Hello. I have 6 mos. peds. experience and 5 months in general med surg- combined gives me almost ONE YEAR of RN experience. I HATE... I mean HATE the Med Surg bedside nursing job I have now. I TRIED to get into ICU, Cardiac, or the ER out of school. I disliked Med Surg in school and hoped to never work there. These areas are a better fit for me. However, that was the only job I could get basically as a new RN. I have already gotten written up, counseled, etc. and a few pats. have complained about me (over silly things I must say... nothing major-- like I told one pat. I'd be back to help them in 15 minutes as I had a pat. down the hall getting ready to CODE-- well the pat. got peeved because they DID NOT LIKE being told they had to wait (their problem was NOT serious, and I had to stablize a pat. who was getting ready to code). Well that pat. called my boss and complained. The boss came to me about it. Another-- I have family members who got upset because I do not get in the room fast enough to set up their family member who had slumped over in bed (ok... like they cannot sit them up??? come on.....) and I have pats. who curse and throw cups and supplies out of rooms, who void on the floors, who call and ask for take-out menus because they do not like the hospital food, etc. IT IS TERRIBLE. Just awful. :pntlft:I really want to get out of there before the final ax falls. I dont't want to get fired and feel I am headed that way!
How does one GET OUT of the general med surg unit and get into ICU, etc. ?? I am trying to transfer, but so far nothing has developed.
It sounds to me like you are trying to escape. Afraid of being fired, maybe afraid you aren't cutting it. A natural reaction, as we all want to move away from what makes us feel bad.
To echo what has been already said, it stinks but you probably won't get a transfer having been in your current area such a short time. It also isn't good for you to run away from these problems. Growth is painful and this is what is happening here. Demanding patients are everywhere. So are politics. Where you want to go might even be WORSE.
Is there someone who can mentor you, who you can approach for insight?
Specializes in medical surgical, homecare hospice.
I feel your pain, I have been there and done that. After 6 months of Medsurg/Telemetry i ran out as fast as I could. While in medsurg I felt like my license was at risk. The entire service was upside down and disorganized. Just try to be optpmistic, cover ur tail and keep looking out for opening positions. Try to stop complaining because you're going to need that medsurg evaluation for your next job!
All the problems that you have with med-surg do not get better in the ICU or ER. They will get worse. Pt's and family members are even more stressed and demanding in those places.
As others have said, jumping ship every six months does not make you look good--the ICU may look at your resume and wonder if you'll bail in 6 months when things get tough.
In addition, the learning curves are a lot steeper in ICU and the ER, and because of the higher acuity level you won't have the wiggle room when it comes to learning new skills and dealing with mistakes. From what I remember about you and your prior posts...if you are not competent/comfortable with hands-on skills and communication on the med-surg level, you will really flounder if you have to go into an ICU/ED enviroment. You may have fever patients but the higher acuity and stress level will more than keep you busy.
I think you really need to honestly self-assess your performance, and try to strengthen your skills before your transfer...because otherwise you're setting yourself up to fail in the ICU/ED.
Thank you everyone for your comments. And I don't mean to come across snippy. I'm sorry if I did. I personally know what I am great at and what I am not. Yes. I can do this. Do I like it, NO. I would be better off in an admin. position or critical care position where I can make judgement calls and use more of my brain and less of my hands. No offense, just speaking the truth here. And from my previous background, I came from positions where I ran departments and was the manager of divisions.... so I have a very matter-of-fact "here it is" attitiude. That is hard when you are a nurse and dealing with the general public. And really, the bottom line is too, we are not held in the highest esteem by the pats. and their families. There is no respect (at least not in this unit). I also want to use more of my medical/ nursing background and less of... where is my coffee? where are my crackers?? can you pull my sheets up?? What about the medical side? Why are K levels up? Why are we hanging D5W?? WHY is her BP up?? THAT is the nursing I want.... not 'can you bring me more towels'.... Yup... guess I am venting now... sorry.... oh boy... I should have gone to med school... I think it would have fit my brain and my perspective better....ugh. Thanks again very much.
Well everyone knows what unit is a fit for them...personally I can't take the floor anymore...so I went to the unit to have less patients. If you feel like you're going to get axed, better to resign. DON'T LET THEM FIRE YOU! Chances are if it's that bad....more than likely an attempt to transfer between departments will be unsuccessful. Here's my advice...go in person and talk to the director of the ED yourself. Sign up with an agency...you'll still be able to work med/surg for an agency and make really good money while you wait for your ED job if it doesn't work out at your hospital...in the meantime look for ED &/or ICU Preceptorships at other hospitals and apply for every ICU/ER position you can find. Take a critical care course as well. Critical Care Concepts is a good one...if you want to go the ER...you also need to take a TNCC course. Have all your BLS and ACLS up to date. And honestly think whether or not you want ICU or ER...less running around in the ICU but the problem is...you have to be able to critically think...if so you need to find a good preceptor...and if you get in....stick with it! Good luck hon.
