I don't know if I'm looking for advice, others that have experienced this, or just rambling... but here goes.
I'm smart. Now I don't mean to brag about it, but it is what it is. I'm not trying to say that makes me super-nurse by any means. However, I graduated in May 09' with a 3.96 (stupid French class) and studied half the time that others did. I passed NCLEX with 75 questions and under 30 minutes. I know my nursing stuff. At least book wise. Or at least I used to. Here's my situation.
I work a general medical floor that specializes in ortho-uro-neuro. I have worked here since May 09' I chose this unit because I personally don't think new grads should work ICU, ER, critical care units to begin with. Now I realize there are some new grads that make excellant nurses in those specialities, and I'm not downing you. It was important to me though to get my basics together before worrying about needing even more hands-on knowledge.
The other day I float to a telemetry floor and I am way out of my element. ECGs look like a paper with scribbles. Chest pain protocals? Angio-caths? Where to these leads go? I am thrown off guard, out of my element, and truthfully kinda scared. Fortunately I have good nurses by my side, interpreting ECGs and writing notes on my patients.
The problem is, I could do this a year ago. While I don't consider myself an expert in any sense at my current job, I do consider myself proficient. Another important consideration is that I'm looking at going into a NP or PA program in fall 2011.
So, do I stay where I am comfortable, with co-workers and patients I really do like- a good unit with decent management, or do I move on... to increase my knowledge base and refresh my memory on those things learned? Or do I go into unknown water and hope for the best. If I move on I'm looking at an ICU type setting, as I cannot do Peds often. That eliminates the ER.
I keep remembering a discussion I had with one professor... telling her that I studied for a test 2 hours beforehand. That I could study for hours and hours days before, but I really did my best with retaining information and applying it when the pressure was on. Her words were "that makes for a great ICU nurse"
Suggestion: decide what your field of interest is and go for it. If you like and enjoy where you are working now, then stay and offer to float more to get the experience you desire in other areas, lots of nurses would probably enjoy someone on the floor actually wanting to float. If you feel it is time to move on related to pursuing another field of nursing, then carefully look around and try to transfer when a position is available not burning any bridges when you leave. Good luck!
I am on my path to become a nurse... I am teacher. My respond as an educator is that you stay at your unit and when you have time go back and learn what you have forgotten. I understand as a nurse that should never happen,but it did. The truth is your gpa was great in college,you did get your nursing job with that awesome Gpa. Your not in college anymore, what count now is how many people your able to help.
Hit the books,ask your friend the nurse for help.when your trutly comfortable in your heart to move on..than move on.
I believe there's always room for improvement because no one is perfect.
I understand what you are saying. I've been on a tele/stroke floor now for 2 years and I'm feeling bored and on autopilot most of the time. It's nice, but deep down I know I should move on and obtain a challenge for myself, or I'll remain stagnant. I'm actually in a NP program now part time, and although I may never "need" ICU experience, I'm still dying to do it just to say I did it -- just for the challenge. I feel any nursing experience is helpful, although they really do say that you dont' necessarily NEED ICU if your'e going to be a FNP. At any rate, I've made lists myself of pros and cons, and lately, it's come down to the fact that I need a change, need a challenge, and REALLY want to move up to a tougher unit. I'm sort of tired of the floor also and all the shenanigans that patients and their families pull. But I, too, am fearful of starting all over again and being that "newbie" again. it's always so painful, LOL.
However, the reward would be that in a year or two, you'd have really advanced yourself, and that would be someone to be really proud of. I don't know -- I'm in the SAME boat. My FNP professor, however, WAS an ICU nurse, and it seems she really benefited from that background.
I think the op comments are rude...He/she should learn to be sensitive...Don't rub your gpa on people's face...He/she is trying to say people with a gpa
OP, I understand smart. To the rest, don't get offended. OP, you are getting restless, that is OK. It means you are ready for a change and want to be challenged in learning again, I'd say that means you are ready for a move. The only thing holding you back is worry that "the job" part might suffer. It might.
Did you spend a lot of time in the ICU when you were in school? I did. I KNOW that I want to get my feet under me prior to considering ICU again. Someone told me that should I decide not to go straight into the ICU that my brain would rot. especially if I did time in medsurg Ahhh, but I see how some of that is true as well. You might be feeling a little of that. I am 46, and I am excellent at looking around and casing the situation. I saw absolute fear in the eyes of those in ICU without prior solid experience. Those super young ones who did not seem to have "the fear" were like young gymnasts who had talent and were competing in the olympics, they don't yet know they need to be afraid. That bliss time is short. All that cardiac stuff you suggest you used to know... you never knew. There is more to it in ICU, and you don't know what you don't know. Take my word on that. It's volumes.
Nothing wrong with education. Get as much as you can if you think you want to go in that direction. All the critical care stuff. Lots of recommendations in different threads. Also I'd try to find out the average years of experience and general prereq required to be considered for ICU positions in your area hospitals. I find it varies greatly. Level one trauma hospitals are gonna want a lot more of you, as are openhearts (at least they should). Other levels not as much. But, you know how it goes... you might be working in a lower level ICU, and get a bad pt., that patient is still yours. . I found myself very nervous when I would get a young RN preceptor, they just don't know what they don't know. One or two hadn't got a rhythm down yet, couldn't manage to get anything documented in a reasonable time, even. No basic job experience, see? You will want to learn from those who KNOW!
I know I sound kind of negative, but that is the reality you gotta think through. I hope you can navigate it all and find a place to be that challenges your mind, and also has a great group of people to work with!!
