ILoveGI

I'm curious what you decided to do since this post is from February. ?

Oh my goodness! I can't imagine how stressful the ED is right now. GI can be higher acuity in the hospital setting, just not constantly. I love my hospital based GI unit. We do a lot of outpatient screenings and diagnostic cases, but we also get the high acuity cases. We still go to the ED, CCU, and OR. Depending on your facility, you will too! Examples: RN's in my facility place the PEG tubes (yep, incision and all) under the doctors supervision, we do ERCP's, we place stents in the esophagus and colon, we do bronchoscopy, we even do pancreatic cyst drainage by fine needle aspiration, and don't forget those GI bleeds! Those need cauterization, epi injections, and clipping. I can go on and on about how fun and interesting Endo is. ?

Endoscopy is very fast paced and repetitive. That said, it's been my favorite specialty in my 10 years of nursing. The expectations in outpatient Endo is that you are fast, efficient, and friendly! Being an ER nurse is a great benefit. I can assume you are used to a fast paced environment, starting IV's, and administering sedation. Play on your experience and be yourself! Good luck!

I switched to Day Surgery when I got pregnant. Then went per diem as my husbands benefits at the time were fabulous and I didn't feel like I needed an FTE to get by. It really depends on your situation. I too worked 3 12's and was exhausted when my husband and I met. He works in healthcare too, and he really encouraged me to make the change. Outpatient/peri-op is a great type of nursing, but you may be required to take call if you're in a hospital setting. Take time to seek out different positions in your current facility. There might be something right under your nose that would allow you to keep your benefits while planning for a baby.

We use good old fashioned toothpicks! Yes, toothpicks. Dirt cheap, disposable and not a "stick" risk. Our techs swear by the colored/dyed toothpicks. í ½í¸€

I work in a hospital based endo unit and for the most part we have a great dynamic with our techs. They are rock stars and usually have a good relationship with the MD's. Their relationship is like a dance and anticipating each others needs is key. We usually sedate our patients, but we have two days a week scheduled with anesthesia for patients that have complicated health histories or are substance abusers. We also can refuse to sedate a patient if we think they're an ASA IV or we have strong belief they are too high risk for nurse sedation. Critical thinking is key in the hospital setting as you are likely doing elective procedures on higher risk patients. Pre-procedure teaching is crucial for better outcomes with patients because not all patients are "out" during procedure and not all patients forget the exam...

Have you done your Endoscopy rotation yet? It was by far the most BORING rotation I did in nursing school. It is, by far, the most FULFILLING nursing job I've ever had. I have done inpatient float pool, cardiac, interventional radiology, day surgery, ambulatory surgery, and PACU. I love the workflow, the occassional high acuity, the interventional procedures and the one to one patient care. We do everything from screening colonoscopies to hemorrhage control, bronchoscopies, foreign body removals, diagnostics, and lots more. It's a rewarding specialty and I feel like I make a difference everyday!