New grad on med surg unit

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hello all!

im a new grad nurse working on a med surg unit. med surg was not my first pick, but they hired me. i was told by many people that i should get a year of med surg experience before becoming an OB nurse (dream job/field). im striving to work med surg at least 6-12mo. i have been working for two weeks. so far im learning alot but i can see med surg is not for me. this unit is like a dumping ground and most of the patients are geriatric. you have your good nurses and your not so good nurses. my preceptor is a really good nurse and med surg is truly her thing. i admire that so much, i hope to thrive that way in OB nursing. i was told that we can transfer after working 6mo, which has been on my mind. the unit manager is aware of my future goals but i feel bad that i really dont like med surg. i will do my best to stick it out and learn as much as i can , but i do see that med surg is not my thing. i do believe working the night shift will help me get through on most days. i also know the first year of nursing is not easy! how did some of you deal with your first year as a new nurse on a unit you didn't care for???

Specializes in Medical Surgical, Postpartum, Derm/Allergy, Hemonc.

Also, I don't believe all med surg units are a dumping ground (bad choice of words). The unit that I happen to work on is like that. My first night working the nurses were talking pretty bad about the unit and I was so shocked to hear so many grumpy negative nurses, who supposedly hate their job. They were asking me questions like, why would you come to this unit etc... I told them I'm here to gain experience! They made me feel really uncomfortable . So negative and unprofessional!

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this unit is like a dumping ground and most of the patients are geriatric

Do you have grandparents???

Make it your "thing" until you move onto some other "thing".

and those nurses are jerks.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTACH, LTC, Home Health.
hello all!

im a new grad nurse working on a med surg unit. med surg was not my first pick, but they hired me. i was told by many people that i should get a year of med surg experience before becoming an OB nurse (dream job/field). im striving to work med surg at least 6-12mo. i have been working for two weeks. so far im learning alot but i can see med surg is not for me. this unit is like a dumping ground and most of the patients are geriatric. you have your good nurses and your not so good nurses. my preceptor is a really good nurse and med surg is truly her thing. i admire that so much, i hope to thrive that way in OB nursing. i was told that we can transfer after working 6mo, which has been on my mind. the unit manager is aware of my future goals but i feel bad that i really dont like med surg. i will do my best to stick it out and learn as much as i can , but i do see that med surg is not my thing. i do believe working the night shift will help me get through on most days. i also know the first year of nursing is not easy! how did some of you deal with your first year as a new nurse on a unit you didn't care for???

I don't mean to burst your bubble, but this means nothing in the grand scheme of things. You may be eligible to transfer after 6 months, but please don't get your hopes up. If there is an open position in OB at that time, you will be going up against more experienced ASNs and BSNs. Your unit manager may know what your goals are, but his or her primary concern is the needs of the unit, and can 'block' your transfer. Just be prepared, and learn what you can while you're there.

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Specializes in Medical Surgical, Postpartum, Derm/Allergy, Hemonc.
I don't mean to burst your bubble, but this means nothing in the grand scheme of things. You may be eligible to transfer after 6 months, but please don't get your hopes up. If there is an open position in OB at that time, you will be going up against more experienced ASNs and BSNs. Your unit manager may know what your goals are, but his or her primary concern is the needs of the unit, and can 'block' your transfer. Just be prepared, and learn what you can while you're there.

I'm very aware that it's possible, even though she said we want people to be where they want to be. I'm new not stupid, I know people are going to do what is best for them and I will do the same for myself ! Get my experience and move on.

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Specializes in Medical Surgical, Postpartum, Derm/Allergy, Hemonc.
Do you have grandparents???

Make it your "thing" until you move onto some other "thing".

and those nurses are jerks.

Yes I have 1 grandparent and she is the reason I want to go into OB/GYN nursing along with other things. I don't have anything against the geriatric population ! I just thought I would see different age groups. Like I said before I'm there to learn learn learn with a smile on my face !!! I will take it one day at a time. I believe it's ok not to care for med surg, but I go on that unit and do what I have to do for the time being !!

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I have no advice to offer, but can empathize. I'm a new grad on a unit I'm not thrilled with too. If nursing school came and went, this first year will come and go too. We got this.

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Specializes in Medical Surgical, Postpartum, Derm/Allergy, Hemonc.
I have no advice to offer, but can empathize. I'm a new grad on a unit I'm not thrilled with too. If nursing school came and went, this first year will come and go too. We got this.

Yes we will get through this !!!

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Nurse LAE, I agree that you should go ahead and keep your ambition to leave the unit quiet. Really it wouldn't do you any good, some nurses will resent it (the same ones you probably "know who" already).

