Telemetry too stressful?

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in Oncology, Med-Surgical.

Okay....

You all know me by now from my previous posts....you know what I've been through at my other place of business. I am now looking for another position at a hospital and don't know if I'm doing the right thing or not. I also called a LTC facility and they want to interview me. I interviewed for an oncology position, interview for a telemetry floor tomorrow and am considering calling the nursing home back. I've heard different opinions from different people on the different units to work on. I'm a new grad and don't know if I'm up for the stress of telemetry. I think oncology or the nursing home would be less stressful....what do you think? Or should I just use it as a stepping stone to get my foot in the door?

Thanks all again!!!!!!:kiss :kiss :kiss

Specializes in Everything except surgery.

Amy each area...will bring with it ...it's own stressors. Oncology to me..IMHO can be distressing...but some people find it very rewarding. LTC...same thing. For me Telemetry is a much more desireable setting...but it all depends on what really interests you.

What I would do is...figure out what would really interest you. I 'think"if you're really into something....the stressors may not seems as apparent ....as it might if you were doing something you really like....and felt good about.

Next....I would find out ...who and where had a good internship program...say of the length of at least 3-6months. I would get detailed information as to how the internship would progress...and what would be required of you at each step along the way. I think that would be the best to proceed. Be open about your needs with whomever you interview with...and let them know that you may need a little more time to settle into things. I think this would save you from problems later to get this in the form of a contract...because management sometimes can forgot...or toss aside the promises made after they have you there.:)

Best of luck in whatever you chose to do...:cool:

for me tele is always stressful when I float.I am more comfortable on med/surg.

Is anyone offering you a non telemetry med/surg with a cardiac focus? Some big hospitals have them and I liked starting out that way. Moved to telemetry later on.

Hi- I answered one of your earlier posts. I worked tele after working oncology and found it much less stressful than oncology,so I'd encourage you to consider it. Interestingly, I realized after I started tele that my hospital prides itself on its cardiac services, and has been pushing this in its advertising. I believe that pts who come in for same-day or overnight stays for angioplasties and cardiac caths are big money-makers for the hospital. Maybe this is why tele had better staffing and more supplies where I worked. So, look at what specialties your local hospitals advertise, and go where the money is!

Other things I found easier with tele: Pts and families less needy/scared than on oncology. Always had a sprinking of younger (50's-60's) pts who weren't total care. Less diarrhea/vomiting/antbx/TPN/chest tubes/wounds/pain meds/etc. More shortterm pts ( on oncology we sometimes had pts in isolation for 6 weeks). And, because "monitored" beds were in short supply in my hospital, we seemed to get fewer of the really difficult general medicine pts ( such as drug-addicted, verbally abusive AIDS pts ) then we got on oncology.

I worked tele at a hospital where the monitors relayed to beepers we had to carry, no tech.

Talk about stress! Nothing like trying to start an IV and your beeper flashes, " V TACH RM324" ! Or you run to a room for "V FIB" and it's some guy scratching.

I later went to a hospital with a tech. Like a breath of fresh air!

Also, it's better if the hospital has a cardiac focus. The beeper hospital did CABGS, caths and tranplants. We hardly saw a medicine pt. The other hospital sent the Med- Surg overflow for B#ll Sh*t cardiac work ups to tele.

So, keep those things in mind and good luck!

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