Need advice on 2 floors......help!

rninme · Jun 16, 2006

I have the chance to take my pick between med/surg and critical care. knowing nothing about either one is my delima on picking the job. Anyone tell me anything about the differences , ups and downs???? help me...LOL
AmyD RN

Critical Care....the sickest of the sick. Art-lines, ventilators, central lines, cardiac monitoring.... I LOVE IT!!

Med/Surg...some surgical patients, general patients..pneumonia, cellulitis, fx hips...some extremely ill...others not so ill. Depending on what state you are in...nurse to patient ratios on a M/S floor can be 10 to 1.

In critical care, nurse to patient ratios...depending on the level of care needed: "specialed" pts..1 on 1; a usual assignment is 2 to 1, or sometimes 3 to 1.

There is nothing wrong with being a med/surg nurse...some nurses love it and will never change. But, lots of nurses work a year or two on med/surg and then transfer to critical care or ED. Me...I work critical care and ED...AND charge on med/surg.........LOL.

AmyD_RN · Jun 16, 2006

well if they are willing to hire a newbie do you think I should go for critical care? would that be too hard on a new RN?

grinnurse, RN · Jun 18, 2006

I chose Med/Surge right out of school though I really wanted to go into the ER. So glad that I made that choice now. All of our instructors advised us to go into MS just for the experience, to hone your assessment skills, time management skills, etc. I chose MS not only for those reasons, but also, was looking at what I wanted to do in the future and knew that most of them required at least 1 year on MS. On MS you see such a variety of different pts, especially if you are at a larger hospital. I have ended up really liking it which is surprising b/c I hated it in nursing school.

I have spoken to at least 3 people that I graduated with that started out in a specialty area that regret not starting on MS first. If you go to a hospital that tries to give you 10 pts on a MS floor.......run, don't walk to the nearest exit!! I am not going to lie, MS is hard work especially when you are starting out, but any other area that you go into is going to be hard when you first begin. I think in choosing the right unit it is a good thing to look at where you think you might want to end up further down the road.

Good luck in choosing your first position.

athena55, BSN, RN · Jun 18, 2006

:paw: hello. when i first graduated i went to one of the med/surg floors while waiting for my probation period to be over. i learned a lot and after my 3 month probational period was finished and finding out i passed the boards, i asked for and received a transfer into the icu.

i agree that, if you are a new graduate rn c p, you might want to work on a "regular floor": learn from more experienced nurses and the nursing assistants (cna), ask questions, observe observe observe, then go home and read. subscribe to various nursing journals or go to your nursing school library or university/college library that has a nursing program and read the journals there.

maybe your health care facility has a cross-training program? or maybe you can shadow a critical care nurse? i have been a critical care nurse for over 30 years, most of them spent in oncology critical care.

good luck to you!

athena

ortess1971 · Jun 18, 2006

I think you should go for the ICU position-the experience you get there is incredible, if you can work ICU, you can do pretty much anything. Med/surg is a high burnout area and the classmates I have had that did their "year of med/surg" because they thought they had to, ended up regretting it. I do have respect for med/surg nurses but the way the nurses are treated by administration is a crime.(one of the floors at my hospital routinely has a 11 to 1 patient care ratio.) Take advantage of the nursing shortage and the fact that employers will train you in the ICU right out of school.

TLC RN · Jun 18, 2006

Hey AmyD RN :)

I just graduated and started on a critical care floor. I picked a hosptial that I knew would have a good training period. I am happy with my decision so far. I am learning a lot and the pace is very fast but I like it. But the key for me was picking a place with a good training program that was established. They have been taking new grads in the ICU for a while and the preceptors know how to train new grads. They are very supportive of our training. I meet with managers weekly and set goals and priorities to work on with my preceptor.

I would pick the job with the best new grad training program no matter what type of floor.

AmyD_RN · Jun 19, 2006

Hey AmyD RN :)
I just graduated and started on a critical care floor. I picked a hosptial that I knew would have a good training period. I am happy with my decision so far. I am learning a lot and the pace is very fast but I like it. But the key for me was picking a place with a good training program that was established. They have been taking new grads in the ICU for a while and the preceptors know how to train new grads. They are very supportive of our training. I meet with managers weekly and set goals and priorities to work on with my preceptor.
I would pick the job with the best new grad training program no matter what type of floor.

Well from what I have heard the med surg floors around here are extrememly high burnout. I guess the training reflects it and the high turnover does too. When we were in clinicals the critical care units had the best "team" atomosphere, they were like a family and so nice. I think that is one of the reason it is on the top of my list right now above med surg. the CCU has been taking new grads for a long time too.

AmyD RN

beckabeckahi · Jun 20, 2006

I'm four months into my first year of nursing and chose med surg for my first position. For me, it was the right decision. Everyone is different regarding past experience and personality whether a specialty as a new grad is right for you. Med surg is hard work, as everyone else stated. What I like about my floor is I am able to get my "sea-legs" and get comfortable in my routine with less critical patients. There is so much to take in as a new nurse, and while we do have patients go downhill fast, the chance is less on my unit. Currently there is an opportunity on a step down teley unit and I have several "ins" on that floor, but I have decided to stay on med-surg for a year. You do see a variety of patients on a med surg floor, and I think its valuable experience.

Some of my classmates have gone into specialties and they're doing fine. I would just make very sure that you have the right preceptor program you need if you go into a specialty as a new grad.

Good luck to you!!

TLC RN · Jun 21, 2006

Well from what I have heard the med surg floors around here are extrememly high burnout. I guess the training reflects it and the high turnover does too. When we were in clinicals the critical care units had the best "team" atomosphere, they were like a family and so nice. I think that is one of the reason it is on the top of my list right now above med surg. the CCU has been taking new grads for a long time too.
AmyD RN

Can you tour both units to get an idea of what each one is like?

AmyD_RN · Jun 21, 2006

not real sure, just waiting on the initial call first. argh!