I don't think I hate Med-surg, but I think I do.

Annointed_RNStudent · Mar 13, 2007

Wow 5-6 Patients Is A Gift, Although You Are Responsible For The Lpn/lvn.. I Think That Med-surg Is Overwhelming, And They Try To Put A Lot Of New Grads There And Many End Up Quitting Nursing All Together, After A Couple Of Months Of The Same Sort Of Stuff You Are Talking About. Maybe You Should Try Something Else, Would Be A Shame For You To Get Burnt Out On Nursing All Together!

jamato8 · Mar 13, 2007

With as sick as patients are these days I do not think 5 or 6 pts is a gift at all. I worked in a cardiac pccu and 4 was too much though we used to have 5 and 6 and that was over the top. With all the paper work to do now, the added responsibilities of the RN that have moved into the lower end of what a doctor used to do, I think the proccess of what an RN should do in relation to her/his pts needs to be overhauled. In 10 more years there is a projected shortfall of 500,000 nurses in the US, gee I wonder why? Not only is it becoming more difficult with an aging and sicker community, the requirements are increasing on what an RN is responsible for. Burn-out will only increase until there is some sort of real meaningful change.

On the note of med-surg, I never cared to do it though in a cardiac unit, where I have always worked, you get everything. Safety first, right?!

Wheaties · Mar 13, 2007

maybe its the team nursing approach that my hosp. uses that I hate, which is more than likely.

nothing beats working with 5-6 patients on my own with a CNA and having time to be there with the patients. I dont feel rushed when I work by myself.

jamato8 · Mar 13, 2007

maybe its the team nursing approach that my hosp. uses that I hate, which is more than likely.
nothing beats working with 5-6 patients on my own with a CNA and having time to be there with the patients. I dont feel rushed when I work by myself.

What is your team approach? With a good CNA the pt load can be changed, without a doubt.

oramar · Mar 13, 2007

Sounds like you are doing great. Your concerns are valid. Med/surg has all the problems you say it does. If you are ready to bid on another job go ahead. I hope all those people that are considering going into nursing or in nursing school read your post because your feelings and experiences are pretty average. If you are going into nursing because you think you will feel good think again. Most likely you will feel just like this newbie. However, that does not mean two years or five years down the road you will feel this way. Most people move around a bit in early years till they find their gruve. PS Managment can make med/surg a good experience for everyone(newbies and golden oldies like me) anytime they want to they just don't want to. How do I know? Because there are places that do it, unfortunately they are in the minority.

wooh, BSN, RN · Mar 13, 2007

It may not be the med/surg you hate, but the way work is divided on your unit. Perhaps try another hospital where it's you and a CNA (although warning, you may get 6 or 7 or even 8+ at night, but at least the work is "your" work, and not half you and half the LPN, which may suit you better).

oldiebutgoodie, RN · Mar 13, 2007

I am also sick of Med-Surg, and will probably leave the bedside for good this summer. Our hospital, a Magnet hospital (big deal), has just raised our ratio from 5:1 to 6:1, although they still say that they have wonderful ratios. It seems that bediside nursing is like taking a test with 3000 items, and if you miss one item, you flunk

Our manager drags people into her office all the time to chew them out about various transgressions, most of which are just documentation oversights because they are passing meds, starting IVs, assisting in codes, calming irate families, etc. etc. She suspended one of our long time nurses, but when that nurse came back, she was charge. One of our new grads left her office crying the other day. This is insane.

I will have 2 years hospital experience in June, and then I am outta there. Enough is enough.

Oldiebutgoodie

withasmilelpn · Mar 13, 2007

It seems that bediside nursing is like taking a test with 3000 items, and if you miss one item, you flunk
Couldn't say it better myself!

dmarie (GA) · Mar 13, 2007

Most of the time, i am assinged with an LVN, I get my 5-6 patients, the LVN gets their 5-6 patients as well. But really, the RN is responsible for all those 12 patients, and sometimes I give report to all those 12 patients to the next shift because some of the lvns i work with are slow and dont finish their work before the day shift staff comes in.

It's my understanding that LVN/LPN's work under their own license, not yours, and are responsible for their own patients. Why are you taking on the workload of the LVN/LPN? That's too much. No wonder you're burned out.

colleennurse, ASN, RN · Mar 13, 2007

I hear ya! I work a med surg tele unit. All of your concerns are the same ones I have. We also have LPNs, they get thier own load and all, but when it comes down to it, the co assigned RN is responsible, plus you have to do the pushes and any PICC stuff. But most of them are great at helping with something of mine when I need to do something for them. We are always short staffed it seems. I have been a nurse since last June, and now I know why there is a shortage. I am getting married in June, and when the wedding is over I am going to look into Community Health nursing. I love the patients but like the OP said you barely get any time to see them

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Mar 13, 2007

I hear all your frustrations, I feel that way much of the time too. I don't know if it helps you any, but I'm a night-shifter too, and 5-6 patients *IS* a gift in my book: our patients can be very sick, it's not unusual for them to be fresh from ICU or should *BE* in ICU except they don't have a bed. So I get them along with 7-8 other patients

On a good night, I have 7 patients. On a bad night, 9. Sometimes 8 is fine and 7 is horrible; it depends on the acuity I happen to be assigned. I'm only bringing this up because I think you'll find if you read around on med-surg threads that your patient load isn't that bad, and if it feels that way, I'm guessing you really aren't going to be happy in m/s anywhere. And that's valid, it isn't for everyone.

As for the LPN/LVN issues, it's also not unusual for me to have 8 patients, another RN to have the same, and have an LPN with a similar assignment. But we have to cover all his/her IV pushes, PICC and triple lumen meds, blood draws in the morning, as well as do the assessments on new admits they may get. It may be their assignment, but yes we ARE covering alot of work for them!

If I had to change one thing drastically, I'd say it's the paperwork expected at night. Checking med records and the day's orders for errors takes hours I could be spending actually working with patients, imagine that! Or, allowing me to actually GET a lunch break (that's another thing: you get to take one, honestly I'd see it as a bonus, even if it's a basic requirement, it's still not happening on my unit). I sometimes get to eat, but absolutely NOT getting time away from the work, the unit. No uninterrupted time. And that's common in med/surg, too.

Follow your gut. If med/surg is killing you, get out. Find a new path, and something that does interest you more. You aren't a "quitter" if you find that you've made a bad match; there's no dishonor in that. A "quitter" in my mind is someone that leaves for petty reasons, finds a similar job, whines about that and leaves, etc etc.

Why do I like it, LOL? Because of the huge variety of patients and conditions. Because I'm learning so much about so many different things, I can only improve my nursing abilities in ANY area. And the experience is my ticket to anything, from what I've found. IF I chose to leave, of course :)

Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment!