2 offers: Neuro-Tele vs Ortho-Neuro

sistasoul · Jul 14, 2013

I work ortho/neuro and it also has telemetry. 99 % of stroke patients will be put on telemetry. Will the neuro/ortho position also have telemetry? I would think the neuro/ortho would also involve strokes and there fore would need telemetry. I would take the neuro/ortho because you will see many more diagnoses other than just strokes. This is the type of unit I work on and it is considered a medical surgical unit and we get COPD, pancreatitis, detoxers, etc,. I would think you would learn more on this type of unit.

Ortho is not my favorite though. Especially the knee replacements. It is a lot of pain control and ortho is very heavy. There is a lot of equipment with ortho such as CPMS and abductor pillows that the patient must be taken in and out each time you get them up to the commode. It is time consuming to say the least. Stroke patients on the other hand can be time consuming also depending on their deficits. I like dealing with neuro because it is more interesting in my opinion than ortho.

Other than the types of units I would look at the culture of the unit if you can. A unit where the nurses are nice and helpful is the best because as a new nurse you will need the support of your peers. Also, how much orientation is each job offering? I had 3 weeks of orientation as a new nurse and would have quit if not for the support of my peers. Just a couple of other things to think about.

Congratulations on the 2 job offers.

That is fantastic.

icp_ · Jul 16, 2013

Thank you for the advice, sistasoul!

afox · Jul 18, 2013

What did you take?!

Firstly, Neuro isn't for everyone, but while it seems limited, can actually be very broad.

I myself would have taken the Neuro-Tele position at the Comprehensive stroke center. (In fact, I work at a comprehensive stroke center at a Level 1 trauma Center and it's pretty awesome) It feels good to be part of a neuro department that is the "best of the best", as we recently along with help of our ED had a door to TPA time of 5 minutes. Most of our stroke patients are on tele, but we get all neurological ailments from Seizures to MS to ALS to spinal chord injuries to Craniotomies and spinal surgery. I'm on the general unit so we have 5-6 patients and some nights they are all neuro, some nights I have all medical overflow, so it all depends. I get a lot of pneumonia, sepsis, I've had a mom 1 day post partum because she was having seizuress, pancreatitis, psych issues, etc... I feel like this floor, while is specialized in neuro, has a wide array of patients many who different comorbidities and allows me to stay relevant to other issues.