Can I talk to you guys here without being bashed? I've been in Med-surg for almost 2 years now and at the year and a half mark, I took up travel nursing in the hopes that maybe the change of scenery and hospital would make me like the work more. But honestly, all it did was make me absolutely sure that I don't like it anymore. When I started, I felt like I was learning so much and I wasn't sitting around all day but now... I love travel nursing because I get a nice change of scenery but the med-surg aspect of it is exactly the same and I hate that. I'm trying to maintain my morale and not come off as "lazy" so I keep a smile on my face and keep moving but honestly, I'm physically exhausted and don't feel like I have it in me anymore. I'm kind of at my breaking point.
Med-Surg/Telemetry is all I know but I get so tired of running around like a chicken with my head cut off for things that just don't feel important. Going into a room every ten minutes for water, ice, a blanket, asking the patient if they want anything else and hearing them say no and then they call me 5 minutes later because they "thought of something" just makes me feel exhausted and annoyed. I know a lot of people are probably going to try and tell me why these things are important and to remember the reasons why I chose this profession but my body has taken a toll and I'm really disliking every moment of it. This isn't why I chose the profession.
I've been thinking of getting into Labor and Delivery where I'm not assigned to 4-6 patients a shift, but I don't even know if its going to make a difference or if I'll still be running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I really really don't like that feeling.
Try psych. I was hired as a new grad a year ago and for the most part the patients are self care and you only pass PO and IM meds plus insulin. Rarely anyone codes and there are not very many visitors.
Try psych. I was hired as a new grad a year ago and for the most part the patients are self care and you only pass PO and IM meds plus insulin. Rarely anyone codes and there are not very many visitors.
It's not as dangerous as it sounds.
I thought about psych. I need to work on building boundaries and being tougher as psych patients tend to try and manipulate me and play on my bleeding heart. lol
Psych sounds like an interesting specialty. I'm a new nurse with only a few months experience. While in school I had a veteran nurse try to get me into the psych world of nursing. I've started off on a busy med surg floor and honestly regret it. I know the experience can be invaluable but after only a few months on the floor I'm done. I'm chronically fatigued and on my days off can only get a few hours of sleep because my body is in a constant hyped up mode. Then right before my shift I'm exhausted and dread work. Lol its pretty bad. I don't care about the mighty $$$. I'd work for less and have my sanity, health and peace of mind. I'm grateful though that nursing offers opportunities in so many areas. My floor I work has become a disaster. Our acuity increased over the months...more codes, falls, admissions and discharges. We take max six and it's a Tele unit as well. I may have three or four pts on tele boooo. I hate to feel this way but it is what it is. When I get report and I'm told about how non compliant this pt is or etc.... I'm like great this is going to be a spectacular shift lol. I hate calling docs at night because most of the time they are pissy you called them. I avoid them at all cost. Its ever most fun doing admission historys on a pt that has been in the ER for 6-7hrs when its 4AM. Lol. I'll spare the year experience and get out before I end up on on prescription meds from the MD for my newly developing anxiety. I do give a thumbs up to those that have worked in med surg for several years. :) just my two cents. Best of luck!
Yuck, can't pay me enough to ever do psych ... 😜
I think knowing telemetry had saved me from taking on higher than normal med-surg ratios. I've even been lucky enough to get into stepdown units just due to my tele knowledge. Pure med-surg without tele absolutely bores me, and I'm only tolerating it just for the sake of traveling. But I know within the next year or two I'll be ready to change specialties and get back into staff nursing for a while.
Yuck, can't pay me enough to ever do psych ... ������
I think knowing telemetry had saved me from taking on higher than normal med-surg ratios. I've even been lucky enough to get into stepdown units just due to my tele knowledge. Pure med-surg without tele absolutely bores me, and I'm only tolerating it just for the sake of traveling. But I know within the next year or two I'll be ready to change specialties and get back into staff nursing for a while.
Likewise. I was able to transition to PCU during my travel and I love it. Less patients, more focused. I've learned that I enjoy having a specialty and having more focus than caring for a myriad of everything and anything under the sun and my body THANKS me. lol
Just my 2 year mark in med surg (without any vacation time in between) I ended up having to take a month off to recuperate because it was not...healthy. Mentally I was ready to quit, I was depressed, and I found myself looking for jobs outside of nursing because I thought every specialty was going to be like my experience on med-surg at a few hospitals. But going to PCU and opting to work nights has been like a breeze.
Medsurg is a great place to start because once you do that then everything just becomes so much more manageable (but I won't say "easy"). My time management skills are A++ because of all the running around I've done. But when i leave this specialty for good, I know I won't miss it. *smh*
Soliloquy.. what did you decide to do? I am a traveler as well. ( a little over a year now) I thought that if a became a traveler that I would like my job better but med surg is still med surg wherever you are!!! I am thinking of stopping traveling and applying for a LandD job back home... I'm a little sad that I have to stop traveling but I really want to find something that I love... I can't decide between ER, L&D, or NICU. .. leaning towards L&D
Soliloquy.. what did you decide to do? I am a traveler as well. ( a little over a year now) I thought that if a became a traveler that I would like my job better but med surg is still med surg wherever you are!!! I am thinking of stopping traveling and applying for a LandD job back home... I'm a little sad that I have to stop traveling but I really want to find something that I love... I can't decide between ER, L&D, or NICU. .. leaning towards L&D
I'm still traveling but in PCU/Telemetry units instead. I'm going to be applying for L&D soon
I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm finally making a transition to NICU!!!! I'm going to be working with babies I'm so happy. While traveling, I worked in surgical oncology all the way to neuro telemetry and while I loved travelling, I was not happy with my specialties. I'm so happy to be transitioning now. I'll let you guys know how it goes. :)
I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm finally making a transition to NICU!!!! I'm going to be working with babies I'm so happy. While traveling, I worked in surgical oncology all the way to neuro telemetry and while I loved travelling, I was not happy with my specialties. I'm so happy to be transitioning now. I'll let you guys know how it goes. :)
So awesome to hear! Glad to hear you're finding your niche. I'm transitioning to ER this fall. Like you, I love travel nursing but can't continue in tele anymore.
So awesome to hear! Glad to hear you're finding your niche. I'm transitioning to ER this fall. Like you, I love travel nursing but can't continue in tele anymore.
Congratulations! :) that's so awesome to hear, paco. :)
MidLifeRN2012
316 Posts
Try psych. I was hired as a new grad a year ago and for the most part the patients are self care and you only pass PO and IM meds plus insulin. Rarely anyone codes and there are not very many visitors.
It's not as dangerous as it sounds.