I cannot do med/surg anymore

wooh, BSN, RN · Sep 2, 2008

From what you say, sounds like you could totally love ICU or totally hate ICU. Instead of focusing on why you hate med/surg, try to think of what you like about it. When looking for someplace you'll be happy long-term, don't go to an area to avoid what you hate. Go to an area to find more of what you love.:)

FireStarterRN, BSN, RN · Sep 2, 2008

10 patient is a ridiculous load, have you looked into other facilities? No wonder you are burnt out! Good grief!!!

Ahhphoey · Sep 2, 2008

10 patients per nurse!?! No wonder you hate med/surg. It's not like that everywhere though; I once had eight patients, but that was a 23 obs. unit where all of them were young, walkie-talkies, but still. When I left med/surg I went to ICU and absolutely love it. There is definitely a lot to learn and know, but I love the challenge and responsibility. I still work part-time in a general ICU at a small community hospital, but am really looking to work in an ICU at the hospital I am doing bed flow at now. It's a level 1 trauma center and has much higher acuity which I want to experience. ICU is definitely not for everyone, but it may be a good move for you. Why not see about shadowing a nurse for a day in both ICU and L&D to get an idea of what they do? Good luck.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Sep 2, 2008

If I had 9.5 years of med/surg experience, I'd be riding into the sunset and looking for a position far away from any hospital. You seem more than qualified due to your years of clinical experience.

ShifraPuah · Sep 2, 2008

Hi, I'm an RN and I'm needing some advice. I've done med/surg for about 9 1/2 years.
My username was "ihatemedsurg" but that was just too negative so I changed it. But I still feel it. What should I do now? I still want to be nurse.
The last time I worked was crazy and I was so relieved to leave early. I had just signed up for part of a shift and felt guilty leaving my coworkers. Some meds didn't get passed until after 10. Some patients didn't get assessed until then too. 10 patients to assess and pass meds on-- I've had it.
Well my first choice is postpartum-- don't really want to do L & D. Hardly anyone will hire without experience though. Second choice is ICU. I'd like to know what ICU would be like.
Thanks!

Actually, I'd take a good long vacation to relax and rest up first before looking for a job. Then I'd check out the various PPs/ICUs in your area and talk to the people there and get an idea of the work situations there.

Remember, life is too short to be miserable. You've certainly paid your dues in M/S. Now it's time to go and do what YOU want.

Keep us posted.

DrnpChar, DNP · Sep 2, 2008

10 patients no wonder, overload!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CSLee3, ASN, BSN, LVN, EMT-P · Sep 3, 2008

Zoo*mom...you need a vacation...well deserved I am sure. Think about teaching LPN, CNA, etc. Sometimes you do not need BSN or MSN depending where you are at. Also consider school nursing, which is a specialty in it's own. The beauty of nursing is....you can do various things as you know. Just hold your head up high, as you have done the lords work. Med-Surg is the backbone of nursing and one of the most important roles in the biz! For every good med-surg nurse, there have been numerous new nurses, students and the like mentor and train and learn from that one good nurse.....the cycle continues. Don't give up. We need you in the business. God Bless you...

ERDude

ArwenEvenstar · Sep 3, 2008

With 9.5 years in med-surg, you have an excellent experience base! I worked med-surg for about 6 years when I was a new nurse. In med-surg you truly see a little bit of everything and my good experience base has served me well over the years. It should serve you well too!! I would think a variety of units would consider you, even if you lack experience, with 9.5 years of med-surg behind you. It couldn't hurt to apply to postpartum. Its your first choice so go for it! "Sell yourself" by emphasizing your great experience base!

I switched to a cardiac step-down unit after this and ended up loving cardiac. The patients were usually "walkie talkies" and the cardiac problem was the only issue. These pts were "easy" compared to the med-surg pts I was used to! Easy isn't quite the right word as cardiac patients are challenging too but in a different way. With med-surg I was used to heavy skills - complex drsg changes, drains, tubes, IV antiobiotics galore, IM injections, etc. With cardiac it was more monitoring heart rhythms and vitals and adjusting cardiac drips. It was a different pace and I loved the change from med-surg.

