Please tell me it’s just Medsurg!!

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Specializes in Medical surgical.

Hi there, first post here everyone. So I need some advice/cheering up? I have worked as a med surg nurse for 3 years (since I graduated). I am seriously beginning to hate my job. It just gives me anxiety. I’ve been told so many times that our floor has a VERY high acuity compared to other med surg units. Our manager is trying to get our floor labeled as a “step down” unit so our ratios change.Our patients belong on a TCU floor half the time and are not med/surg appropriate. Anyways- back on track... is it just medsurg? Seriously?! I feel like I NEVER get a chance to breathe in a shift, let alone chart assessments. I get anxiety thinking about going to work anymore. I cry on my way to work. I tell my husband every day how miserable I am. What does everyone recommend? What other nursing could I do out there that everyone likes?What advice do you have for me?

 

thanks! ?

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Hello friend, 

I like clinic nursing— I work for a family practice/urgent care instead of the hospital now. It doesn’t have the same need for constant vigilance and aggressive patient advocacy, but I still learn new things all the time. I have major depression and generalized anxiety, and I’m a much happier more functional person no longer working inpatient. It was a really terrible fit for me.


There’s a trade off of complex nursing function for a more reasonable workload and being treated better by my patients and colleagues. I think it’s worth it.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med/Surg, ICU Stepdown.

Over the time I felt the same way in acute care. So busy, no time to chart until after shift, feel like even if you ran the entire shift couldn't give pts everything they needed, plus violent pts. I now work in outpatient PACU and although it can get busy it's much less stressful and still has pt interaction. I do miss some aspects of the hospital, overall I am much happier/less stressed. Maybe something to look into! Some clinics are good, case management, utilization review, insurance nursing, school nursing... many other options!

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15 hours ago, Aweb said:

Hi there, first post here everyone. So I need some advice/cheering up? I have worked as a med surg nurse for 3 years (since I graduated). I am seriously beginning to hate my job. It just gives me anxiety. I’ve been told so many times that our floor has a VERY high acuity compared to other med surg units. Our manager is trying to get our floor labeled as a “step down” unit so our ratios change.Our patients belong on a TCU floor half the time and are not med/surg appropriate. Anyways- back on track... is it just medsurg? Seriously?! I feel like I NEVER get a chance to breathe in a shift, let alone chart assessments. I get anxiety thinking about going to work anymore. I cry on my way to work. I tell my husband every day how miserable I am. What does everyone recommend? What other nursing could I do out there that everyone likes?What advice do you have for me?

 

thanks! ?

No, it's everywhere. One of hell hole of a unit that I never picked up on had 8-10 pts per nurse on night shift. No ty.

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Specializes in Outpatient Cardiology, CVRU, Intermediate.

I'm not sure it is everywhere (in my experience). Depending on how critical or high acuity patients are on your unit, it definitely makes a difference in your ratios. When we changed to a lower ratio Intermediate floor, it noticeably affected my feelings about my job, and my ability to take really good care of my patients!

When I've floated to other units that take 4-5 patients instead of 3-4, not only is it a little harder because I need to adjust my time management, it can also be legitimately harder depending on how sick/high needs my patient team is.

I have utmost respect for our MedSurg staff at my hospital; they are 4-5 during the day with 5-6 at night, and these are very busy fresh post-op patients! Lots of discharges/admissions. When I've worked shifts up there, I am exhausted, mentally and physically.

My advice would be to talk with your manager about your concerns and how you are feeling. (The more documentation/information they have about the high acuity of the current situation and how your patients would be better served with a change to Intermediate ratios the better!) If there isn't a light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak, like ratio change IS actually happening soon, then consider transferring to a different unit. 3 years experience will really work in your favor, and you might find a more comfortable fit! Good luck!

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Specializes in Cardiac.

I feel ya, but I thought it was just because I was new ? I am on a cardiac Med Surg floor, and my typical patient load on days is 6 to 7. I too am overwhelmed, and feeling as though this isn't for me.  I keep pushing ahead, thinking its going to get better, but sadly I do not feel it will. There is no time to think, no time to offer a consoling word to my patients, no time to eat or even use the bathroom. MDs are stressed to the max, and crabby. Co-workers are short tempered, and exhausted. I wish there was an answer, that not everywhere is like this, but I am starting to feel just from all the posts I see here, that it doesn't matter where ya go...its all the same. 

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Specializes in Cardiology.

Good luck getting re-labeled as a Stepdown. That means lower pt ratios and more nurses. I worked on a Stepdown in name only but had 4-5 pts on nights. They did however allow us 7 nurses on day shift during the week for a 24 bed unit but it was only during the hours of 7-330. Night shift still got screwed over and it didn't apply on the weekends. I haven't seen a lot of true Stepdown floors in hospitals that are not union. 

Honestly bedside nursing sucks, whether it's a MS floor or a Stepdown. 

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I have worked primarily in critical care over the last few years, but I'm currently in a float pool and work throughout two different hospitals (as well as PICC team) and have also travel nursed through a few different hospitals and I can say that while some degree of stress and time management issues are to be experienced not matter where you go, some units are DEFINITELY worse than others. This is multifactorial, and can have to do not only with nurse/patient ratios but also management and work environment and coworkers. 6-7 patients is just annoying and difficult to handle even if they're all good patients, but having an attentive manager who you like and supportive staff who work well together makes a huge difference also.

All that is to say that if I were you, I would definitely look elsewhere before assuming all med/surg units are like that. Consider lower acuity like rehab or something, or maybe even higher acuity so you have a more manageable workload. As others mentioned also, maybe bedside/hospital nursing isn't a good fit for you and you should consider family clinics and the like. To start though, just start looking at moving to different units and see how it goes.

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Specializes in Community health.

I knew from before nursing school that I was never going to want to work in a hospital. Thank God there are people who do. But I am so happy and fulfilled working in a busy outpatient clinic. I've also learned a lot and I really feel like I help people. Clinic nursing isn't for everyone, of course, but maybe it is for you. 

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Specializes in CVIMCU/CVICU.

I think it’s very hospital and unit dependent, as others have said. In our hospital, med/surg has 5 patients at night and generally 4 during the day. Our IMCU floor has 3 patients in the day and 4 at night. 
Some floors also have a resource nurse (not always 24hours, though.. some floors only have them for the busy hours of the shift). 
We are not union but we ARE magnet. 

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