i hate med-surg

[uscstu4lfe]

i've been in med-surg now for several months (started as a new grad). i liked it at first, and then started to dislike it, started to like it again, now i'm hating it. it's getting to the point where i dread having to go into work. the majority of work is just endless paperwork. at the end of the day i'm exhausted, my back hurts, and i really want to quit and just not come back again. having to remember everything for each of my 5 patients is tedious (who's going for what test, doctors assigned, new/changed orders, meds to be given, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc). I'm thinking of switching to ICU. Even though they're much sicker, at least you can only be maxed out at 2 patients and there's always a doctor within reach. Anyway, I just needed to vent!

[LvHaloRN]

I don't blame you. Med/Surg can be a pain! But the beauty with nursing is that you can always go somewhere else. I think ICU would be fun. I'm precepting there next semester so hopefully I can get hired at that hospital when I'm done. Good luck with transferring!

[litbitblack, ASN, RN]

Why is it nurses accept more than 5-6 pts. I don't get this. I refused to accept them. On days max was 6. I have had to do tpc with 6 pts and it sucks. My license is to important. Sorry management needs to come up with more staff or take pts themselves. Its time nurses stood up for themselves and NO I am NOT taking another one. MAnagement has told us nurses to Just deal with it. Now I say it.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Why is it nurses accept more than 5-6 pts. I don't get this. I refused to accept them. On days max was 6. I have had to do tpc with 6 pts and it sucks. My license is to important. Sorry management needs to come up with more staff or take pts themselves. Its time nurses stood up for themselves and NO I am NOT taking another one. MAnagement has told us nurses to Just deal with it. Now I say it.

The shift is relevant; more than six on days is ridiculous (and I know it happens); on nights six is a very good ratio. Why do we take on more than we'd like sometimes? Because there isn't anyone else there TO take them. When I think another nurse can be found, you can believe I'm gonna throw a fit until I get him or her. And get them I do. But sometimes, having a hissy fit leaves you with only the choice to quit that night (and you still have the patients to take care of unless you're planning to abandon them) or stay and live to fight another day.

I used to think as you do. And then there came a time when there was not another human with a license to pick up the patients I would be refusing. Or, it would leave the one or two remaining nurses with 20 patients or more apiece, hardly a reasonable option. And at that moment, I decided to stay. Maybe you'd have decided to walk out of the building. I don't know. But one thing I do know is that telling mgmt to "come up with more staff" is a constant theme song, and not one that they are likely to start singing themselves anytime soon. Probably the main reason nurses are leaving the bedside faster than they can be replaced! Telling other nurses they need to stand up and just refuse those extra patients isn't always a realistic thing to do.

[Virgo_RN, BSN, RN]

I have a great deal of respect for med-surg nurses, many of whom possess a wealth of knowledge and experience.

However.

I would be bored to tears on med-surg. I love, love, LOVE cardiac. It's not for everyone, and I know there are those who would be bored to tears with it.

Point is, maybe med-surg isn't your bag. Is there any way you can job shadow before committing to another unit?

[Tash4nvyblues, RN]

I'm thinking of switching to ICU. Even though they're much sicker, at least you can only be maxed out at 2 patients and there's always a doctor within reach. Anyway, I just needed to vent!

You have the right idea, there is much more time to spend with each patient, and it is an extremely rewarding job, but for the one or two patients that you are assigned, there is a great deal to think about and do for them. They are on numerous infusions, NG feeds, ventilation, filtering, arterial lines, central lines, the extreme psychosocial care of the family..... I could go on and on. And the base of knowledge required by an ICU nurse is greater then in the general ward because you will have to make more decisions without a doctor present. It can be an extremely demanding job, but like I said, well worth it. Look into it first before you swap. Good luck!

[litbitblack, ASN, RN]

[

I used to think as you do. And then there came a time when there was not another human with a license to pick up the patients I would be refusing. Or, it would leave the one or two remaining nurses with 20 patients or more apiece, hardly a reasonable option. And at that moment, I decided to stay. Maybe you'd have decided to walk out of the building. I don't know. But one thing I do know is that telling mgmt to "come up with more staff" is a constant theme song, and not one that they are likely to start singing themselves anytime soon. Probably the main reason nurses are leaving the bedside faster than they can be replaced! Telling other nurses they need to stand up and just refuse those extra patients isn't always a realistic thing to do.

I haven't ever walked out but I sure as hell have been tempted to. I no longer work med-surg but I saw numerous nurses tell the charge, management, adm. they refused to take more pts and low and behold they got away with it. Thats when its time to say bye bye. Try another dept an d if you can't get in one, then find another facility. I liked med surg for a while till they start crapping on you. day after day after day. and yeah standing up and saying no works most of the time. Managers just don't want to work the floor. ANd yes sometimes I see thier point that they are salary and don't get extra for working the floor, but you know what, take care of your nurses and the few times they have to take on extra pts because their is absolutely no one else will be known as the exception and not the rule.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Yeah, it's a tough spot to be in, staffing stinks much of the time. Like I said, I have spent puh-lenty of time saying "I won't do it" and yep, another nurse was found to ease the load. But sometimes, it just seems that it doesn't work, no matter WHO is asking (and believe me, if *I* can't get that nurse sent to us, he or she just isn't there to be sent).