PS You definitely get to use your brain in the unit...vs having to try to think while 7 patients want you to play maid/hostess.
I also want to use more of my medical/ nursing background and less of... where is my coffee? where are my crackers?? can you pull my sheets up?? What about the medical side? Why are K levels up? Why are we hanging D5W?? WHY is her BP up?? THAT is the nursing I want.... not 'can you bring me more towels'....
You should be aware that you are going to encounter just as much of that in the ICU and ED. Don't think that all goes away because it's higher acuity.
If it's possible, I would suggest that you shadow someone in the ICU and/or ED for at least 2 or 3 shifts so you have an idea of what working in the units really entail. Doing it for more than one shift will give you a better picture of the unit, instead of your happening to catch the unit on a good (or bad) day.
Shadowing will also let you know if you really like the units enough to want to make the transfer, instead of blindly running into the ICU and then in 6 months looking to go elsewhere because it's not what you thought it'd be. I know you hate your current unit, but don't act in haste if you can avoid it.
I am a new graduate too. I think you are very arrogant! Each floor is an opportunity to learn. Apparently, you believe you don't have to concentrate on you nursing skills, so that leaves communication. Communication is an excellent skill set to have.
Woah there, little one. I appreciate your zeal as a new grad, but until you have lived the customer service mentality of bedside med-surg nursing, you don't have the experience to back up these strong opinions. Med-surg has become a shark tank in many places. Not enough nurses, too many patients, no help from management, and not enough time to do it all in. Nurses are all out for themselves to CYA because patients and their families are so litigious. Management has strong beliefs on how their floors should run but good luck getting them to come out and lead by example. It has even gotten to the point where "customer satisfaction" has become more important than patient safety because of Press Ganey and state reimbursement. There are lots of political factors that play a role in the demise of bedside care, and most of them have nothing to do with the actual nursing care given. Please reign yourself in a little bit and get some experience before you get on a moral high horse about a serious problem you know nothing about at this point in your career.
I don't know where you have the idea it was suggested it wasn't hard-work. My comments were the for the original post: The young lady believes it is beneath her to work in a Med-Surg., she is too smart for such an area. I think she is arrogant! She may be smart, but she is also been written up several times and believes she might be terminated.
As for customer service, I think you need a reality check. This is exactly what the hospitals are being graded on, and some are failing at it too. What is wrong with good communication with the patient. It is inexcusable to not respond to a patient's concerns and requests. I will say it again: either do the job well, or leave and let a new individual do the job!
Please, I was in med-surg maybe five months and had the mentality RN4weeones has. I'm now nine months in and med-surg is definitely a shark tank. I can't wait to get my one year so that I can hopefully get into OB where I belong and where my passion lies. But in the meantime I am getting EXCELLENT experience. I've been told if you can make it on my floor then you can make it anywhere.
As for customer service, I think you need a reality check. This is exactly what the hospitals are being graded on, and some are failing at it too. What is wrong with good communication with the patient. It is inexcusable to not respond to a patient's concerns and requests. I will say it again: either do the job well, or leave and let a new individual do the job!
Good luck to you. I mean that. You're going to need it with this fantasy world mentality. It is not possible to respond to every single patient request at once. There are 5-10 of them and one of you, and usually not enough CNAs. The most important part of nursing is assessment and prioritization. A rapid response or patient emergency will always take priority over the patient slouched over in bed with their family member right next to them. A manager that won't back up their nurse in this kind of situation is becoming all too common. It's all about appeasing the patient, giving in to their whims and wants at the expense of their safety and NEEDS.
I have 6 mos. peds. experience and 5 months in general med surg- combined gives me almost ONE YEAR of RN experience. I HATE... I mean HATE the Med Surg bedside nursing job I have now. 
I TRIED to get into ICU, Cardiac, or the ER out of school. I disliked Med Surg in school and hoped to never work there. These areas are a better fit for me. However, that was the 
I dont't want to get fired and feel I am headed that way! 
VivaRN
520 Posts
It sounds to me like you are trying to escape. Afraid of being fired, maybe afraid you aren't cutting it. A natural reaction, as we all want to move away from what makes us feel bad.
To echo what has been already said, it stinks but you probably won't get a transfer having been in your current area such a short time. It also isn't good for you to run away from these problems. Growth is painful and this is what is happening here. Demanding patients are everywhere. So are politics. Where you want to go might even be WORSE.
Is there someone who can mentor you, who you can approach for insight?