How to get off the floor

[OCRN3]

So I wanted to start off by saying that even though floor nursing is hard, I believe that it is the basic foundation in having a great nursing skill set. That being said, I have been reading a lot of posts about getting off the floor. I was on the floor for many years before I left a full time floor job. I still do it because it makes me feel good as a nurse but I know that it is hard and physically demanding.

I think that for me, moving up the ladder was something that involved a lot of time and proving myself. Hospitals don't just hand out manager or education jobs. I believe you need to earn it. The way I became a charge nurse at some point was by being proactive in requesting to be relief charge, after proving myself I asked to get promoted to full time charge. Then I continued with my education to my BSN then my MSN, then I decided to became a teacher, I applied to many schools until I got a couple interview and one offer. I was low balled but I took it for the experience. I also completed a NP program and then got offered a part time job as a NP. Putting all these things on my resume made me look good to employers.

So if you really want to get off the floor, I think you need to gain experience where ever you are, add some initials after your name, and move around, volunteer, and ask for the opportunity to prove your self. I got involved in helping staff development and helped out with core measure when I was a floor nurse just to put that on my resume and I believed it really helped me out. Now not everyone wants to leave the floor, but if you really hate it, I think that you can but it will take some time and sacrifice on the floor.

I have found new nurses who did skip the floor completely, but it lacked on their resume and a lot of jobs want to see "Acute Care Experience". Thoughts?

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

First off LOL--it is early, I am lacking some coffee and thought you meant literally.....

Acute care experience helps in a number of ways, I believe. I also advocate for anyone making an appointment to speak to the manager of one's "dream" job and find out specifically what you need to know to work in one's "dream" unit. Then your acute care can be focused when applicable, on learning what you need to.

Generally, I find that the most dynamic managers are those who are multiple year acute care nurses. They seem to have a keen sense on what works for a unit and for the nurses. Not because they learned in in their leadership courses, but because they have been there, done that, and bought the commemerative mug.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

OCRN3 - YOU'RE DYNAMITE!!!!

I just hope that new nurses are emulating your career path. We need qualified and competent leaders who really understand the work of nursing.

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

I have had a similar career and I can always and I mean always tell those who have good, strong and sound groundwork in nursing to those who bypass some of the stages

[JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP]

Sorry, but that is just not the direction where nursing is heading. There simply are not enough floor nursing jobs to go around. See that long line of new grad nurses desperately looking for acute care work? They're not all going to wait patiently forever. Some will drop out of nursing altogether, but some will find alternate career pathways within nursing and find a way to make it work. There is homecare nursing, skilled nursing facility, managed care, school nursing -- and you can go back to school for direct entry NP, too.

For one I'm tired of hearing how we'll forever be second rate nurses for not having acute care experience first (and not for lack of trying, mind you).

[PMFB-RN, RN]

Sorry, but that is just not the direction where nursing is heading. There simply are not enough floor nursing jobs to go around.

*** I would say that it's far more a case of to many nurses rather than a case of not enough nursing jobs. We are reaping the predicted and expected results of all those nursing programs doubling in size and all those shake N' bake one and two year programs that sprang up. Many with tax payer (nurses)assistance.

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

In nursing there has always been a supply and demand problem, sometimes there are too many nurses and sometimes there are too few.

I didnt say because you can't get experience in an acute care setting that you are second rate nurses, to me acute care is not as important as actually having nursed patients, in what ever setting that maybe. In a nursing home, the poor nurses are extremely overworked, in my opinion although they do get baptism by fire, they also obtain really good skills,-too many people think that they dismiss these skills as unimportant.

I have always told the students that I precept talk to the patient they will tell you more about themselves, their disease than any text book-

Honestly, I am old school, back in the day working with patients on a basic level, doing total patient care allowed you to understand so much better the patient, their disease process, medications, 10 things you could find out about a patient when you perform a bed bath, communication skills with the patient and other members of MDT.

I always tell any student I precept-talk to the patient, they often love to talk about themselves, they will tell you more about THEIR disease process than a text book will ever.

These are the skills that are invaluable being able to look after a post op patient in an acute care setting is not preparing you for a career in nursing, it helps but there are hundreds of more valuable skills.

Ok enough of my rant lol

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

First off LOL--it is early, I am lacking some coffee and thought you meant literally.....

Acute care experience helps in a number of ways, I believe. I also advocate for anyone making an appointment to speak to the manager of one's "dream" job and find out specifically what you need to know to work in one's "dream" unit. Then your acute care can be focused when applicable, on learning what you need to.

Generally, I find that the most dynamic managers are those who are multiple year acute care nurses. They seem to have a keen sense on what works for a unit and for the nurses. Not because they learned in in their leadership courses, but because they have been there, done that, and bought the commemerative mug.

I also took it literally for a second.

My answer was going to be, never get down on the floor in the first place!

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

ps excuse any bad spelling, grammar I am traveling for work and my glasses are in my car

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

I digress but....

I had a patient complain to me about one of the nurses on his unit. He was hollering "She said she doesn't want me on her floor!! She doesn't like me!!! Fire her!!!"

What the nurse had actually said was "I don't want you on THE floor." The man was a frequent faller and we had all warned him about walking un-assisted.