Supervisors do not take floor assignments, I think, unless they would be the absolutely ONLY nurse on a given unit! While there is still one more person to take the load, they are surely not about to. And honestly, they couldn't run the hospital if they had to take a patient load on Unit X. Not that I wouldn't mind seeing them TRY! And unit managers can't be found to even ask: if it's a day shift, the managers are tied up in meetings, staffing office problems, you name it. If it's evening or night, well, they're long gone.

So, while I DO really enjoy my unit (I love post-surgical stuff!!) I can see the writing on the wall, too. It's not tough to see why the turnover is what it is: if staffing were better, there'd honestly be more of us hanging in there for more years. As it is, by the time we get up and running and feeling like we have enough experience to know what we're doing (and feel like we're doing it well), we're also in for long enough to know that we can't keep it up for much longer.

Staffing, plain and simple. I think most of our newer nurses would NOT be saying "I hate med-surg" if they felt like they weren't drowning in a too-heavy assignment most days!

[litbitblack, ASN, RN]

As it is, by the time we get up and running and feeling like we have enough experience to know what we're doing (and feel like we're doing it well), we're also in for long enough to know that we can't keep it up for much longer.

Staffing, plain and simple. I think most of our newer nurses would NOT be saying "I hate med-surg" if they felt like they weren't drowning in a too-heavy assignment most days!

Totally agree. I have been doing it for 10 years and I think I hit burn out. As it is, you don't get to spend enough time with your pts to feel like you did any real good. I am out of the hospital now, Should have been out sooner but I didn't make the decision sooner and it was made for me. I want to stay in nursing but really don't know any thing but hospital nursing.

[RockyCreek]

I went in the other direction: After 20+ years in CVICU, I decided to follow my dream of being a Nurse Educator. I went to a Med-Surg floor to see if I could still care for all those other types of patients besides the fresh post-op hearts and I am happy to say I can! I wasn't easy and there were days when I wanted to throw up my hands and quit -- but I didn't and I am glad I stuck it out.

For me, nursing is just one of those professions where you have to follow your 'calling' and do what feels right for you. I love heart paitents and they make sense to me so CVICU was the right fit for a long time. Now, I want to teach and doing Med-Surg for the wide variety of skills I can practice makes sense to me. If I didn't have an internal motivator, I couldn't do anything in nursing -- don't like the pay, don't like the uniforms, don't like the hours -- but I LOVE being a nurse! Does that make sense?

[sironside]

Med Surg definitely sucks. I graduated in '09 with a scholarship. Now I'm stuck with med-surg for 2 years, 1 already completed, to pay back. I wouldn't say I hate med-surg, but I definitely know it's not for me. I'm too detail-oriented to manage chaos between 7 pt's for 12 hours. So I applied for ER, dialysis, and wound care. I like the prospect of ER because, although the pace is fast, at least you only spend a couple hours with unpleasant pt's. I like the prospect of the wound center because at least it's a 8-5 job and I can see my family at NIGHT! And I like dialysis because the pay is nice, you get tons of bonuses (around here), and you don't take care of 7 pt's at once! I am interested in trying ICU, but not enough experience at this time. Moral: If you hate med-surg, there are so many other specialties to try. If I don't get the jobs I applied for, that's fine. I can survive med-surg. I already figured out effective and healthy ways to de-stress on my scant days off, and you have to find something that works for you. Biking, hiking, and swimming are my ways to destress. I'm also taking classes online for my bachelor's, which is actually calming for me! The only way I survive stressful nights is to remind myself I'm only one person and I'm doing my best. I have enough confidence in my skills to be safe and efficient. I'm also never afraid to ask for help if I need it from charge nurses or PCS, even though I get an attitude from them about it. Keeping a positive attitude around pt's and colleagues also helps. We have to be our own advocates and our patient's as well. If we don't feel safe, we must stand up for ourselves and our patients by asking for help when needed. I also don't take crap from doctors anymore. Any time a doctor questions my skills or actions and belittles me purposely, I explain the reasons behind them and that I don't appreciate the unprofessional and childish way they are dealing with a problem. Haven't been bothered by doctors since, and in fact, they've been pleasant to work with. I think a combination of all these things have made my work life at least tolerable even though I know med-surg is not for me. Because of these coping strategies, I have only cried twice because of work in 1 year. Hopefully these tips can help some of you guys! Wish me luck in my career endeavors!

[LouisVRN, RN]

I am sorry you are hating med-surg. I have a lot of colleagues that are right there with you but honestly there are some of us out there that love it. I look forward to going to my med-surg unit everyday - I never know what to expect, there's always new things, new people. Cardiac stuff is not my thing, spent some time on tele, seemed very boring. ICU might be interesting at some point, but right now I am loving my med-surg :redbeathe

[SoundofMusic]

I don't know -- I hate it, too -- but it's where I really learned how to be a nurse. How to talk to patients, manage time, manage lots of details, train my brain, handle an upset family member or two, manage pain patients, see things over and over until my assessment skills were refined -- handle docs, handle everything. If you can manage 6 patients like that, you can do ANYTHING. And you learn to do things really, really fast. Draw up meds, stay on schedule, time things ... i hate to say it, but a lot of nursing is just dealing w/ people and customer service.

I feel ready to do ICU, but just dont' want to give up my sweet weekend days schedule. I also love my co-workers, and I feel that working on our floor is somewhat less intense, so we have a lot of chances to build camraderie. (i.e. -- a lot more time to chat and goof off once in a while). I just sort of like that vs staring at a very critical patients all day, their drips, their vitals, all the monitors, etc.

I do ache to do the ICU, though -- someday.