help!

DolphinRN84, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Jul 17, 2009

I would give it some more time. I definitely know how you feel though! Some people have said to at least stay for a year, but if you feel you are that miserable then it's definitely not worth the stress. Where do you work and what kind of floor do you work in?

April, RN, BSN, RN · Jul 17, 2009

Where do you work and what kind of floor do you work in?

I was going to ask the same thing, what kind of floor is it? Maybe it's just not a good fit for you. Not everyone is cut out for any type of nursing, and maybe a transfer to another floor would be a good move.

karma482 · Jul 18, 2009

med surg floor, high acuity. we get 3-4 patients in day, and 5-6 at night

April, RN, BSN, RN · Jul 18, 2009

I just went back and read a few of your prior posts. I work at the same hospital as you and I can tell you that there are definitely units in the hospital that are more supportive than what you are describing! Would you be willing to switch to an adult unit? I'm happy where I am and have friends on different floors, including medical floors, who are happy as well. People have switched units before so you definitely wouldn't be the first. Do you feel comfortable talking to HR about your thoughts and possibly switching units? Another thought: while you are not a new grad, this is your first inpatient hospital job. Would more orientation be more helpful?

Edit: You posted your response about working on an adult unit before I submiitted my post.

DolphinRN84, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Jul 18, 2009

med surg floor, high acuity. we get 3-4 patients in day, and 5-6 at night

That sounds better than my floor...those ratios are actually decent. On days on the floor I work in a nurse can have up to 5 patients during the day and its 5-6 during the night. But sometimes if we are a nurse short, then its 7 with one nurse with 8 patients during the night! Good thing this doesn't happen often now. Our floor is high acuity as well and its vascular surgery. Lots of heavy patients.

karma482 · Jul 19, 2009

yeah, we rarely get 4 patients during the day. it's almost always 3. i really haven't worked alot of nights, but from what i see, its usually 4-5 patients. that is one thing i am grateful of. i can't imagine handling more than 3 patients and feeling like i am giving good care.

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Jul 20, 2009

Hang in there, you are working with the sickest of the sick. You have learned big lesson working in a hospital isn't as great as you thought. That being said, I would try and hang in for 1 year but it is not worth making yourself sick.

NeoPediRN · Jul 21, 2009

Yikes. I'm so sorry Liz, I know you were so excited about starting on this floor. Do you want to PM to go into more detail? What kind of hazing are you experiencing? To me what you're describing sounds adventurous. 3-4 high acuity patients sounds awesome and to be able to care for the sickest of the sick is going to shape you into an incredible nurse. Are you going to have some heart-in-your-throat moments? Absolutely, but if you're to the point where you don't feel competent to care for those patients that's a problem. Can you ask for a reorientation? Is there an educator you can work with? Working in outpatient puts you at a disadvantage in some ways because crazy in a clinic is much different than crazy on a med-surg floor, and the pace and style are like comparing apples to oranges. Maybe this just isn't the right fit for you. Is there another unit you could transfer to? I really really think you should talk to your RN manager if she's approachable. If you are looking to start in a supportive hospital environment I highly recommend Beverly Hospital. Lots of nursing education hands-on classes, custom orientation, and supportive coworkers and management for the most part. Benefits are very expensive though. Keep in mind though that there will always be a handful of coworkers who are petty and unsupportive, and that there's no such thing as an easy patient assignment or med-surg unit. To learn a lot you have to put up with a lot, swallow the fear, and get your hands dirty. I can't wait to learn Heparin drips and OrthoPat but I know it means I am dealing with patients that have potential to be hemodynamically unstable and I'm responsible for knowing what to do or at least to be able to use my resources appropriately if things go sour. To be a nurse is a tremendous responsibility. You can do it, and it's even okay to have thoughts of fleeing to the west coast. At the end of the day you survived, and through your first year in the hospital setting you'll slowly transition from survival mode to master mode. They obviously think you can keep your patients safe if they give you the deemed worst, highest acuity patients. It's a challenge and you must be doing alright because you're still there. MGH can afford to be picky with their employees, if they didn't see something in you, you would've been out the door already.