new at hospital nursing

[rknrobyn10]

Hello, I just started three months ago working at a hospital, and I was wondering if there were other disillusioned nurses aout there with the large work loads. I feel like my eight hour night shift with nine patients to care for is a race. It is that way at all hospitals, I am on an ortho-med sug floor. I have been there just three months and 7 nurses have left the job. Is there a better work place?

[AcosmicRN]

Yes! You need to start looking for a new place. 9 pts is not an acceptable workload for one person, except in emergencies. You should condition yourself for 7 pts on an orth/neuro/med surg floor, but anything over that maximum is not fair to you. You need to start looking for another job, while you still have one. That 7 nurses have left since you started is an obvious sign that the hospital is a revolving door.

I was once told by a speaker at a convention that you should aim for the best place to work in the area you want to live in. You may not get the job tomorrow, but you should be putting in your application, trying to get on PRN, whatever. It may take a year, but so what? That year is going to pass whether you try or not. Give yourself some hope: start managing your career as a nurse now. Go for the best, even if you have to stay in the worst while you're trying to get there.

At the hospital where I work, 7 is the max on a floor like yours. 6 is the usual.

Acosmic

[nursemary9, BSN, RN]

Hi

Welcome to All Nurses!!

It is not that way in all places. I have been doing this for over 30 years. I work nites on a very busy med-surg floor. At nite the max we get is 7 patients. On this floor the max they get on days is 5 and 6 at most.

We are very busy, don't get me wrong, but it is a little bit more doable with 5 to 6.

Hospital work is extremely hectic these days. Even as little as 3 to 5 yrs. ago, most of these med-surg. pts would have been in the ICU.

If it is that bad, leave!! Don't wait. These days we have choices!!

It's your license and your career on the line.

These days nurses leave all the time until they find there niche.

Good Luck!!

Let us know how it goes

Mary Ann