Help, 2 jobs offer.

[hanginginthere]

Hi everyone,

I am currently working at a med-surg floor for about a year now since I graduated from nursing school. I'm looking to switch job to a slower pace environment due to the stress. I had an interview to work for acute hemodialysis and another one at a nursing home. They both offered me the job. However, since I didn't know much about hemodialysis I checked allnurses. After I read several threads I wonder If hemodialysis is for me. I preferred hemo over the nursing home due to no sundays. I have to make my decision by tomorrow please help. Is Hemodialysis as stressful as med-surg?

Thanks.

[nosonew, BSN, RN]

I have worked med-surg and hemo. Hemo is very stressful, likely more so that med-surg. Often you are the ONLY nurse. It is a VERY FAST PACED environment. That is chronic units. I haven't worked acutes... however I hear it can be similar.

If you want to slow down... go the nursing home route. The elderly need great nurses too! :)

[KAT1994]

I have worked med-surg, telemetry, skilled nursing home care, and now chronic hemo. I have never worked in acutes, but I think generally you have fewer patients to focus on at one time and the care is more focused. It may depend on what part of med-surg was so stressful for you as to whether or not acute hemo would be an improvement for you. Can you work indepentently and do you have good critical thinking skills and assessment skills I would think these would be very important if you will be the only dialysis nurse there at times. As a newer nurse, do you feel comfortable taking care of unstable patients for four hours while they are even more unstable while they are dialyzing?

For me, the nursing home was the most difficult of the areas I have worked in. You get very little respect and response from the physicians compared to the hospital. It is very difficult to deliver or supervise the delivery of quality care to maybe 25, 50, or even 75 patients. I really missed the patients when I left, but I couldn't stand the poor standard of care for the patients and unsupportive management. The job is literally back breaking physical work and the majority of the time the turn-over and call-ins are high so you work short-handed.

At my chronic unit we are the "home unit" for the acutes program. I rarely see them looking very stressed, unless they get a sudden influx of admits.

I think that the chronic unit is the easiest and most rewarding of the nursing jobs that I have had. I also think that each of the areas I have worked has been very useful experience and I have no regrets. I would try to spend some time talking to other nurses that actually work in the places that you are thinking about working. Questions like... How often do they not get to take a break? How supportive do they feel the management is. How long have the other staff worked there. How long is the orientation?

I hope this is helpful. Good luck!