i'm lost and feel trapped

it's frustrating when non-oncology pts get placed on a floor as specialized as oncology. i see it happen at my hospital. maybe after gaining some experience, consider outpatient. i've done work in rad/onc depts. and infusion centers in a cancer center and you do get the time to sit & talk with pts. as for palliative care, they have a lot of in-house hospice, but oncology rns can do a lot of palliative care for cancer pts. it stinks that it's so busy on your floor, it sounds like you're an asset to hem/onc.

I worked on oncology floors for 9 years of my 11 year career. Unfortunately most hospitals just look to fill beds. I worked on heme/onc floors where I had generic patients for whatever they came in for. When I worked on a surg/onc floor we would get general surgery patients from time to time.

As far as getting time to sit and talk with patients no matter what kind of floor you are on when you do get the time it is because you made time to do it. Not just because it is this floor or that. You will always have days when you think to your self 'Did I pee today?' at the end of a 12 hr shift. That is nursing. Just focus on your patients and give the best care you can one patient at a time. Don't judge the floor by two days, take a few weeks or months then see if you like/dislike the floor. Hang in there!:monkeydance:

awwwww pum

hope things improve soon

I work on a hem/onc floor and we also get hospice/terminal patients. However, with 23 beds, we also get CVA's, UTI's, dementia, pneumonia, and everything else inbetween. Although this is not what I would prefer, I have learned a great deal of assessment skills in the process, and it has given me a good foundation on which to build my nursing career.

If you leave now, you will have missed out on a lot. Could you work another shift (such as 11p-7a) so that you can get your nursing skills down at a bit slower pace? It's not always quiet, but it is almost always better than days or evenings. That's what I did and it made a world of difference. Had I stayed on day shift, I would not have made it this far. Hang in there... it will get better!

:icon_hug:

Just a thought. I'm taking community health nursing right now and we're learning about public health nursing. Maybe you could try that. They seem to have plenty of time to talk to their patients.

This has always been a sticking point for me. I worked for years on an oncology unit, and any time someone was admitted with even a remote history of cancer, they came to our floor no matter what their admitting problem was... We also got a ton of med/surg patients--- we were also not allowed to save beds for "our" patients, even those who we knew were being admitted for chemo, etc. So very often, our cancer patients under current treatment ended up scattered throughout the facility, because we'd filled up with non-oncology patients.

Like it was said above, the hospital only looked to fill beds; patient placement didn't matter to them. Only the orthopedic floor was allowed to take only their own patients--- because they had a manager with the cojones to stand up to administration AND ortho docs who demanded their patients be on that unit exclusively.

I work on a hem/onc floor and we also get hospice/terminal patients. However, with 23 beds, we also get CVA's, UTI's, dementia, pneumonia, and everything else inbetween. Although this is not what I would prefer, I have learned a great deal of assessment skills in the process, and it has given me a good foundation on which to build my nursing career.

If you leave now, you will have missed out on a lot. Could you work another shift (such as 11p-7a) so that you can get your nursing skills down at a bit slower pace? It's not always quiet, but it is almost always better than days or evenings. That's what I did and it made a world of difference. Had I stayed on day shift, I would not have made it this far. Hang in there... it will get better!

:icon_hug:

So Mom, is it easier as a new grad to work night shift? I was just accepted to an oncology/renal floor and will be working 7P-7A.

Chloe:nurse:

So Mom, is it easier as a new grad to work night shift? I was just accepted to an oncology/renal floor and will be working 7P-7A.

Chloe:nurse:

Chloe,

I think it is. I had some great experienced nurses who guided me along the way... and I think that is the key. Let me know how it goes!

mom

Chloe,

I think it is. I had some great experienced nurses who guided me along the way... and I think that is the key. Let me know how it goes!

mom

Can ya wait a few weeks? I don't officially start til then. LOL. But glad to know I will be starting easy.

Thanks!

Oncology/Hematology BMT IS in my opinion is an ICU only more difficult and more dangerous. The positive of learning on this unit is you will have so many advanced skills that you could take with you later in your career but..IT IS VERY INTIMIDATING. KEEP WITH IT FOR A WHILE.