Going to a telemetry floor to work???

Specialties CCU

Published

Specializes in OR, PACU, Corrections.

Hello,

I'm a RN with 15 years experience 12 being in the OR and the last 3 in Corrections. I'm looking into going to a telemetry floor to work. I would love to hear from some that have worked on that unit. What should I expect? New to hospital floor nursing. (My corrections experience was only with acute pts.)

Nervous about starting a new speciality.

Thanks all...................Lori

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Hello,

I'm a RN with 15 years experience 12 being in the OR and the last 3 in Corrections. I'm looking into going to a telemetry floor to work. I would love to hear from some that have worked on that unit. What should I expect? New to hospital floor nursing. (My corrections experience was only with acute pts.)

Nervous about starting a new speciality.

Thanks all...................Lori

telemetry can be a very demanding unit. you may find yourself constantly treating chest pain for which some docs like troponins and ekg's with every occurance. you may be battling good old Afib with RVR and trying to keep the heart rate in a safe range. you wil be monitoring post caths and EPS. Two things to do is DEFINETLY get comfortable in reading 12 lead ekg's, don't trust the machine's interpretation, and be comfortable with ACLS medications, as you will be using them. cardiology is an interest field, I'm sure you will love it, good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I've been working on a Medical/Telemetry unit for two years, and really enjoy it. Most of my experience was in Psych, so this was a big change. (I hadn't worked in a "real" hospital for 24 years)! You just have to be ready for a crisis at any moment - but that's true in any specialty field! Good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Been doing telemetry over 17 years. My first job out of nursing school. I love it. We get a little bit of everything. The majority of patients are coronary intervention patients, open hearts, MI, Chest pain, Atrial fib and other arrhythmmias, CHF, and stroke/TIA. But we get the fx hip with chronic heart condition, post partum, any other surgical patient with heart history. You will gain a great med-surg background.

There are frustrations too. When a doc admits a patient to your unit that really should be in a higher level of care. Not all telemetry are alike. Some are step down and some are med/surg with tele.

Lots of patient teaching to be done as well.

Good luck :)

Hello,

I'm a RN with 15 years experience 12 being in the OR and the last 3 in Corrections. I'm looking into going to a telemetry floor to work. I would love to hear from some that have worked on that unit. What should I expect? New to hospital floor nursing. (My corrections experience was only with acute pts.)

Nervous about starting a new speciality.

Thanks all...................Lori

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am a new graduate working on a tele floor. I find it very stressful. I have been on this floor for 6 months and I am learning something new everyday. Hopefully in a year or two I will feel like I know what the heck I am doing. I used to sit in the parking lot and call my husband on the cell just so he could talk me into going in the building.....:crying2: ...........now thankfully it isnt as bad. I am not sure this is the appropriate floor for a new grad as I am not sure the patients are getting the top notch critical thinking skills their nurse should have, but we do have a lot of Great nurses on the floor who thankfully, dont mind giving me some good advice, or jumping in to help me out.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I am a new graduate working on a tele floor. I find it very stressful. I have been on this floor for 6 months and I am learning something new everyday. Hopefully in a year or two I will feel like I know what the heck I am doing. I used to sit in the parking lot and call my husband on the cell just so he could talk me into going in the building.....:crying2: ...........now thankfully it isnt as bad. I am not sure this is the appropriate floor for a new grad as I am not sure the patients are getting the top notch critical thinking skills their nurse should have, but we do have a lot of Great nurses on the floor who thankfully, dont mind giving me some good advice, or jumping in to help me out.

You know , Sue, I was the same way. I started out in Coronary Care, did 10 months and didn't know how I hung in that long. You're right, it may not be the right place for a New Grad, but if you stick with it, and can handle the stress, you will gain a great deal.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
You know , Sue, I was the same way. I started out in Coronary Care, did 10 months and didn't know how I hung in that long. You're right, it may not be the right place for a New Grad, but if you stick with it, and can handle the stress, you will gain a great deal.

I cried everyday during my orientation. It is a very stressful place!! I was a new grad but with 10 years experience of respiratory therapy at the time. I've been there 4 years and am looking for a change. You get tired after a while, but you will learn so much.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I graduated May 2003 with my bsn and only had patient care assistant role in the hospital. I worked as a student on a telemetry unit and felt it was the place I wanted to work as an RN. It is now a little over a year and the new GNs are here. I love Telemetry it is a stressfull position but I feel it has been very rewarding to me. I have no plans on changing units anytime soon.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I have to say, I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm looking today online for any tips about telemetry because I am a New Grad, on my floor for 21/2 months and my Nurse Manager told me today that I'm not progressing as fast as I should. I was about to cry, I find the floor very difficult, it's such a fast turn over, and I'm barely keeping up with 3 patients. I'm so glad there are others that find it difficult, I've felt like a failure because the other new grads seem to be picking it up faster than I am. Thank you!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in PCU.

Our M/S tele units handle pre/post ops, fx's, ortho procedures, CP, afibbers, chronic CHF, COPD, ID...you name it they get it. about 50% of the people have telemetry and you have to keep a very close eye on the monitors and be aware of any changes. Very lucky when you have good tech's monitoring, also, but primarily your responsibility. Patients on M/S tele are considered stable. The more acute patients usually end up in our PCU, which is allowed to do drips and has a lower nurse to patient ratio (1:6-7 on M/S tele; 1:4-5 on PCU, depending on drips, acuity, staffing).

You are in charge of reviewing orders, calling doctors, ensuring appropriate I&Os, etc. It is very busy and a wonderful place to get the hands-on experience.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER, progressive care.

I am a new grad working in a progressive care unit and I love it! It can be stressful at times. The nurse to patient ratio is 1:4, but sometimes 1:5 or even 1:6 if we are really short staffed. We can have patients on drips (NTG, amiodorone, cardizem, dopamine among others) but our titration abilities are limited (for example, we cannot go higher than 15mg/hr for cardizem and no greater than 5mcg/kg/min on a dopamine drip; this varies by facility). We get a lot of chest pain/CHF-ers along with patients with dysrhythmias (a-fib/flutter), patients going for cardiac cath (and post-cath patients) - some need to have their sheaths pulled! We also get a lot of patients with respiratory problems - COPD, pneumonia, ARF, asthma exacerbation, etc....but really, we can get anything and everything on that unit! We get patients who overdosed, patients with DKA/HHNKS (usually those patients are sent to the ICU and then when more stable come to my floor), tamponade/PE, renal failure, even pediatric patients! You definitely learn a lot. We have monitor techs but watching the monitors is also our responsibility. Some are great at calling you with changes; others hardly watch the monitors. It helps to let them know to tell you what you are looking for. For example, I had a patient on a cardizem drip and had the BP recycle Q15min. I watch the monitors, but I cannot watch them all of the time (such as if I am in another patient's room or something). I told my MT to call me if they see the SBP has dropped below 100. Things like that...it helps.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am a potential hire for a cardiac hospital, for the med/surg telemetry unit. I am somewhat of a new grad and never had any experience with the telemetry unit. From what I am hearing, it seems to be a whole lot of stress. I hear the ratio on this particular hospital is 1:7 and can sometimes can go up to 8 or 9. I don't know how I feel about this considering I've heard the orientation for this hospital is fairly short, about 4 weeks on the floor. I don't know if anyone can give me some insight or advice about working on this kind of stressful unit.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment