From SICU to BICU and I'm so bored!

[J&B-RN, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

Because of many reasons I moved to an entirely new city and took up a new job.

I have over 4 years of surgical trauma ICU experience in a large level 1 facility that was a very fast paced ICU with really sick busy patients. We did everything from trauma to open hearts to transplants to burns to PICU. (It was a really unique unit that I absolutely loved!!) but I had to make a move to a new city.

I applied to many jobs, but chose another level 1 trauma center (because I thought it would be the most exciting busiest ICU) and ended up in the adult Burn ICU and pediatric trauma ICU. I have very little burn experience (even tho my last job did burns they were not very common).

Well I chose wrong. I am so incredibly bored!! I thought it being the only level 1 in the area I'd get to see a lot of interesting pediatric traumas and a lot of really interesting burns. But that just isn't the case. (Occasionally the peds traumas are very intense and interesting but also really sad so I don't get to excited about those and they aren't that common which is a good thing!)

the majority of my patients are burns and they are boring. I want to go back to my open bellys on 14 drips and crrt and balloon pump and cracking open chests at the bedside. I've only been at the new job 6 months and I feel like I have completely lost all my critical care skills. Most burns are walking and talking and just need pain meds. I feel like I am wasting away in here!

Its just frustrating but I don't want to quit when I've only been here 6 months. My coworkers are great, the pay is good, and the unit is well ran so it does have that going for it.

Im also in school full time for a dual FNP/AGACNP, which I don't graduate for 2 more years, but I'm not sure it's worth it to switch jobs... especially since at some point I will need to cut back my hours. And even if I switched jobs I have no idea which other hospital or ICU would be more like what I'm looking for...

Basically I just wanted to whine because I'm bored and I don't like burns and I miss how intense my old unit was and I'm just disappointed. I love bedside nursing and ICU nursing and I really wanted to love my new job (since it was going to be my last before I transition into an NP role) and I just don't.

Not really sure where to go from here...

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

I take it you haven't cared for an 80% TBSA? I have floated to our burn unit, and I typically get their sicker pts because I'm floating from an ICU. One thing that I have not been is bored.

[J&B-RN, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

I have taken care of an 80% burn. Do you work days or nights? That makes a big difference. I work nights and we don't do burn care at night. So it's just turn and base and pain meds. They become chronic sick stable pts pretty quickly. Although I enjoy having awake patients and really getting to know them more, it's just not very challenging.