Hey guys!!! Im currently a novice nurse in a med surg Residency program in Boston. At one of the larger hospitals- my dream hospital tbh.
little background: I worked as an aide in a different hospital system praying for entry cause that hospital is the #1 hospital in the country (hint hint ) but getting in as a nurse was like pulling teeth! I ended up getting a job in a skilled nursing facility aka rehab aka DONT EVER DO THAT lol ( my assignment was always 10+ patients with lots of dressing, wound vacs, TPN, abx THE WORKSSSSS) and within 9 months of rigorous hunting I got the residency position in medsurg (not my favorite but grateful).
Anyways, the hospital I work at now is great. My residency program prepared enough for me to work on my own and utilize any resources if needed. Orientation was scheduled for 6-8 months but I was able to be on my own after 4 months (thank God for that wild experience prior). Despite getting off orientation early, I reeeeally feel ready. I still have a little nervousness going into work cause of course I’m responsible for the lives of others but also because my floor is a surgical telemetry floor; all my patients are fresh post op or fresh traumas from the ED needing surgery and things can go south pretty quick.
My dream is to be an OR or ICU God one day (I know two completely different parties but I’m young and I’m interested after shadowing). Itching to work my way up the ladder. I was wondering when the best time to make the switch once I feel ready. My hospital policy is 6 months after orientation but I know a year is preferred. Any suggestions? Any suggestions on what I can be doing in the meantime?
Specializes in Pediatrics, Pediatric Float, PICU, NICU.
On 10/7/2019 at 1:14 PM, TtheIndecisiveRN said:
Lol what a reaction!!
By God, I just mean I wanna be GREAT. By no means am I trying to be arrogant! I just wanna be the best I can be in all aspects of my specialty! I even have that written on my stethoscope. It’s my motivation!!
In that case, you may way to be more cognizant of how a statement like that may come across because it definitely comes across as arrogant, especially for a new grad.
I think you should give yourself another year on the unit before you think of changing units. really. This will give you more time to continue developing your skills, give you more exposure to different patients and situations. Additionally, it can give you time to learn more about the hospital's different units. Get involved in unit based or hospital based projects or nursing committees. This will give you additional information to process to see if you even want to switch units. ICU and OR are not the do all end all of units. Turnover, patient acuity ratios in the ICU often lead to burnout, and lots of job dissatisfaction. You will start to learn more about other units the longer you stay on your unit. Eventually you will float to other units and learn more tricks of the trade.
Give yourself one more year of learning and exploring before you even consider a transfer. Grass is never greener on the other side. Any ICU exposure you had as a student does not even come close to the reality of working in an ICU.
Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.
2 hours ago, JadedCPN said:
In that case, you may way to be more cognizant of how a statement like that may come across because it definitely comes across as arrogant, especially for a new grad.
The residency is a total of 6-8 months orienting. After that, I’m just a staff nurse. Thanks for replying.
As long as you are "released" and not bound by any residency obligation, I would check your facility policy on interdepartmental transfers. I work for an academic facility that requires 12 months in one spot (without any disciplinary action) before you can venture out to a different department or position. Bear in mind that a time period like that example (12 months) might only start once you are off orientation, too. Depends on your hospital. Good luck!
It really depends on the facility! I would assume 90 days (after probation), but since this is a residency and you probably don’t want to burn bridges, I’d stay a Year.
The residency is a total of 6-8 months orienting. After that, I’m just a staff nurse. Thanks for replying.
Lol what a reaction!!
By God, I just mean I wanna be GREAT. By no means am I trying to be arrogant! I just wanna be the best I can be in all aspects of my specialty! I even have that written on my stethoscope. It’s my motivation!!
OMG..You did it again!!:):) No one is ever JUST a staff nurse. Wipe that thought from your mind. Take a deep breath, enjoy your job and give yourself time to even begin to mature as a nurse. Just curious. Do you have any idea what OR nurses do?
OMG..You did it again!!:):) No one is ever JUST a staff nurse. Wipe that thought from your mind. Take a deep breath, enjoy your job and give yourself time to even begin to mature as a nurse. Just curious. Do you have any idea what OR nurses do?
Lol This forum really made me evaluate my word choices. By staff nurse i meant no longer an orientee
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Yes. I shadowed multiple shifts in the ICU, ER & OR to get a feel of my desired specialty. I have had very limited exposure to them otherwise.
No one on the internet can answer this, look at the policy manual for your facility, that’s the only opinion that matters.
Hey! Thanks for the reply. The hospital policy is 6 months following orientation- which is a too short of a time frame for me. I guess I’m asking what make one feel ready; besides the politics and logistics when is it reasonable to transfer units? Is it when you feel like your work is redundant? Is it when you feel you’ve mastered most of the common cases on the unit and your ready for a different challenge ? Is it when you start to get really comfortable? Things like that.
22 hours ago, yournurse said:
It really depends on the facility! I would assume 90 days (after probation), but since this is a residency and you probably don’t want to burn bridges, I’d stay a Year.
JadedCPN, BSN, RN
1,476 Posts
In that case, you may way to be more cognizant of how a statement like that may come across because it definitely comes across as arrogant, especially for a new grad.