First of all, I don't agree with posters who are telling you that you're "smart enough to know what you want to do". I think you are smart in asking for feedback and for admitting that you don't know it all! I'd be concerned if you were coming on here and saying that you thought your experience in telemetry was a walk in the park because you already knew everything.
I don't think you are being dumbed down in your current position; you are, however, experiencing the phenomenon of skills building in nursing, the process by which a nurse progresses from novice to expert. You have moved past the novice stage and are moving from being a beginner to become more proficient. You may be feeling a little unchallenged because you aren't learning anything "new". I also hear that you are concerned that you are getting too settled into a comfort zone and are interested in challenging yourself. I also hear that you want some ICU experience but that you're afraid that you've lost the knowledge you had and that you would be starting from square one. Yes, you will go through the novice to expert cycle again---you will do this many times in your career, every time you change your floor, every time you get into a new role.
I get the feeling that you're unsure about NP or PA school. As other posters have said, there is a huge difference. I get the feeling that if you go into either program before you have had a chance to work ICU, you may regret it. Yes, you can always work ICU as an NP or while you're in school, but since you aren't real sure yet of your goals, why push yourself into starting a program before you are ready? The experience would also make you a more well-rounded practitioner and it may open the door to something you have not previously considered, like becoming a CRNA.
Patricia Benner is the nursing theorist who came up with the theory of skills acquisition in nursing, and she has published a book about the novice-to-expert phenomenon. I strongly suggest you read it as you will see yourself in her words of wisdom.
And you know---if you are happy where you are, if you do feel sufficiently challenged and don't want to try anything else at this point, it's okay to stay where you are. You do have plenty of time to make a decision before going back to school and you also have your entire career ahead of you, so although you may be putting pressure on yourself, there really is no rush.
I think you are very wise as well as smart and you have the potential to do whatever you want. Please feel free to PM me if you would like to discuss this off the board.
Thank you. While there were other helpful posts, your post made me think someone truly understood my dilemna.
To the others that thought I was bragging, I truly was not. In fact, what I was trying to say is that I feel the opposite. Once I felt smart, now I feel like an idiot outside my comfort zone. However, I could have worded the post better and if I had taken more time to use the words I wanted maybe that would have came across.
To all, I do appreciate your advice. I seriously need to decide what to do, but realize that it doesn't have to be done tomorrow, next week, or even next month. I think that was a major issue, thinking that I needed to make decisions and right now. I hate to leave things undecided, but worse I hate to make the wrong decision.
Thanks again for the helpful comments. Even the unhelpful ones will remind me in the future to think about my words before I post again.
Specializes in L&D; GI; Fam Med; Home H; Case mgmt.
You know what I've learned in my 45 years on this planet? There are very few "wrong decisions" when you are pursuing your vocation. There are deviations in the path, but you will ALWAYS learn from everything you do. Don't worry about making a "wrong decision". Pursue opportunity when it presents itself, and if you realize sometime down the road that you've veered in a direction you may not want to go, go another direction! But I guarantee you will have learned some valuable information on that other path!
I really don't think that's very fair to the OP. While he/she probably didn't need to include the EXACT GPA I think it's fine if they want to give us a little insight into the type of person they are. To imply they might have cheated is really pretty rude, considering how much time and work goes into nursing school - even if you are a smart cookie.
He/she is just looking for some outside opinions, and has gotten a few good ones. There's no need to be insulting.
Just because someone has a good GPA means they can't evaluate options for the future, and be a little undecided/not know "what they want to be when they grow up" just yet? I'm in some serious trouble then...
Why the hostility? Maybe you didn't do so well?
I'm not being hostile at all... And i did very well in school, but i wouldn't come here and write about how smart i am and how i answered 75 questions under 30 minutes and so on ( so does that mean the people who couldn't answer 75 questions under 30mins are dumb?... don't you think that is rude and arrogant?)... And i'm not implying that the op cheated and didn't work hard for his/her grade, i just mean that a 4.0 gpa isn't really what it seems (and i know i'm not the only one that knows this)
Specializes in L&D; GI; Fam Med; Home H; Case mgmt.
For the record, I passed NCLEX with 75 questions in about 40 minutes and I still don't know how the frig I did it. It was and is a dang miracle. I felt like I didn't have half a clue the whole time I was sitting there!!
How on earth did you get a 3.9+ without basic ECG interpretation skill??????? What school did you attend? If you feel out of your element in these situations go back and learn these basic skills!
Specializes in L&D; GI; Fam Med; Home H; Case mgmt.
You know the saying "if you don't use it, you lose it" is very true. It's pretty easy to learn what a heart block looks like on a strip until you take the test. If you don't keep reinforcing your knowledge with first-hand experience, you will easily forget what's what. I did great on our rhythm strips test, but because I've not had to interpret strips in the past 2 years, if you showed me an abnormal strip, I would be very lucky if I could tell you what the issue was. And I have ACLS training. If you don't use it, you lose it!
How on earth did you get a 3.9+ without basic ECG interpretation skill??????? What school did you attend? If you feel out of your element in these situations go back and learn these basic skills!
especially if I did time in medsurg 
. I found myself very nervous when I would get a young RN preceptor, they just don't know what they don't know. One or two hadn't got a rhythm down yet, couldn't manage to get anything documented in a reasonable time, even. No basic job experience, see? You will want to learn from those who KNOW!
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Straydandelion
630 Posts
Suggestion: decide what your field of interest is and go for it. If you like and enjoy where you are working now, then stay and offer to float more to get the experience you desire in other areas, lots of nurses would probably enjoy someone on the floor actually wanting to float. If you feel it is time to move on related to pursuing another field of nursing, then carefully look around and try to transfer when a position is available not burning any bridges when you leave. Good luck!