Is 6 Month Of Med-Surg Enough?

[WinterWolf90]

I just graduated May 9, and my job is on a Med-Surg floor of a moderately large hospital. I don't really like the things I do on the floor and find it so routine. If it weren't for my liking the night staff that I work with I would have already probably quit. I don't find it stressful, nor do I really have much to complain about, it's just, to me, the floor is boring. I really want to get to the ER and do a couple of years of that before I end up in psych. Is it worth it to hold out for 6 months so I can add that to my resume?

[OregonGal]

I'm still looking for a job....I'll gladly take yours.... :)

[HeatherISU]

If you aren't happy... move on!

[Tait, MSN, RN]

Have you noticed if your assignment is on the lighter side due to being a new grad? If so maybe you could ask not to be favored that way and get more of a challenge.

I know we have some slow nights on our complex cardiac/GI floor, but overall I never really feel bored.

Best of luck,

Tait

[sailormedic, MSN, DNP, APRN, NP]

Bored after three months? That seems a bit quick for someone just out of school as there is a tremendous amount to learn about assessments, disease processes, treatments, etc., and how they all fit together. I would hope your orientation was not just task oriented and you learned how everything fits together. I would not argue that a change in specialties may be in your future, but to say you are bored with a med surg unit is concerning. There must be quite a mix of conditions that arrive on your floor and I hope you are learning how those conditions start, progress to the point of admission, are treated short term in the hospital, and then after discharge. Though there is always learning that occurs (I've been doing this for almost 20 years), I can not imagine after three months you have the foundation that comes with experience. Then again, if you have it all down and are bored, talk with people in the ED where you want to work and get their opinion. Good luck.

[NurseCard, ADN]

I'm really curious too, what kind of orientation you had or are having. Also, are you on a highly specialized floor? As in, a urology floor or something like that?

I have rarely ever heard Med Surge called boring. You want to eventually do psych? So, is it that you are drawn to those type of patients, and find the relative sanity =) of Med Surge patients boring?

I do psych, and I have also done Med Surge. Psych to me has more of a tendency to be boring, but I prefer it because I just feel more comfortable in the psych unit/hospital setting.

[Jjo19]

i am sure that 6 months feels like enough... i am one year into my med/surg goal of 2 years. at 6 months i was not impressed with m/s either. now i find it challenging but i do not work midnight shift where most of my patients are sleeping or at least trying to. i work days and evenings. i balance drs, family members, treatment plans, patient teaching, off unit testing, meds, procedures, dressing changes, admissions, discharges, charting, labs (we don't have an iv team) and still trying to punch out on time. maybe try a shift change prior to changing departments. i really feel like the experience i am gaining will help my skills when i move into my specialty.

[RNperdiem, RN]

Unless you are desperately unhappy or being pushed into unsafe practice, stay where you are for now. Having a job lets you take your time to find the job that suits you best rather than grabbing the first available job.

Use the next 6 months to do some research into the various ERs in your area. Find out who is hiring. Ask people who have worked in ER get recommendations.

[nkara, CNA]

Jjo19 - you actually had patients sleeping on your floor on nights? Doesn't happen that much on the med/surg floor I came from.

To the OP this is my advice froma professional stand point. Being a new grad and switching prior to one year seems slightly flighty to hiring managers. Can you pick up per diem elsewhere so you can get more experience and maybe keep you happy? I would try to stick it out for the year then move to the ER.

[chicookie, BSN, RN]

I would start applying elsewhere but stay where you are. I've been trying but if its not another med-surg floor I haven't really gotten another call back. Most floors want a whole year. Plus remember some hospitals want a whole year before you can transfer to other departments (just in case you want to stay at your hospital).

[subee, MSN, CRNA]

You've had good advice. I would question a CV with only six months experience on a unit right out of school. Psych patient have a lot of medical problems. But when you do leave, post that job here. There are millions of nurses who would love to have a boring med-surg job!

[tencat]

I completely understand how Med-surg can be boring. When I was working nights I was so bored I could have poked my eyes out with a stick.....Some med-surg units are very small with not much going on, especially at night. I also felt like a glorified waitress who could pass out pills. I did learn a lot, and I am glad I stuck with it for a while. I only had 8 months of it, which might come back to haunt me later, but hasn't interfered with my current job. Six months.....if you can get another job, then go for it. But don't quit this job until you have another one lined up.