new RN frustration; med surg makes nurses become bitter people??

Libby1987 · Apr 19, 2015

I don't understand the shock, you're a college grad with a professional license after just having been trained in the hospital.

I also don't understand the lack of initiative to be like a soldier and get the experience where you can to achieve your goals.

I couldn't and wouldn't work the floor at this point in my career but you just finished school and are up to date with the current challenges facing all nurses as well as new grads.

Why don't pre-nursing and nursing students research the industry?

Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN · Apr 19, 2015

I like med/surg! I don't care for eight patients, though. The max at my current job is five, but having 7-8 for my first few working years taught me ALL about time management.

That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Apr 19, 2015

The classic debate of how to get experience when everyone requires it. To move back to where I am, that is what I had to figure out. So what I did was move to the state next to where I wanted to go, got the job and then left after 2 years.

Dranger · Apr 19, 2015

You are kidding right? Have you ever heard of internal applicants? Take the med surg job and do well. I guarantee someone will notice and if you express interest in ICU/ER a little bit down the road you will get a slot.

I am shocked you couldn't figure this out, as an internal applicant EVERYTHING is easier. It's who you know.

Suck it up, most people don't start out in ICU

allnurses Guide · Apr 19, 2015

8 patients dangerous? Hate to tell you but that is industry standard! If you think that's bad you should see the ratios in Long Term Care. I typically have 12 to 15 patients plus when I am charge I take the supervision of the entire unit which is 35 patients. When I worked psych the ratio was 28 to 1RN. I would love to have only 8 patients to take care of. A newer grad I met who is working in OR also took a class to be an OR tech and she was hired based on her RN and additional OR training. The job market sucks because it is glutted with new grads and old farts like me who have kids to put through college.

I say take the med surg job if it's offered - you will get a great amount of experience if you do it for a year to 18 months and keep your resume updated and out there. It's always easier to find a job when you have one.

Hppy

THELIVINGWORST, ASN, RN · Apr 19, 2015

8 patients dangerous? Hate to tell you but that is industry standard! If you think that's bad you should see the ratios in Long Term Care. I typically have 12 to 15 patients plus when I am charge I take the supervision of the entire unit which is 35 patients. When I worked psych the ratio was 28 to 1RN. I would love to have only 8 patients to take care of. A newer grad I met who is working in OR also took a class to be an OR tech and she was hired based on her RN and additional OR training. The job market sucks because it is glutted with new grads and old farts like me who have kids to put through college.
I say take the med surg job if it's offered - you will get a great amount of experience if you do it for a year to 18 months and keep your resume updated and out there. It's always easier to find a job when you have one.
Hppy

8 Acute pts is VERY different than 12-15 LTC Pts. Very different. A lot of these pts should probably be IMC at the very least.

I get 6 pts on my unit and sometimes that is a little much, but I manage.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Apr 19, 2015

Also is like everywhere you go the Medsurg nurses have 8 patients or more. Thats dangerous and stressful. Thats to much for one nurse.

In the city where I live, the major hospitals staff each med/surg nurse with five patients on day shift and six patients on night shift. I am in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.

Also, California has legally mandated nurse/patient ratios for acute care hospitals. Med/surg nurses are permitted to care for a maximum of five patients per CA state law.

Mavrick, BSN, RN · Apr 19, 2015

Yep, I hear your rant and a lot of it is true. I would not work Med-Surg now for the very reasons stated. Hard work, exhausting, dangerous. I see why there are so many new nurses working those units.

The old pros though AMAZE me. They have taken prioritization, time management, multi-tasking and assertiveness skills to unbelievable levels. Useful life skills that will come in handy in many other endeavors like returning to school, finding a mate, managing a household, raising a family, etc.

The old argument of how do I get experience if no one will hire me falls on deaf ears to employers who already know that. Not their problem. Let the other guy take the hit (expense) of giving the new grad a chance and getting burned when it doesn't work out. An expensive mistake when dealing with people who don't really know what they want or what real life nursing is about.

Now back to you. What is the attraction you have to OR, ER and ICU? They are very different and require different skill sets. OR is very technical and you can work with some mighty strong personalities. ER can be fast-paced and tedious at the same time requiring team-work and independent thinking. ICU is where sick OR and ER patients go when they're done with 'em. Fewer numbers of patients but a lot more to do for each one.

Unless you are lucky and happen to snag an ICU job on just the right day, being an internal candidate gives you a better vantage point to watch for openings and get to know people who can help you.

Mavrick, BSN, RN · Apr 19, 2015

Also, California has legally mandated nurse/patient ratios for acute care hospitals. Med/surg nurses are permitted to care for a maximum of five patients per CA state law.

I find it very telling that it takes a state law to require employers to maintain safe staffing. The use of a business-model for hospitals is not consistent with how people choose their healthcare. Most don't really have a choice to shop around for their gall bladder or knee surgery.

Simonesays, BSN, RN · Apr 19, 2015

I work on a med-surg floor (orthopedics & trauma) and I love it! I live in Canada and work in a busy urban teaching hospital so nurse to patient ratios arent' too bad (4-5 patients during the day, 4-6 at night). And if we have really sick patients, our manager is open to modifying assignments and calling in extra staff when necessary. You will get to know lots of different diagnosis, surgeries, underlying medical conditions (and how they all affect one another). And you will definitely learn to hone your skills.

One thing that I will say makes a huge difference, as with pretty much any area of nursing, is your team. I am lucky to have an amazing group that I work with. We have fun working together (which is important- you will be spending lots of time with these people) and we work well as a team. When I was hired, one question I asked about was staff turnover. If staff turnover is rapid, it is usually for a reason...

I am of the old-school mentality that if you want to transfer into a nursing specialty (ER, ICU, OR), spending a couple of years solidifying your med-surg foundation is important. I would imagine that it could be overwhelming as a new graduate to simultaneously try to consolidate your knowledge and skills while also learning a specialty. Some new nurses are able to do it and flourish but I think you increase your chances of success in these areas if you develop a solid skill/critical thinking foundation first.

Best of luck!

allnurses Guide · Apr 19, 2015

8 Acute pts is VERY different than 12-15 LTC Pts. Very different. A lot of these pts should probably be IMC at the very least.
I get 6 pts on my unit and sometimes that is a little much, but I manage.

Be that as it may LTC patients still need a lot of care and often develop acute conditions that need experienced thoughtful nurses to care for them. A week ago I spent sevel hours with just one patient who the family listed as No extraordinary measures and a doctor who insisted that I start an IV on a patient who was clearly dying and hypovolemic. I got the IV in on the third try but kept thinking why am I torturing this poor patient. She passed after my shift was over.

People think LTC nurses are a bunch of burnouts but it takes a nurse with good instints to take care of patients when you don't have fancy machines and immediate access to labs and X-ray to figure out what wrong - we are a no restraint facility so add in a ambulatory Sun Downer running naked down your hallway and it's fun fun fun.

I was away from the bedside for 9 years and was having a hard time getting back into bedside nursing because most hiring managers felt my bedside skills would not be up to part so I took the LTC because I needed a job. On my first day I started 7 IV's so please don't downplay the demands of LTC vs Med surg. I am very aware and in awe of all nurses who work med surg but sooner or later we all get old and no one knows what the future holds so if you ever find yourself in long term care you better hpe you have a nurse who can multitask and really cares about you.