Is there a slower paced floor to work at in the hospital?

Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN · Apr 16, 2011

I work in Rehab. We still work very hard - its a physically demanding area -but we are a bit slower paced than an acute care floor. Our pts tend to be more medically stable than on med/surg.

Is there a chronic floor at your hospital? That also tends to be slower paced - and you'll get a great learning experience as chronic units tend to have pts with trachs, ulcers and g-feeds.

Or you could just hang on to where you are - as a new grad it takes at least 6 months - 1 year to find your bearings, learn time mangement and organizational skills.

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Apr 16, 2011

another floor and/or a smaller hospital will not make a difference. what will make a difference is the amount of time you remain working in that environment so that you get better. over time you will increase your speed related to tasks and charting. if you quit now, you will not get better. on the other hand, if you are in a toxic environment and/or you have an opportunity to work outside of the hospital setting to pursue another nursing interest, then leave immediately! gl! :up:

iNurseUK, RN · Apr 16, 2011

Specialist always beats out general. Try for Oncology, Renal, Cardiac, Plastics....whatever floats your boat. These specialities are busy but in a different way. They have a specialised skill base which I find easier to handle than a broader generalised ward.

NoviceRN10 · Apr 16, 2011

You might try surgical. I would stay away from cardiac. That is the worst unit I get floated to, a lot going on with the pts.

eriksoln, BSN, RN · Apr 16, 2011

I work in Rehab. We still work very hard - its a physically demanding area -but we are a bit slower paced than an acute care floor. Our pts tend to be more medically stable than on med/surg.
Is there a chronic floor at your hospital? That also tends to be slower paced - and you'll get a great learning experience as chronic units tend to have pts with trachs, ulcers and g-feeds.
Or you could just hang on to where you are - as a new grad it takes at least 6 months - 1 year to find your bearings, learn time mangement and organizational skills.

I was going to suggest this too, but feared backlash from the rehab nurses.

But honestly, to the OP: I had a friend who had a terrible first experience coming out of school. Worked on a trauma unit with some very vicious nurses. Needless to say, she became stressed out and quit. She also was questioning if nursing was for her at all. She ended up getting a job on a rehab unit at a very good hospital. It matched her personality so well.......she is not charge nurse there for the evening shift.

Anyway, the way she describes rehad nursing sounds less chaotic than the usuall M/S job.

eriksoln, BSN, RN · Apr 16, 2011

You might try surgical. I would stay away from cardiac. That is the worst unit I get floated to, a lot going on with the pts.

See, I've worked at on "surgical only" unit, and it was hectic. Worse than a M/S unit. You'd walk in, D/C 4 of your 5 patients, get 4 new patients in 2-3 hours...........then that very evening/night 4 of your 5 patiens are going to the OR and most return (with many OR orders written) before you leave (talking about a 12 hr shift).

I loved that unit, and certainly, not every day was like this, but some were.

I guess the point is................same unit/different hospital = completely different experience.

I can tell OP I think this or that about certain specialties, but it could be a completely different story at her hospital than mine. At my hospital, Rehab should be avoided at all costs because the manager is not AOx3 (amongst other personality disorders). Now, at other hospitals, rehab is where a lot of people want to be.

TheMoonisMyLantern, ADN, LPN, RN · Apr 16, 2011

Some surgical floors tend to be a little less hectic on night shift. This certainly isn't ALWAYS the case but from my experience usually it's a little less stressful than working a medical floor.

But I would suggest trying to hang in there, when you're new ANY floor is going to be overwhelming until you get the hang of it.

Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN · Apr 16, 2011

I was going to suggest this too, but feared backlash from the rehab nurses.
.

No backlash here. I like rehab because its not crazy busy! However, I do think that some ER and ICU nurses do not realize exactly how hard we work. We had an ER nurse transfer to our unit because she wanted a break from ER. She lasted a month. Went back to ER. Said we worked much harder than she thought - in fact, too much physical work for her! LOL.

I think one of the biggest problems with the nursing profession is that we tend to think that if you don't work in one of the "intense" areas (ER, ICUs) then you must be either a)lazy, b)stupid or c)both.

Another suggestion OP - see if you can shadow on other units (on your own time) just to see if a slower paced unit is what you need, or if you just need to work on your time management skills.

sunnycalifRN · Apr 16, 2011

*clip*
I think one of the biggest problems with the nursing profession is that we tend to think that if you don't work in one of the "intense" areas (ER, ICUs) then you must be either a)lazy, b)stupid or c)both.

*clip*

My observation has been that every unit thinks that all other units have it easy. For example, med-surg thinks that ICU nurses just sit around filing their nails with their two patients and conversely, ICU thinks that med-surg does the same with their walkie-talkie patients.

The reality is that ALL nurses work their ***'s off!

jen33336 · Apr 17, 2011

I disagree that moving to a smaller/private hospital and or staying longer will help. I spent 4 years on an acute organ transplant and trauma surgery floor and it never got better. I switched last summer to adult psychiatry, a floor with 8 beds reserved for eating disorder patients. It is MUCH easier and slower paced. I never thought I would like this sort of unit but I can't believe I get paid the same!

bisson · Apr 17, 2011

med surg is crazy, but trust me, you get used to it, especially since youre a new grad. even if you were on a specialty floor, youd go home crying because youd feel like you couldnt do it, like you dont know anything. not true, it just takes time to get used to it.

i started out in med surg as a new grad. i had 8-12 patients, often time geriatric patients, who had 20 meds each, then you had to feed it to them, they're confused, they're lonely and you want to spend time with them, they're trying to get out of bed and falling. i wanted to quit every single day. but months went by and before you knew it, i had my own routine, i managed my time well, i had great critical thinking skills, everything i learned in school finally started to make sense.

med surg is hectic. nights are slower, of course, because there are less people/ phone calls distracting you from your work. but trust me, once you get into your grove and you develop your own style and routines you will feel more confident and manage your time better.