HATING MED/SURG
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This is a discussion on HATING MED/SURG in Medical-Surgical Nursing, part of Nursing Specialties ... I just need to vent away my feelings today at work. It was so horrible that i feel like a walking...
by pale_pilsen Aug 21, '11I just need to vent away my feelings today at work. It was so horrible that i feel like a walking robot that keeps on going and going and ignoring my time to eat lunch and bathroom because the workload is just too much to handle! I was literaly crying inside. Fast pacing my walk from one hallway to the other. In my head, i need to keep going because im still behind with everything. I hated it. I hate getting piled up with so much things to do. Do this, do that, phonecalls, labs, dr on hold, pain meds, family complain, admission is here, discharge in 10 minutes, pain meds again and again and again, etc. I asked my other co-worker whos been there for 1yr and she told me, just keep on going. Shes right. Even though the workload keep piling up every minute of the hour, i just have to keep going because otherwise, i would have to stay for god knows how long just to finish my unpaid charting. And you know what, no matter how hard i worked without any breaks today, i still ended up staying for 2 hours to chart! Why? I didnt get to chart properly all freaking day long because so many things would come up that its literally impossible to stay in one place without someone calling your name. Ugggghhhh!
Some of you would not understand this situation. But some of you whos been there and done that would understand. So please dont judge me right away. I love nursing. But this type of nursing is toxic and detrimental to someones health overall. I dont want to be in this type of work for so long. I would go nuts! With the economy being so bad, its impossible to find work asap, even as an rn. Yes, thats right, even as an rn. There is no nursing shortage, even as predicted couple of years ago. If they were right with their estimated nursing shortage (look in your nursing books) in 2020, there wouldn't been complains about nurses not finding a job left and right in this site. Its all crap. Its business, and its all about the profits. I just wish someone would do a documentary film about med/surg nurses and see the real nursing as it really is, live and raw! Not the edited ones by johnsons and johnson commercial where everyone is smiling, clean, and happy.
Oh by the way, im still waiting to get that o.r. Job. But i dont have the result yet. Thanks for reading my vent. Sorry its so long. This is my only way of releasing my stress. I love this site.
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Aug 21, '11 by xtxrnI'm guessing you're a new nurse
It's SO normal to feel overwhelmed- that means you're paying attention to what needs to be done, and are doing your best to get it done. You will get into a groove of your own, and learn ways to handle labs, calls, etc. It takes time, and in the meantime, you're gaining incredible skills. Once you learn a system that works for you, you'll still have crazy days, but more skills to deal with them. Do you have anybody on the floor you can talk to and ask what works for them on that floor? Be sure to ask questions- you won't look silly or dumb- -- the ones who don't ask questions are the ones older nurses are afraid of
You will get the hang of things
Be thankful for the technology- even though it can drive you nuts- back in the good old days, all of the charting, orders, etc were done by hand. There were no accucheks, staffing ratios on days could be 1:7 or 8 on an acute floor (i was on nights on neuro and had 14 patients with no CNA or unit clerk- me and one other RN for a 28 bed floor- and I lived to tell about it
Take your days off to do stuff for you- be selfish with the time you have, to relax and do things that are fun. -
Aug 21, '11 by ohiostudent'RN
Its ok to vent! thats what we at allnurses are here for. chin up! its always darkest before the dawn! -
Aug 21, '11 by MEDICJOHNI'm a fairly new nurse also and, of course, got sentenced to med surg. This is NOT nursing..its just looking at the clock and throw pills and antibiotics at patients. Anyone could do this. There is no assessment, intervention, nothing, just delivering meds. And u mess one tiny thing up, even setting a normal saline rate at 75 when it should be 80 and someone is writing you up! Two more months and I can transfer to ER. - Aug 21, '11 by xtxrnQuote from medicjohnif you're primary care, who do you think is going to assess the patient? who is supposed to implement interventions? med-surg isn't a 'sentence'- it's hard work, and the foundation for anything you do...especially ed.....i'm a fairly new nurse also and, of course, got sentenced to med surg. this is not nursing..its just looking at the clock and throw pills and antibiotics at patients. anyone could do this. there is no assessment, intervention, nothing, just delivering meds. and u mess one tiny thing up, even setting a normal saline rate at 75 when it should be 80 and someone is writing you up! two more months and i can transfer to er.
no- "anybody" can't do this..... yikes if you really feel this way, how do you expect to be able to deal with patients in the ed? they aren't all full on traumas and codes....lots of puking kids, ear aches, 'simple' fractures, and other boo boos..... good luck to you.
i hope you see the opportunity you have, even having a job....
if you have time to look at the clock, you have too much free time. -
Aug 21, '11 by Florence NightinFAILI know what you mean. I feel more like a machine than a nurse. What I miss most about clinicals (of course having all the time) was just being there to TEACH. I feel like I don't have a second to tell them anything - they are lucky if I throw them a line as I run to my next patient.
That's why after a year - I plan on back to school and try to get into maternity (PP not L&D). I'm not saying it's easy - but there are so many teaching opportunities and I feel like I would have the time to do a job that I would be proud of. - Aug 21, '11 by Florence NightinFAILQuote from xtxrnDid you happen to be in management/adminstration?If you have time to look at the clock, you have too much free time.
- Aug 21, '11 by xtxrnQuote from Florence NightinFAILDoes it show?Did you happen to be in management/adminstration?
I wasn't the DON or ADON, but was a dept head, and was in all of the morning admin meetings
(I refused being DON.....They're only as good as the biggest idiot on staff.....and if ya inherit a slew of them, not worth the hassle
)
I<3H2O and Florence NightinFAIL like this. -
Aug 21, '11 by SarahRN1987I know what it's like. I am doing agency nursing and work on all med/surg wards. It is a difficult and often times frustrating job, but I have found it to still be rewarding in so many ways. I think the problem is that nurses right out of school think "I have to do med/surg before I get into my preferred specialty," but med/surg IS a specialty. I was working on a maternity ward one night (assigned to overflow med/surg pts), and the nurse I was working with, who was an experienced L&D nurse, had no idea what to do to help me when one of my patients starting having explosive BMs because she was on bowel prep. She just felt lost because it was an occurance that she had never had to deal with on that floor.
But anyway, it will get better! And no, don't think of it as a type of nursing that "anyone can do," because it is difficult and you need to be on your toes. Keep your chin up! Hope things get better soon.
- Aug 21, '11 by xtxrnQuote from SarahRN1987I know what it's like. I am doing agency nursing and work on all med/surg wards. It is a difficult and often times frustrating job, but I have found it to still be rewarding in so many ways. I think the problem is that nurses right out of school think "I have to do med/surg before I get into my preferred specialty," but med/surg IS a specialty. I was working on a maternity ward one night (assigned to overflow med/surg pts), and the nurse I was working with, who was an experienced L&D nurse, had no idea what to do to help me when one of my patients starting having explosive BMs because she was on bowel prep. She just felt lost because it was an occurance that she had never had to deal with on that floor.
But anyway, it will get better! And no, don't think of it as a type of nursing that "anyone can do," because it is difficult and you need to be on your toes. Keep your chin up! Hope things get better soon. Absolutely- there is a Med-Surg certification- that requires a lot of knowledge tokmom and NurseNathalie like this.
