Anyone start out med/surg?

Double-Helix, BSN, RN · Dec 5, 2011

Not me, but a friend of mine working in Med/Surg for 6 years after becoming a nurse. When she decided she needed a change, she had no problem transferring into the NICU at her hospital.

L&D won't expect you to know everything about labor situations if you only have med/surg experience. Just be prepared to do a lot of learning on your own time, because you might not be given as long an orientation as a new grad. Good luck!!

sameasalways, ASN, RN · Dec 5, 2011

Thanks! I am hoping it is normal to feel almost like a new grad with the thought of working in a specialty area.

Munch · Dec 5, 2011

If you transfer to mother/baby they aren't just going to throw you out in uncharted waters. They will probably pair you up with someone you can shadow. That's what happened to me. I worked med-surg at one hospital for a couple of years in the suburbs of Manhattan but then I quit after a little over two years an applied to work in the neurology/neurosurgery dept of a hospital in Manhattan. I told them I had no neurology/neurosurgery experience(except for the basics and what I learned when I had my OWN brain surgery). So they paired me up with a nurse who was an amazing teacher/trainer and I learned a lot and I have been on my own for a few years now.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Dec 5, 2011

Thanks! I am hoping it is normal to feel almost like a new grad with the thought of working in a specialty area.

It's a whole new ball game when you specialize in such a specific area......and it is normal to feel like a new grad all over again. GO FOR IT!!! and follow your dream! :yeah: .

I didn't know how to read a monitor when I went to ICU....

cdavis · Dec 5, 2011

I have been trying to get a job in L and D.... noone will hire me because I don't have ob experience...I'm very discouraged, hopefully you will have better luck. I have experience in pacu, icu, and endo and I've been an rn for 6 years but it still isn't good enough :crying2:

AJPV · Dec 5, 2011

If you want a cliff-notes, bare-bones summary of OB nursing, this is great:

http://www.amazon.com/MATERNAL-NEWBORN-NURSING-CONTENT-MASTERY/dp/1933107804/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1323115108&sr=8-7

We used ATI throughout our nursing program. You can get through the book in a weekend and it will really refresh your memory.

fltnrse2, ASN, RN · Dec 5, 2011

I can share with you what a wise older nurse told me many years ago, and personally it was some of the best advice I have been given. "Start on a med/surg unit, get your feet wet, 6mos-1year, then you can go anywhere."

Specializing too early I think can be great if that is all your ever going to do, however I can also see it as a trap that may be difficult to get out of. In the end it's up to you, and this is just my experience. Good Luck! FLTNRSE2

windsurfer8, BSN, RN · Dec 6, 2011

I did two years med/surg before switching to psych permanently. I think having that med /surg experience helped me greatly. First I feel like a "real" nurse. I feel more confident by just having a broader set of skills. I also have found it of assistance when a patient begins having medical problems. I am calm and have the skills necessary to begin basic treatment and get patient where they need to go. I wish everyone would get a year or two of med/surg before venturing off. I work with nurses who went straight into psych and I am telling you...they would literally be like a brand new nurse if they had to do anything "medical". So instead of fear...feel confident! You will learn, but you already have great skills!

AJPV · Dec 6, 2011

Anyone do telemetry as a new grad? Is it a more difficult first nursing experience, or about the same as med-surg?

strn96 · Dec 6, 2011

I worked Med/surg for about 1 1/2 years before transferring to OB (where I've been working for almost 8 yrs). OB is sometimes a tough field to break into, because directors typically give preference to applicants who have OB experience. Usually it is easier to get hired to an antepartum or mom/baby unit then L&D, so if you're ultimately wanting to work L&D you may need to apply for a position in a mom/baby or antepartum unit & then bridge to L&D.

It will feel a little like you're starting over when you start a new specialty. I remember that my first few weeks I felt like I was "all thumbs" (partially because I was working at a new hospital with very different equipment). But typically you will regain confidence more quickly because you have experienced "settling in" before. And there are a few skill that do transfer.

I agree that med/surg is a great starter experience. I will occasionally run into situations in OB (like giving heparin or blood, etc) where the nurses that have only worked OB are very uncomfortable, but I know what to do because of my old med/surg experience.

delvenia · Dec 10, 2011

i did home health my first 6 mo out of nursing school (hated it), i then did med/surg with telemetry for the last 18 months. just transferred to L&D on 11/7/11 and I feel like a complete idiot nurse with no experience most of my days. Everything is so different and some of the nurses are just plain evil!!! In our L&D we do our own triage, and we also rotate to operating room and post-op for our c-section patients. have have our own 2 operating rooms and post op rooms on our locked unit. it is very overwhelming and i am starting to wonder if i made the right choice. This is what i wanted to do since i was a child, but boy is it hard and the other nurses with their sarcasm and pure evilness sure doesnt help. :crying2: