more med-surg woes

rhondaa83 · Aug 26, 2008

You need to get out of med surge, if you are this miserable, then your patients are even more miserable, and it is not fair for them. They deserve a happy nurse who wants to take care of them.

Suzy2 · Aug 26, 2008

I know how you feel at times! Maybe you could get into an area of nursing that is not hospital such home health, occupational health, or something where you won't be running around like a chicken with your head cut off! Good luck. I don't really have an answer for you, but I can empathize.

NurseyPoo7 · Aug 26, 2008

I'm confused about how to be a nurse but have "minimal" contact with pts?

solneeshka, BSN, RN · Aug 26, 2008

OR nursing has a completely different kind of patient contact. The patients themselves are often out during the procedures. Your role would be to advocate on their behalf, but you definitely don't interact with them to the degree or in the way that you do on med-surg. That would be one way to go. PACU, too, you have patient contact but it's very different from the med-surg kind of contact, bring them out of anesthesia, get them stabilized, assess and monitor, then move them on to wherever it is they will recuperate. No meals, no baths, no 500 meds a day per patient. There's also pre-surgery, where you're mostly assessing and interviewing the patient, completing paperwork, starting the IV, etc., but you're not dealing with meds delivery (usually) or ADLs or meals or phone calls from the family to see how they're doing today or doctors who don't happen to be there when you could really use them. Cath lab also, you have patient contact for the procedure, and then you ship them back to med-surg. If you don't want to have that little patient contact, you could try ER. Lots of patient contact but in a different way from med-surg, none of the ADLs, just treating the c/o, getting them stable, and then moving them on, either to home or to the place that will provide ongoing treatment. In suburban hospitals, ER is mostly chest pain and abd pain, it's not like you're dealing with gang warfare or something, and if it's not a major trauma center in an area that does have a major trauma center you probably wouldn't get much blood and guts (those go to the trauma centers). Post-partum, assess the mommies and help them manage their pain, they can usually take care of themselves and they often have daddies or other family members there to help them out. There's school nursing, or you could be a nurse for a large company (they often have clinics in-house if they have a lot of employees). That's dealing with aches & pains, on the job injuries, and education. All of these areas are interesting and challenging, but in ways that are different from med-surg. You have choices! God love the nurses that enjoy med-surg work but it's not for everybody. No area is for everybody. You're doing the right thing by recognizing that you need an change and looking for ideas. You have options! You are not trapped! Look at your hospital's web site right now, there are probably half a dozen nursing positions that have less of what you don't like and more of what you do.

TopazLover, BSN, RN · Aug 26, 2008

Looking at your name I would suggest more education and then research. What is it really that has you feeling this way? How long have you been a nurse? Is your hospital, or the people you serve the problem?

Perhaps you have thought this all through or perhaps you need to vent. let us know. :specs:

zoo*moon, BSN, RN · Aug 26, 2008

well, hate to admit it but you typed how i feel many times when i go to work. so many patients to take care of, it is too much stress and pressure. having to pass meds and do assessments by 10pm then all the charting-- so much that you really don't have time to check on the patients. what else? stinky old women's crotches, stinky large men's rolls-- the smells are just so gross. then there are rude demanding patients, patients, who despite my ignoring other staff's reports that they are "drug seekers", really are that and are quite rude about it. rude families who think they are the only ones i'm taking care of. patients who complain because they don't get their evening meds by 8:00. give me a break! patients who complain because we check their vitals at midnight and 4am...

sometimes i too just don't want to be with other people. i wish i had lab credentials. i'm thinking working in a lab would be a nice change. i feel how you feel. i hate med/surg. i hate going to work. i hate being at work. i hope you find something different to do. i'm looking too.

uugggghhhhhh i absolutely dread going into work. what areas of nursing could i work in and be relatively left alone/have minimal contact with people/patients? the more/longer i am working, the more i don't want to work. so, any suggestions would be appreciated!

Butterflybee · Aug 26, 2008

You didnt mention if youre a new nurse so I dont know but I do know that there are seasons and highs and lows. While reading the many posts on this site, they said that there would be periods like this. Give yourself some more time. I get a feeling that you are not alone and there are many that feel the exact same way that you do. I give you props for being honest enough to say so. :nurse: During clinicals, I got sick the very first day. My proctor wanted to send me home. I came down with a fever and immediate constant runs to the rest room. I did get the heaves. I kept getting the cold sweats. This over the horrid smells. Im hoping my body can keep it together when I get my first position. What I did during clinicals was to chew gum ALOT, it helped some. Good luck to you, I hope while youre still there you can trick yourself somehow into making it a tad bearable for you. I know that's what im going to have to do.