Med-surg or GI Hospital lab nurse opportunity?

[sbwpaso]

I’ve been a new nurse for a little over a year on a renal/gi/gu med-surg unit. I’ve got a great team, great manager, but its a heavy floor. I’ve been applying for other jobs because I want more experience and want to become ACLS certified, and other reasons.

I had an interview last week in my hospitals GI Lab. It was for part-time, so I could work med-surg and a new job...but she had full-time too and that seemed like an easier transition.

Manager in GI lab and people seem great. The job is M-F from 7-330, and flexible to work 630-300 if needed. Call 1 night a week and every 6th weekend. 2 holidays a year.

Im torn because I like the 3 days a week and who I work with and what I do. The new offer sounds appealing but I’m not sure.

So...

Thoughts on working 5 days vs 3 days?

Anyone make move from med-surg to GI lab? What’s it like?

Would it be a good career move at this stage in nursing?

Any advice would be so helpful!

Thanks everyone!

[brownbook]

If you take the part time GI position and can work per diem or something ?? on your current unit....you will keep up your acute care skills.

Then if you like the GI job I assume you could eventually get full time there.

I like GI nursing but worked there at the end of my 20 plus years of acute care nursing. GI is generally easier and is specialized (as EVERY type of nursing is), the hours are great. It may be a little harder for you to return to acute care nursing if you ever needed or wanted to.

[puroticorico, MSN, CNA, RN]

Too funny. I was in the Endoscopy after ICU for 3 years and currently am in the OR with 2 years under my belt but transferring back to Endoscopy. I miss the patient interaction, patient acuity and familiarity of the GI system. Outpatient endoscopy center vs in-patient hospital are very different. GI patients are usually some of the most sick and unstable patients in the hospital (particularly pancreatic cancer, PEG tubes, ERCPs, massive GI bleeds, TB patients, etc). Not to mention, GI disorders effect every body system and can be extremely unpleasant and painful. Nonetheless, it's great experience because it's fast paced too and you are sometimes in the OR for cases

As for shifts, I miss 3/12s a lot over 5/8s or 4/10s. You can burn out quickly with fast patient turnover. Yet, it is a specialty with A LOT more to learn than just upper endoscopies and colonoscopies (unlike most people believe). The patients are bowel prepped in advance and there's less stool than med-surg ;). There's esophageal manometry, pH studies, anorectal manometry, ERCP, bronchoscopies, fecal transplant and much more. Of course it depends on the location you're working.

Hope this helps!

[sbwpaso]

Thank you for

On 8/1/2019 at 11:37 AM, puroticorico said:

Too funny. I was in the Endoscopy after ICU for 3 years and currently am in the OR with 2 years under my belt but transferring back to Endoscopy. I miss the patient interaction, patient acuity and familiarity of the GI system. Outpatient endoscopy center vs in-patient hospital are very different. GI patients are usually some of the most sick and unstable patients in the hospital (particularly pancreatic cancer, PEG tubes, ERCPs, massive GI bleeds, TB patients, etc). Not to mention, GI disorders effect every body system and can be extremely unpleasant and painful. Nonetheless, it's great experience because it's fast paced too and you are sometimes in the OR for cases

As for shifts, I miss 3/12s a lot over 5/8s or 4/10s. You can burn out quickly with fast patient turnover. Yet, it is a specialty with A LOT more to learn than just upper endoscopies and colonoscopies (unlike most people believe). The patients are bowel prepped in advance and there's less stool than med-surg ;). There's esophageal manometry, pH studies, anorectal manometry, ERCP, bronchoscopies, fecal transplant and much more. Of course it depends on the location you're working.

Hope this helps!

[sbwpaso]

Thank you for the reply. I’m still having a hard time deciding if it’s the best fit for me. I have so many moving parts with kids who don’t drive yet, trying to decide if I need the flexibility of the 3 days vs the 5 days. I’m just not sure what to do.

[puroticorico, MSN, CNA, RN]

After recently leaving the OR to go back to Endoscopy, I am regretting it. Each place is very different and call can be a lot due to emergency cases. Med-surg has long days but more flexibility in schedule (3/12s). Endoscopy is definitely a specialty you can transfer to down the road. I’d wait and figure out your children and marriage. Your anxiety will be less. Why rush into something—particularly when there’s a lot of question marks.