Cath Lab

[owen1234]

I've been a nurse for 2.5 years now. Some in the operating room with the open heart team and a year in the Cardiac Cath Lab. The transition from the operating room to the Cath Lab was such a hard feat but I got through and learned a lot. I'm off orientation and I'm taking call independtly. I can't emphisize how proud I am for surviving this transformation. I never knew what I was walking into and how prestigious just being a Cath Lab nurse it with all the autonomy and working with the critical care situations. Anyways, I'm taking call 15 days a month and I feel like I'm living to work instead of working to live. I'm actually on call as I write this haha. I wanna finish another year of Cath Lab before I leave for I have my two years experience as a back up. I can always travel after my two years. However, do you think two years is enough to travel? Is There A better Cath Lab without that much call and not getting called in?

I also dont know what kind of nursing I want to do after Cath Lab. I am so done with call from the operating room and Cath Lab. I'm ready for a job for when I go home, I don't have to worry about work. I can't imagine myself being a floor nurse with call lights and doing busy work. I'm also already going back for my masters in nursing for informatics. I thought it would be a great idea to at least get my masters (a personal goal of mine) to get a foot in a career where my future older almost ready to retire self won't have to lift patients, do Chest compressions, and take a lot of call. I'm not sure if I'll enjoy informatics but I still wanna be involved with some patient care to keep my skills up. I'm just a young nurse in a funk and don't know how I should feel or what to do. What kind of nursing is my niche? Am I wasting my time and money with my masters? Should I stick with Cath Lab and travel? Go back to the operating room where no nursing skills is needed? Should I try ED or ICU where I might wanna shoot myself from dealing with all the bull a patient has to offer?

[clarkheart]

I was a circulating RN in a CVOR for over two years and pulling up to 25 days a month on call. Then I went to the Cath Lab and pulled about 12 days a month and I thought I was in heaven! I now work in Quality/Risk Management for the last three years but I still get emails, texts, and calls from travel agencies looking for CVOR or Cath Lab assignments. I say go ahead and make yourself available for the travel Cath Lab assignments. Try a 6 week assignment and see if you like it.