Yes, I too experienced the worst staffing of my career during my med-surg years. Staffing was variable, but 8 to 10 pts was typical. I can remember having as many as 15 patients several times! Yes, I remember coming in once and being told there was only 2 nurses for the unit so we each took a hallway of 15 patients. INSANE. I was a new and green nurse back then and just accepted it. NOW I would have thrown a huge and major fit!!!!

Anyways... I hope you find a new area to work in that you will enjoy.

ArwenEvenstar · Sep 3, 2008

Zoo*mom...you need a vacation...well deserved I am sure. Think about teaching LPN, CNA, etc. Sometimes you do not need BSN or MSN depending where you are at. Also consider school nursing, which is a specialty in it's own. The beauty of nursing is....you can do various things as you know. Just hold your head up high, as you have done the lords work. Med-Surg is the backbone of nursing and one of the most important roles in the biz! For every good med-surg nurse, there have been numerous new nurses, students and the like mentor and train and learn from that one good nurse.....the cycle continues. Don't give up. We need you in the business. God Bless you...
ERDude

I already posted, but just had to agree that teaching LPNs, CNAs is a good option too! I actually taught in a LPN program for 2 years back in the mid-1990's. They "preferred" a MSN but took me with a BSN. (A bit of a long story but I was in the "right place at the right time" because it was really surprising I landed the job...) My med-surg background made me great with teaching, especially in the lab, because I was so experienced with all the skills. I had no problem teaching drsg changes, IM injections, foley inserts, etc!

mytoon38 · Sep 3, 2008

Hi Zoo Moon,

I too started out on Med-Surg and did that for 10 years! I hated being stressed out and never having enough help! I use to sit in the parking garage and cry before I went into work ...that's how bad I hated it!! :sniff:An older nurse told me I should switch to another area and I did! I had no trouble getting another area to accept me as they were so happy that I had so much Med-Surg experience. I went and worked in Nsy/NICU for about 5 years and loved it! Later I agreed to go and work for our sister hospital in their CDU and Psych units. I have been doing Psych since then, and LOVE it! Even though I couldn't handle M?S anymore, I am very glad I had that experience! Working M/S has really benefitted me over the years in my nursing career!

Good Luck!

Mary

BrnEyedGirl, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN · Sep 3, 2008

Zoo*moon I feel your pain dear. I left a tele unit after 8yrs. The work load was impossible and I honestly felt that none of us could be the nurse we were trained to be because of the overwhelming number of pts. We were always understaffed and had a high turnover rate, which meant we often had a large percent of our staff that were new grads. I felt sorry for them because they never had a chance in that environment. I felt bad for leaving because the few of us that had been there for 8 yrs together became close friends and worked well together. I hated adding to their problems, but I had to change.

This may sound silly to many, but I transfered to ER almost 2 yrs ago. I love it. The pace is fast, but we have staff. We almost always have people waiting to be seen, but we do what we can do and pass the rest on to the next shift. The teamwork is amazing and I have made many new friends. My coworkers laugh at me when I say the stress in the ER is way less than what I had to deal with "upstairs". It's a different kind of stress. I actually feel appreciated now. I work my tail off, just as I did upstairs, but now, no one complains that I didn't do enough.

The ER is very c/o focused and that did take a bit of getting used to. I just go from one pt to the next, treat what must be done now and move on to the next one. I've seen some really horrible things in the ER and I've also been a part of some really wonderful things. I will never go back to floor nursing. I'm a much happier person now, I no longer need Ambien to sleep, I stopped eating three bottles of TUMS a week and I am participating in family functions on my days off instead of sleeping. Don't give up on nursing. We need you! Find a place that works for you!