I'm asking for advice. I have been a nurse for nearly 3 years. I started out on a crazy med-surg floor at a 400+ bed community hospital, but had to move across the state after only 6 months. I learned so much there and felt comfortable in my environment. There were always opportunities to learn and grow and I floated to other depts and always felt welcome. I felt like I was valued.
Then. . .when I moved. . .I got a job on a tele floor and it was hell. Terrible orientation, rude co-workers, disorganized. . .just awful. I developed severe anxiety and started to doubt myself and my abilities. After a few months, I was so stressed and unhappy that I resigned, but HR called and offered me a job on their acute rehab floor. I accepted (I needed a job!) and have been there for 2 years.
I love my coworkers. I work with an amazing group of people. The job is relatively easy and I never dread going to work. Occasionally, we get an interesting case or complex medical history, but the majority of pts are strokes, TBIs, or traumas. Our charge nurse does most of the communication with doctors, so we just give meds, do treatments, and chart. I often have time to chat with my patients and educate them. Sometimes my job is fulfilling. . .most of the time it is just downright boring.
I feel like I have lost skills (I can't read tele strips for the life of me, my IV starting skills suck, I never talk to MDs or take phone orders) and I literally have forgotten a lot from nursing school.
So. . .what do I do? Do I leave my happy little world where I am unfulfilled? My confidence in myself as an acute nurse is low - I would volunteer to float except I am terrified of finding myself on an acute floor with no idea of how to function. how do I build up my confidence? the main hospital uses different software and charting than we do and most floors are known for being just awful/not friendly to floaters.
I work in sub-acute rehab and it can be pretty busy sometimes. I hear what you mean about feeling like you are losing some of your skills. My long term goals don't include working on an inpatient unit so I don't really care that much. We don't insert many IVs so I voluteer to do them for other nurses so I can practice. I can see what you mean about feeling bored. I am really busy at work so it isn't that I don't have enough to do. I just feel like I am losing my critical thinking skills. I hope you enjoy floating!
prinsessa
615 Posts
I work in sub-acute rehab and it can be pretty busy sometimes. I hear what you mean about feeling like you are losing some of your skills. My long term goals don't include working on an inpatient unit so I don't really care that much. We don't insert many IVs so I voluteer to do them for other nurses so I can practice. I can see what you mean about feeling bored. I am really busy at work so it isn't that I don't have enough to do. I just feel like I am losing my critical thinking skills. I hope you enjoy floating!