What's it like working on neurology unit?

Specialties Neurological

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Hi everyone, I was just thinking about different specialties. Can you guys give me some information about what it would be like to work on a neurology floor (pediatric neurology would be awesome!)

What are the pros? Cons? Patient population like? What type of personality do you think would fit? Turnover rate, comparatively?

I am a new RN and just started on the Neuro med-surg unit at my hospital. We have another floor for Neuro (CVA, MS, etc.). We get a lot of post-fall, TIA, observation, AMS etc. Our floor has frequent patient turnover but we are usually pretty full.

While I love the hospital that I work for and the team that I am surrounded with, I have to say it is crazy busy. I will admit that I have some difficulty delegating tasks as I want to take care of my patients as much as I can. It could stem from nursing school, where we had to do it all...bed baths, vitals, accuchecks...all of it. Or perhaps it stems from my former days as a server or just my need to please. However, I am quickly learning the harsh reality that 12 hours is not as long as you think when you consider all of the work that you need to fit into that time frame. Prioritization and delegation are key.

As Nurse_Diane said, very unpredictable. We do get a variety. Definitely a lot of neuro checks, post-op/ post-void bladder scans, etc. Certainly not a dull moment.

I think the most important factor no matter what floor you are on is the team you are working with. Some advice that we got in orientation was to make sure you introduce yourself to everyone. Don't keep yourself in a bubble. You will need the support system.

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I recently received a job on a med-surge neuro floor. If anyone has any ideas on what it may be like, I would love some responses. If anyone has a report sheet geared for neuro patients I would be interested in that too!!

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Specializes in Med-Surg - Neuro Science - Cardiac.

Recently moved from telemetry to neuro floor. I agree it is predictable unit. You know what you are going to do before that patient arrives. Frequent neuro checks but you can get a variety of neurological diagnosis. Report paper I made up is pretty much taken from our computer system. Related to push, pulls, grasps bilateral, smile, droop, sensation equal, pupils, drift of arms, and so forth. Look in your nursing books, but I am sure your floor will have standard papers to follow & you can always google the NIHS stroke scale to get some ideas. Good Luck

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Even though this post is old,I too less than 2 weeks after graduation had several calls & accepted the neuro job offer since it interested me especially last semester of it all. I too get the weird reaction & know that it is a challenge that will bring rewards so I try to stay positive through it all!I start my job in less than a week!WE Neuro Nurses can do this!

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