Afraid to move into different nursing field

[Elevelyn]

I have been a med/surg nurse for about two years and I am afraid I am becoming a mediocre nurse. This is my first job out of nursing school and I had an extensive new grad orientation. I work on a busy floor where I feel like all I do is fetch people juice and walk them to the bathroom. I rarely have time to read relevant notes. I don't do hardly any clinical skills other than IVs and Foley's. I don't read rhythm strips. I would like move into a different type of nursing but I'm afraid I've lost all my skills (or never developed them to begin with). I would like to move into a different specialty area but I'm afraid I would be lost without another long orientation. I'm afraid I have settled into this mediocre system and that I would crash and burn in any other field. The problem with failure in nursing is that dropping the ball could cost a patient's life. Any advice/support for transitioning into another area?

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

I don't think you're giving yourself enough nearly enough credit. You've mastered time management, patient education, discharge planning, communication with ancillary departments, delegation.... you understand the regulatory environment mandates like core measures, HCAHPS, documentation rules, . . . you don't fall apart in a crisis.... you can deal with the continuous barrage of new orders, patient/family requests, admits and discharges. .. YOU ARE A FULLY COMPETENT NURSE!!! And that's quite an accomplishment. :)

So it's probably time to begin looking for developmental opportunities to take your career to the next level. An obvious move would be to add telemetry skills. Look for an arrhythmia management class. Is there a clinical specialty or functional area that interests you? Have you considered moving "up" into leadership roles? You are a MedSurg nurse.... there's nothing you can't do.

[LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN]

If you move into a speciality then, if it is a good unit will give you a good orientation.

I moved from the floors to the ED, I was given an 8 week orientation where experienced ED nurses hired at the same time got 4-6 weeks.

If you are serious about making a change, as you interview ask about your orientation and their process