I notice that a lot of nurses that I've talked to hate the med surg area. It's too stressful even I see it. Everywhere you go, med surg nurses are stressed out and bitter. They don't recommend the floor some don't even recommend nursing. Some even say they regret their career choice. They eat their young.
Also is like everywhere you go the Medsurg nurses have 8 patients or more. Thats dangerous and stressful. Thats to much for one nurse. It's risking patient care and the nurses license cause its to busy. Time management can only do so much.
Now, I'm looking looking for a job but I just basically got my license so no experience. And the only area the places I've checked out are only willing to hire me in is Medsurg, that is IF they are hiring . I don't like Medsurg. Also I only have ASN and every websites I go to fill up applications, they always say bsn required.
I wanted to be in an OR, ER or ICU. but you need experience in the area, how am I gonna get experience if I don't even get hired in those areas in the first place...
The requirements are all the same. Must be bsn or higher and have experience.
I just needed to rant cause I'm so shocked. And frustrated.
I think you either love it or hate it. And 80% of the time it's not the work that sucks, it's the ratios, management, floor dynamics, etc. I work on a floor with incredible managers, an amazing team, and ratios that aren't USUALLY impossible. I've had a 4- patient assignment with one patient going downhill and my colleagues (including manager and assistant manager) have stepped in to help with my other patients. It's not like that everywhere you go. I can honestly say that I love med/surg. I look forward to going to work and love what I do.
That being said, it's an area where you can burn out real quick if the stars don't align and you're left dealing with 6-8 VERY acute patients on your own. It's dangerous, overwhelming and definitely facilitates hatred toward medical/surgical nursing.
Me too. I loved it...like the old military saying, "The hardest job I ever loved" or something like that. It can be very rewarding if you feel you did a good job at the end of the day. I still think it's a great place to start if even for 6 months. Maybe a person doesn't realize until later, after they have left...how much it taught them.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I don't know...maybe? I really regret doing med surg as a first job, it's given me a really negative outlook on nursing and has made me really regret entering the field. I hate my job. Hate. I cry a lot. I alternate between being bored and being infuriated and I'm so tired of being overloaded with patients, never having enough supplies, being treated like the garbage can of the hospital. I never wanted to do med surg but I bought into the whole "you need a year" notion and now I'm having a hard time getting out. I think the idea that everyone has to do a year of it is outdated - med surg is it's own specialty, if you don't want to do it and can go directly to where you want to be, why would you bother putting yourself thru the misery?
Having a negative outlook on nursing, hating your job, crying a lot and regretting becoming a nurse are all common feelings in your first year of nursing. It seems to happen regardless of where you take your first job. I have to say, though, if you're bored at your first nursing job, you aren't doing it right. You have to have your brain engaged at all times. Perhaps if you change THAT aspect of your practice, you won't hate it so much.
Having a negative outlook on nursing, hating your job, crying a lot and regretting becoming a nurse are all common feelings in your first year of nursing. It seems to happen regardless of where you take your first job. I have to say, though, if you're bored at your first nursing job, you aren't doing it right. You have to have your brain engaged at all times. Perhaps if you change THAT aspect of your practice, you won't hate it so much.
Honestly, the part that makes me bored is that I have zero nursing judgement leeway and I barely feel like a nurse some days - more like a data entry person/customer service robot. We were told yesterday that we have to have a doctor's order to apply an icepack and we just got scripts we are supposed to follow. I mean, am I an intelligent person with a brain here that I can't figure out when an ice pack is appropriate and don't know how to speak to a fellow human being?
med surg is hard, I don't know what to say to make that easier as a new graduate, really I think your best bet is to have a good attitude and really ask the other nurses questions. it takes about a year or two of med surg to be barely comfortable I think and I think what you're experiencing is just that horrible feeling of being a new nurse and realize there's so much to learn, and there is a lot to learn, try to help other nurses as much as you can, that is my best advice, a lot of times if you help others they will help you, even if you are busy because everyone's busy but works better if work together
personally, my view on medsurg still has not changed.
I do acknowledge that it is stressful, it turns yo into a very critical thinkers and enhances time mgt skills, and prioritization and all your nursing skills.
But that I believe happens in other specialties.
however, im my case, I was very persistent and applied everywhere I could. I got turned down a LOT! But I didnt stop looking and got hired in ICU.
personally, my view on medsurg still has not changed.
I do acknowledge that it is stressful, it turns yo into a very critical thinkers and enhances time mgt skills, and prioritization and all your nursing skills.
But that I believe happens in other specialties.
however, im my case, I was very persistent and applied everywhere I could. I got turned down a LOT! But I didnt stop looking and got hired in ICU.
