Sheika34

It’s a unit since it is inside a hospital. When I first went I thought it would be separate from the hospital but it’s not

For Alabama, it’s about a little over a dollar more for what a new grad would make. I work in GA and there are some who refuse to work in AL because of the difference in pay. For Alabama, it’s about a little over a dollar more for what a new grad would make. I work in GA and there are some who refuse to work in AL because of the difference in pay.

You do have a point. But I feel like my experience in med-surge, even though it’s just 1.5 yrs, should count a little more. You still develop skills and improve on my critical thinking. I Have been told when stepping into a new specialty it can be like being a new grad again. I’m not looking for the highest pay but idk if I should be ok with being lowballed?

Thanks for the advice. & it’s Alabama & nurse pay is not that good here but I figured for a specialty I should get more. The clinic is within a well known university hospital and is the only peds clinic in the state. It’s always been my dream to work there and in that area but I had also promised myself I wouldn’t settle with my second Job like I did with my first. Anyways, after looking up salaries the offer is abysmally low & now I feel as if my intelligence has been insulted with an offer so low. If they wasn’t even going to offer me so significantly los why offer me the job at all

Hi everyone! I’m just going to get right to it. I recently accepted a position to be on peds dialysis unit at a university hospital. I know salary isn’t usually discussed but I was hoping to get some perspective. So I accepted the position for 24.00 dollars hourly pay. Which is a dollar more than I currently make. But I think I am being offered way lower than what is generally paid in this specialty. I have 1.5 years of med surge experience but no dialysis or peds experience so I just settled & Working in peds has been one of my dream jobs. But now I’m hoping to renegotiate my pay. While I had verbally agreed to take the job I have not submitted the contract agreement. Has anyone had to renegotiate payment terms? If so any advice? I would like to renegotiate but I hope I haven’t already sent that ship sailing and I wouldn’t want to ruin the a job opportunity. In hindsight, I should’ve asked them what is the typical pay range for the job offered. Lesson learned.

Hi all, Just looking for some advice. I recently accepted a job on a pediatric dialysis floor. Now it has been my dream to work at this hospital & I loved peds in clinicals. But I am wondering what is working as a dialysis nurse really like. I’m going back to observe next week just to make sure it’s what I really want. Anyone can offer insight into working as a dialysis nurse? Also what is the usual pay rate? & I know this clinic is the only children’s clinic in the state. So although they are in a hospital they run a little bit different. It’s more like Davila clinic I’m told

Yes I think this also the case. During the interview process it was pretty easy to pick up on the fact that L&D and mother/baby have an abundance of applicants. I also hear that they don’t get many openings and that when ppl work there they tend to stay. Thanks. I that’s what I’m doing now. I could definitely enhance my interview skills. I’m gonna need it.

& that’s also what I was thinking. I could work on connecting better. But I also am good on picking up on the tone and vibes people put out as well. When I say I am told by the interviewer that they are looking for someone one with more experience in 0.5 seconds into the interview, I mean that quite literally. I will sit down, say hi, & then bam! I get this spiel about how they need someone with more experience or something of that nature. I went to one interview and none of the managers asked me a single question. It was the weirdest interview ever. I had another one where the interviewer was surprised by the fact that I only was a nurse for a year... when it’s clearly stated on my resume. I could honestly say I’ve only had one interview where the people seemed genuinely interested. But I will definitely buff up interview skills. I get the feeling this a specialty that has no problem waiting for a more experienced nurse.

Thanks for the advice. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one having a hard time getting into this specialty. & I think some shadowing and volunteering would be my best bet at this point. I do feel like like how you felt working in the hospital. I would like to get into my specialty before the burn out from being in the hospital is complete. Thanks again

So I’ve been in med surge/ telemetry for a little over year now. And I’ve been having THE HARDEST time getting in to both labor & delivery nursing & post part in nursing. I’ve always Felt like I’ve belonged in maternity nursing. I’d Gotten into med-surge because by the time I was able to move back home after graduation all the maternity nursing jobs seemed to be taken. Now I've gotten a good amount of experience on my telemetry floor but I feel like the fact that I’ve gotten some nursing experience, it has done absolutely nothing for me as far as benefiting me in getting the job I want. Which is not what I was expecting.. so I guess I set myself for that let-down. I’ve had many recruiters call me but that’s always as far as it will go. I’ve seen in job postings and even had interviewers tell me within 0.5 seconds of the interview that they wanted someone with more experience or experience in the field. Obviously I’m starting to really question is it me after being on so many interviews and being told the same thing. I’m honestly contemplating volunteer work or shadowing. So I'm wondering is this often a problem when looking for a job in this specialty? Or is it just me?

