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.
OP, I must commend you on your most excellent use of the smilies icons, BTW.
And yes, to that questioning fact poster, in my area 8+ is more and more common, and this is days. So put that in your pipe and smoke it. In fact try that with mostly ETOH tele pts. (thank God someone else took that job).
To all you goody two shoes, you don't know "how it is" where the OP works -- If you don't feel the way she does, at your job, then fabulous for you.
Try to be supportive, and if someone needs to vent, just let them vent. Your day probably has or will soon come.
But....this post was asking how to move in to ICU and ER. Regardless of the WHYs, the OP is struggling on her med surg floor and I think it will be difficult to find an ICU or ER hiring manager who won't look closely at that and wonder if that means the OP will also struggle on their unit as well. I've been in job situations (outside of nursing) that were utterly toxic and my performance suffered consequently. Not being able to use that job as a reference really hurt my job search attempts.
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! 
hiddencatRN, BSN, RN
3,408 Posts
But....this post was asking how to move in to ICU and ER. Regardless of the WHYs, the OP is struggling on her med surg floor and I think it will be difficult to find an ICU or ER hiring manager who won't look closely at that and wonder if that means the OP will also struggle on their unit as well. I've been in job situations (outside of nursing) that were utterly toxic and my performance suffered consequently. Not being able to use that job as a reference really hurt my job search attempts.