Does every new nurse need to start on med surg?

jmgrn65, RN · Feb 15, 2008

Med-surg can be very difficult. The adjustment period for new nurses is very difficult for some. Med-surg may not be for you. It may be time to look for somethiing else, and your right not all nurses are cut out or even want to be bedside nurses, there are so many option. You didn't say how long you have been there. Good Luck

jc449 · Feb 15, 2008

I have been there 3 months-probably only 2 if you discount orientation. I work on a pediatric/adult floor. One hall is only for peds. So very often I have 7 patients (3 peds, 4 adults). Peds make me even more nervous! Anyway, I find myself looking over the job opportunities within the hospital everyday. My nurse manager said she would support my transfer if I was not happy and she said it happens a lot. I precepted in surgery and really loved it. I took a med surg position so I would have that basis of knowledge- but it is a really long hard road!

jmgrn65, RN · Feb 15, 2008

Well you are probably getting experience, I never have taken care of peds. I can't imagine taking care of peds and adults at the same time. Just keep looking for something you might like, and just try to remember you are getting good experience at the same time. Again Good Luck

RNperdiem, RN · Feb 15, 2008

In the future, outpatient procedural type of nursing might be for you. There is a catch. You need strong skills in inserting IV's, conscious sedation, and cardiac monitoring. The same skills you are developing now.

I'm looking at procedural nursing in the future myself. The nurses there seem satisfied with their work.

TX_ICU_RN · Feb 22, 2008

I have a very strong opinion on this....NO!!!! I graduated from nursing school in 97 and started on a peds med/surg floor. If I had not immediately started grad school and changed RN jobs after the one year mark, I would not still be a nurse. I have the highest respect for med/surg nurses because I know how hard they work and I frankly am not someone who can work on a med/surg floor.

I have not worked in 4 years and am starting over (I feel like a new nurse). I was a PNP and am going to work in an adult ICU.

YoungRN06 · Feb 23, 2008

definitely not...you do not have to start off on a med-surg floor. i currently work on med-surg now and i am already burned out. i still don't know what i want to yet, i'm looking into outpatient work but i heard there is a big paycut. is this true?

TX_ICU_RN · Feb 23, 2008

There can be...it depends on what you do. I know quite a few people who moved from med-surg to an outpatient surgery center doing pre-op nursing. The pay is fairly equivalent in that situation.

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Feb 23, 2008

Med/surg is really good experience for new nurses, but you seem to have a more difficult assignment than most. Especially as you are looking after Adults and Peds which I find ludicrious, as they are seperate specialities.

I can understand how overwelmed you feel and how frightened. I think you are doing the right thing in looking for a less stressful job. However I do think when you look back you will realise what a great learning experience you have had.

By the way the first year of nursing is difficult for all nurses and passes in a kind of haze. Eventually you look back and will pat yourself on the back at how well you are doing.

jc449 · Feb 24, 2008

Thanks to all that replied with their thoughts. An update for me... I talked to my nurse manager and told her how I was feeling. She said she would give me the "ok" to transfer before my 6 months. I am considering a job as a circulating scrub nurse, but I haven't made up my mind yet.

Last night-- 8 patients for me. 8 for the other nurse that was working and we had to call in a float to take the other 7. We had 2 nurses and one tech call off--(hmmm burnout??) One of the nurses who called off was "charge nurse". Ok, so that left just myself and another rather newer nurse. Just an example of the kind of patient load...One child's O2 level kept dropping in the high 80's (85-93), one guy who was receiving constant bladder irrigation, one post-op (complete bowel resection (3 hrs post-op) patient with a PCA. Somehow I feel that I am going to have to protect my new license and really consider to transfer. One of our rather scarier surgeons :bowingpur came up in the am to check on his post op patient. He saw the mess we were dealing with and called and demanded our scheduler more help. He commended us for the good job we had done. Somehow I feel my manager should have been there to help. I mean...this is just not safe practice!!!!

SoundofMusic · Feb 25, 2008

I will be one that strongly says YES. In my own experience after having spent 3 very, very stressful months in an ICU after graduation and then backpeddling to a med surg type floor, I am SO much more comfortable on the floor than in the ICU. I cannot say enough about this.

As a new grad, you have SO much to learn -- all the basics, over and over, and you need to be FAST at them in the ICU -- AND you have a million critical care skill sets to learn at the same time. Just re-read this last sentence. There is a TON to learn in the ICU, not to mention the critical thinking aspect.

Some young, very energetic and smart new grads may be fast, fast learners, but I am a methodical learner. It just takes me a while and in my case, there was not a lot of patience on the part of the ICU nurses I worked with for my slower than lightening speed rate.

Now that I have moved, I have quickly worked my way up to taking a full load on the floor and can slowly learn my skills under much less pressure. There is just not the pressure to be the hot shot smarty pants ICU nurse .. you can be, well, a bit slower and no one is going to think any less of you.

Also, you can make a minor mistake and no one is going to die or have their pressure drop, and you're a lot less likely to be sued or reprimanded.

For me with kids at home, it's what I needed. If I was able to go home and just rest and study, I probably could have handled it, but it was not to be.

However, in a year or two, I'll go back w/ strong organizational skills and a good knowledge base. I felt the ICU nurses just respected the med/surg transfers a lot more as well.

Get your nursing thing down first -- there is PLENTY of time to transfer and they are always thrilled to take you with a few years of med surg under your belt.

My own personal plan is to do my committment to my med surg floor, transfer to either tele or an IMCU for a while, then hit the ICU when I'm really feeling confident and ready. I also want to do it once I'm feeling rested and supported at home and the kids are a bit older and I have the time to go home and hit the books.

Then again, I may never return. I am truly enjoying the patient interaction I have on the floor. It's just been actually FUN for me at times, vs. the ICU where everyone is so critically ill, (not to mention the staff that is so critically uptight. )

Anyway, that's my rant on starting out in med surg vs. ICU. :nurse:

p.s. -- I was also treated like dirt by a few the nurses in the ICU. I will be entirely honest. I have so far not had that experience on the floor I am on. There is just a much more humble feeling and I'm actually getting to see real nursing vs. nurses who seem to almost hate their patients at times, preferring not to interact, etc. The things I saw and heard -- well, probably no one would even believe me if I told them.

Super Nurse JoshuA · Feb 25, 2008

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I believe you! After two months in the ICU, I'm telling them I'm transfering back to the floor tomorrow! I was kind of shocked. I mean yea, sometimes we grype about a patient, or just general gryping....but man I was shocked in the unit the extent to it.