his ice water isn't cold enough.

You feel like you're making a difference. These patients are sick and they really need you. Contrast that to the ER where at times I felt like I was just a dealer for all the drug seekers and other gomers.

Be prepared for a lot of patient deaths. A lot of sadness.

You should try it. You'll know right away if you like it or not. Good luck to you.

[dthomasa]

Every nurse needs a shot of "Terminal Patient Care", its grounding and rewarding. I worked on a Neuro floor and in a Neuro office its draining. Any time a nurse begins to feel she /he needs a change, they should MAKE A CHANGE.

[newtress, LPN]

Hey sistasoul, my hat is off to you for staying as long as you have with your ortho/neuro floor. I myself was on the same floor at a local hospital for less time and I knew it wasn't a specialty I could stay with. In fact, most all the other employees considered it one of the most difficult, so I wasn't alone in my estimation of how draining it is. I made a complete change by accepting a psych nursing position and glad I did. I miss some aspects of hospital bed side nursing. But as you said on this type of floor, lots of other patients are coming from floors that have no correlation to orthopaedics at all. That overflow creates more demand on the nurse I think. You certainly have some excellent experience behind you and I am certain you could get another position in a completely different area of nursing. Oncology sounds like a great fit for you if that is where you'd like to be. Go after it!