This is true of people in any profession...STAY AWAY from them and their negativity. They love to complain, it is their personality, and you don't need to be associated with that. It's unprofessional and nothing positive can come of it. My thought when they whine is that you are a nurse, we are all doing the same job here, we experience the same things...so how bout not bringing us down? My admiration is to those who aren't complaint factories and just share that look maybe as we pass in the hall, but otherwise find the positives.

Also, word of warning...I have worked days and nights and mark my words nights will come with their own difficulties. Moving to night shift will not solve the issues you describe.

The general feeling is that the hospital is running on bare minimum at night so you are obligated to pick up the slack in places you might not imagine.

I found that at night the patient ratios were worse, fewer techs and fewer nurses... as a result the charge wound up with patients so they couldn't help out where demand was needed. Also you aren't going to have patients going for tests/imaging/surgery/PT etc. at night, which is a nice reprieve during the day (of course unless the test or surgery is due an emergency, so it is not a reprieve at all and at night is an even more time consuming affair to manage).

There wasn't a night unit clerk, only the monitor tech...so with fewer staff in general you had to be sure to answer that phone if you were near the station, and then ya wind up having to track down people or page them, or YOU are the person and it is gonna be your admit and you have to find the time to take report. The phone ringing at night can be terrifying.

Also I experienced more admits from ED on night shift, and I'd rather have a DC or transfer like I get during day as opposed to only new admits at night where you'll have to initiate everythingggggg.

If I hear a nurse say something like "I wish i had it easy like those night-shifters" I will think "this is a person who has never worked nights!"

I think my favorite thing about night shift was being able to sneak a cup of coffee and how much easier it was to find a parking space. Both day and night nursing are rewarding, just be careful what you wish for dear!

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When I graduated, I stayed at home with my first baby for a year. When I went to get work (I thought I wanted med surg), I was told to go to a nursing home for a year. I did my time and I was able to enjoy the elderly people. It was most satisfying when I had time to hear people's stories. I really did not learn much that was transferable to hospital nursing. When I worked med surg, I really learned a lot about assessments, acting on the assessments when necessary, and priority setting. I also learned that doing a complete assessment, doing what I could before placing a call to an M.D. and also having lab values etc. on hand was essential before placing a call to an M.D., esp. at night.

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Specializes in Medical Surgical, Postpartum, Derm/Allergy, Hemonc.
Nurse LAE, I agree that you should go ahead and keep your ambition to leave the unit quiet. Really it wouldn't do you any good, some nurses will resent it (the same ones you probably "know who" already).

This is true of people in any profession...STAY AWAY from them and their negativity. They love to complain, it is their personality, and you don't need to be associated with that. It's unprofessional and nothing positive can come of it. My thought when they whine is that you are a nurse, we are all doing the same job here, we experience the same things...so how bout not bringing us down? My admiration is to those who aren't complaint factories and just share that look maybe as we pass in the hall, but otherwise find the positives.

Also, word of warning...I have worked days and nights and mark my words nights will come with their own difficulties. Moving to night shift will not solve the issues you describe.

The general feeling is that the hospital is running on bare minimum at night so you are obligated to pick up the slack in places you might not imagine.

I found that at night the patient ratios were worse, fewer techs and fewer nurses... as a result the charge wound up with patients so they couldn't help out where demand was needed. Also you aren't going to have patients going for tests/imaging/surgery/PT etc. at night, which is a nice reprieve during the day (of course unless the test or surgery is due an emergency, so it is not a reprieve at all and at night is an even more time consuming affair to manage).

There wasn't a night unit clerk, only the monitor tech...so with fewer staff in general you had to be sure to answer that phone if you were near the station, and then ya wind up having to track down people or page them, or YOU are the person and it is gonna be your admit and you have to find the time to take report. The phone ringing at night can be terrifying.

Also I experienced more admits from ED on night shift, and I'd rather have a DC or transfer like I get during day as opposed to only new admits at night where you'll have to initiate everythingggggg.

If I hear a nurse say something like "I wish i had it easy like those night-shifters" I will think "this is a person who has never worked nights!"

I think my favorite thing about night shift was being able to sneak a cup of coffee and how much easier it was to find a parking space. Both day and night nursing are rewarding, just be careful what you wish for dear!

I started on night ma and I know that they are not easy. Some nights are ok and some nights are not. I will get to train on days as well. Both have pros and cons! I'm well aware of that !!

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Hi, im also a new grad but cant get an interview to save my life, i was wondering what hospital your working in?

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Hi, im also a new grad but cant get an interview to save my life, i was wondering what hospital your working in?

You may want to ask around to some of your classmates. The OP may be in a completely different area than you're in, and most people on this board desire a certain level of anonymity- especially when expressing dissatisfaction with their jobs.

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