Congratulations Jetro. :)
I don't want to work ICU but after almost two years, I'm looking to get into women's health somewhere. I hope all goes well for you. :)
I am a new nurse as well, starting in med-surg. I've been working for less than 6 months, and I think it's crucial to find a facility that will support you and help you learn and grow. Med-Surg is hard. Period. But every day that you work, you learn something new. I wouldn't choose any other floor at this point in my career. My eventual goal is ICU, and Med-Surg will make me a better nurse for it. But I agree that starting as a new nurse is hard on any floor.
For better or worse, here in NY most LTC facilities have several units. One for dementia pts, one for stable but very sick pts and one for rehab. It doesn't matter which unit I am on, they are all hard. The 40 dementia pts are screaming, falling and fighting. The stable ones have 10-15 meds apiece including up to 20 of them being diabetics and are very demanding. The rehabs are straight out of the hospital, considered sub-acute and have wounds, pain meds, PT, everything they had in the hospital except now they share a nurse with 19 other patients. LTC is off the charts unsafe and nuts. (for the most part) [/COLOR][/font]
I have been working med/surg in a very large hospital for almost 6 months. It was incredibly hard when I started and the quiet lateral violence was there. I have since learned the history of my floor and know that the environment is much better under this new Nurse Manager but old habits must die hard. I have refused to "learn" or copy the poor behavior and just do my best to be the kind of person I'd like to work with. I helped get a fellow classmate hired who works like I do...and I have seen even though she is an excellent nurse, she is receiving the kind of treatment I got fresh off of orientation. I had thought I would wait until I had been on the floor for a year before I started pointing out some of the weaknesses...but I guess I have earned enough respect that when I pointed out that my friend, fresh off her preceptorship, was ending up with more patients at the end of the shift than any other nurse on the floor....like I had multiple times....one of the more senior nurses took note. The new policy is a brand new nurse starts with 4 patients and never has more than 5....which is 1 to 2 less than everyone else. So positive change is possible. I heard from another nurse that the unit secretary stood up for me when I was assigned a new admit less than an hour before shift-change...when that patient really should have gone to the charge nurse based on our patient counts. The charge did offer do do the admit (still assigned to me) but my friend the new nurse had already agreed to help me pump out the admission so we could finish before handoff....she did the physical assessment and I did all the admission questions...and we both left the shift smiling instead of holding back tears. My goal is to turn my floor into one that people fight to work on. I love med/surg nursing...so much to learn and so many different people. When we work as a team, even the tough days can be worth it. We need to be the change that nursing needs...instead of absorbing the "old school" bad attitude habit (which to be fair, I realize there is a reason why these nurses are often jaded and don't trust each other).
personally, my view on medsurg still has not changed.
I do acknowledge that it is stressful, it turns yo into a very critical thinkers and enhances time mgt skills, and prioritization and all your nursing skills.
But that I believe happens in other specialties.
however, im my case, I was very persistent and applied everywhere I could. I got turned down a LOT! But I didnt stop looking and got hired in ICU.
Hopefully they have you in a minimum 6 month to preferably 1 year orientation cause once you off orientation its all on you. Make sure you don't get sent to the wolves, having 3 and 4 ICU patients like some hospitals do..and like it or not eventually you will be required to get your BSN, if they have not asked you already.Hope you know what you getting into, I'd seen many ICU nurses get floated to my med surg floor and they can't handle it. We only have 5 patients max.
Specializes in Post Acute, Home, Inpatient, Hospice/Pall Care.
I notice that a lot of nurses that I've talked to hate the med surg area. It's too stressful even I see it. Everywhere you go, med surg nurses are stressed out and bitter. They don't recommend the floor some don't even recommend nursing. Some even say they regret their career choice. They eat their young.
Also is like everywhere you go the Medsurg nurses have 8 patients or more. Thats dangerous and stressful. Thats to much for one nurse. It's risking patient care and the nurses license cause its to busy. Time management can only do so much.
Now, I'm looking looking for a job but I just basically got my license so no experience. And the only area the places I've checked out are only willing to hire me in is Medsurg, that is IF they are hiring . I don't like Medsurg. Also I only have ASN and every websites I go to fill up applications, they always say bsn required.
I wanted to be in an OR, ER or ICU. but you need experience in the area, how am I gonna get experience if I don't even get hired in those areas in the first place...
The requirements are all the same. Must be bsn or higher and have experience.
I just needed to rant cause I'm so shocked. And frustrated.
Momma1RN, MSN, RN, APRN
219 Posts
I think you either love it or hate it. And 80% of the time it's not the work that sucks, it's the ratios, management, floor dynamics, etc. I work on a floor with incredible managers, an amazing team, and ratios that aren't USUALLY impossible. I've had a 4- patient assignment with one patient going downhill and my colleagues (including manager and assistant manager) have stepped in to help with my other patients. It's not like that everywhere you go. I can honestly say that I love med/surg. I look forward to going to work and love what I do.
That being said, it's an area where you can burn out real quick if the stars don't align and you're left dealing with 6-8 VERY acute patients on your own. It's dangerous, overwhelming and definitely facilitates hatred toward medical/surgical nursing.