Intensity of different floors

[fsaav]

I'm starting nursing school in a few weeks. The only hospital experience I have is working as a CNA in peds for a year when I was a teenager so I'm pretty much clueless as to how all the other floors are.

I've been reading a previous thread and it got me curious. I know the answer to this question will depend on the facility, area, and a ton of other things, but what would be some of the hardest and easiest areas for a new grad (or anyone, really) to go into in terms of the level of difficulty, being overwhelmed, etc.

Thanks so much!

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

Pick on your area of interest. This is far more likely to set you up for success as a new grad.

[RN1982]

As a new grad, no matter what floor you decide to work on, you are going to feel overwhelmed. No floor is easy compared to another. I am not going to tell you to pick a stepdown unit or ICU because it's the easiest when in fact it's not. You need to decide where you want to be when you graduate and find a CNA position on that unit so that you can observe the nurses and how they function on the unit.

[seenitallERnurse]

popular thought used to be work at least one year on a med-surg floor -- provides for a variety of educational experiences.

might consider a single-focus area though--you'd have fewer protocols, etc. to have to keep up on. you might learn less skills but you'd be solid in the skills you learn in that area.

also, consider shifts; all of them have positives and negatives.

nights = more patients per nurse probably; less ancillary help available; but, also, fewer procedures, interruptions. but don't think that all pt's sleep all night--it's very difficult for many adults to sleep well anywhere besides their own bed.

dayshift = probably better staffing ratio; more interruptions from other departments (scheduled tests, surgeries, meals, therapy). plus, head-to-toe assessments on everybody, pass meds am, mid-morning, noon, mid-day, suppertime.

and, as you said, it depends on hospital management and floor management.

follow something you find most fascinating during college--wherever your interest lies, you'll be willing to excel.

best of luck to you !

[icyounurse, BSN, RN]

Agree with the previous posts, there is no easy area for a new grad that I am aware of. Its all hard when you are a new nurse. I would look at what else you want out of your job and where you areas of interest lie.