From PP to Medo Surg?

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Hello all,

Has anyone switched from PP to med surg successfully? I love working in OB but I hate my facility. Poor staffing, night shift, new grads in charge, poor management, etc. are making me want to leave nursing for good. Ive been here for 7 months...still new in my career. I'd leave to work M/S if it meant working for a hospital with better staffing, better support, and increased learning opportunities. Plus, I could transfer to OB later on if it works out. I have a long career ahead of me and I don't want to give up on nursing yet

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

Two of my colleagues (SICU) are former L&D RNs. An RN I used to work with did the opposite -- was med-surg and is now L&D.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

I would NOT make the switch from PP to med/surg. You think your floor is bad now? Many med/surg nurses end up with seven patients, very few ancillary staff while expecting to do very physically demanding work. Med/surg has a very high turnover for a reason. Plus, with only PP experience, you will most likely feel as though you are severely behind the 8-ball and likely burnout.

On my (former) med/surg floor, we had the same problems; EXTREMELY poor staffing, new grads in charge (I was forced in charge one night without ANY training) and a very incompetent manager.

If you are wanting to leave your current unit, I would look for other PP units at other facilities before trying to do med/surg. Seriously. If you think you are having a rough time in PP, you will run screaming from your typical med/surg unit.

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I hear you except I've considered all of that. A friend of mine works for a hospital that really takes care of their new grads. She's med surg and the stores I tell her are unbelievable to her. Her manager is 100% supportive, she has a schedule that is well managed MONTHS ahead of time (I'm lucky if I get a week now) and she only works every 3rd weekend. I wouldn't leave for just any hospital. Not to mention, staying in PP will continue to limit my skill set, making it harder for me to move on to another specialty in the future. My ultimate goal is to get into school full time but in the meantime, I have to survive or face leaving nursing all together

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Specializes in Medsurg.

I am a float nurse. I cover PP along with many other units. I am not trying to be pompous or rude, but I would encourage you to think hard about this decision. Medsurg is very high stress. Even with decent staffing and management, acuity is high and you are working with 5-7 sick patients. I think of my PP patients as healthy, just healing. It is minimal skills utilized and low key. If you are willing to make a jump into very busy atmosphere with constant ups and downs and stress, then that's awesome. It is great experience and I personally love medsurg. Just be sure to find a hospital and unit that will give you ample orientation so you will not be thrown into the mess before feeling prepared. Good luck!

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