Hi all! Hoping to get some advice/suggestions. I am working on a tele/ med-surge floor. I have been a nurse for a little over a year. I’m really ready to leave for a much less stressful job and just find my niche. I don’t mind working hard, I just don’t think I’m in the right place for me. ive Been attempting to get onto a maternity unit at numerous hospitals but have been out of luck in this area. Every interview I get told they want someone with actual experience in maternity. Which apparently I’m not going to get because I’m supposed to miraculously already have it. anyways I am currently looking at more jobs that seem like would be a better fit for me. While enjoyed my time unit as it did provide tons of experience in just ready to be somewhere I’ll be happier with. So for my first question.. does anyone knows what a noninvasive cardiac nurse does? I do like cardiac so i wouldn’t mind this. But what do this job entails? Also, any suggestions on a more laid back nursing job? I know they all have stressors but I just need something where I don’t have a pt going ape shxx crazy in one room while coding one in the other and the other calling the AOD because they don’t feel like they are getting enough attention. Also i prefer to have a job where I can have some routine and know what to expect from my day. Thank you for any help!

Hi! I’m in need of some good sound advice. I’ve been an RN for 6 months on a busy med-surg/Tele floor. & currently.. to be honest I hate it. I have good days & I do love patient interactions at times but I just cannot see myself doing this any longer. I can barely see myself doing this for a whole year. i feel like I’m constantly fussing with adults to do what they need to do. They are in the hospital but some reason wants to deny needed treatment which leads to another set of problems. Or I get yelled at by doctors when trying to get orders to help treat pts but since the problem isn’t an emergency they are angry because I’m calling at ungodly times in the morning... which I can hardly help most of the time. & tbh I’m feel like I’m being burnt out & I haven’t even really started. I’m just tired ALL the time. Maybe it’s not my niche. I also feel like I’m not where I’m supposed to be as a nurse as well. I know we all need help throughout our career. But I feel like there are so many things I didn’t know & often wish I could go back in time & spend more time shadow nursing or working as a tech. & i am always the only one from night shift who stays 2 hrs over trying to document. I rarely leave on time. It’s quite noticeable. & I’m always running like a chicken with its head cut off. My saving grace in all this has been the people I work with. I honestly believe my charge nurse try to give me the easier pts & the last admissions(when it can be helped). Usually I have 5 pts. & I struggle with keeping things on time with those 5. I just know this isn’t for me. & it just seems like every other nursing job requires 2 years or more of bedside nursing or a masters degree. Which sucks for those of us who hates it. So my question is.. any suggestions on some other nursing jobs I could take that could be less stressful?? I know no nursing job is easy but I want something that doesn’t make me want to burst into tears before I go. I was thinking case management... if anyone has details on case management I will be open to that to. Or nursing informatics?? I just need some ideas on where I could possibly go?

Thank you for the advice! & I do have a brain sheet but I think I may need to revise as you said since it's not working out like it was. Right now I just feel so incompetent & now I'm questioning why am I even doing this. At this point I'm just worrying about my clinical thinking skills. Today i I have a patient her PRN morphine for pain. Her respiration's were good, her b/p was good (in the 120s/70s. So I saw no harm & I didn't wanna leave her in pain. But as soon as I have it her whole demeanor was different she started saying she couldn't breathe and she just looked different & she seemed to be in distress. & I know it's morphine & sometimes ppl are effected by it like that. I assessed her & she seemed ok, followed commands, and was awake. But I'm new, 5th week on orientation, & I wanted to be sure. The last thing I would want to do is harm so one because I think I got it under control. So i asked one of the nurses to check her as well to be sure. & everybody was looking at me like " can't you assess her since your a RN"... or at least that's the vibe I got from the frowns I received. But my charge nurse was nice about it & checked & everything else seemed ok. She just said keep an eye on her. anyways I felt like a complete idiot. Like I can't even give meds and I always seem unable to resolve the simplest problems for myself.

So i am a current new grad on orientation on week 5. I am currently taking 3 pts & I know this may sound insignificant but I can't but notice that I am behind, performance wise, the other oreintees. We are supposed to be able to take care of pts based on the number weeks we are on orientation so I should be able to take care of 4-5 pts. But I do not think I am progressing as well as I should. I have been able to get more feedback from my preceptor. She has been giving me advice and talking to me about my time management... which is something I struggle with but has been slowly improving on. & she always says I'm doing good. But sometimes I'm wondering if she's just telling me that to preserve my confidence. I honestly believe I would do better if she would tell me what all I need to fix. The reason why I think I'm not a good fit for my floor is because I don't think I act as independently as I should. I have had various situations where my pts would appear to be in distress & I just feel like I go into a panick. None of the situations I was in was a reason for panic, mind you. & I do have a gut feeling that these situations are not as bad as they seem but instead of trying to effectively resolve it I always get my preceptor and it turns out it something that could've been easily resolved with just a call to the doctor. Just simple things. If I can't effectively resolve simple problems how am I going to operate on my own and with more complicated problems? I feel like this is a sign of lack of critical thinking skills and therefore I should not be on a high acuity med surge/ Tele floor. anyways at this point I don't see myself making it past orientation. I know some ppl have said you just have to find your niche... so I've been thinking about transferring to another unit if possible. Ultimately I would prefer one with a lower acuity set of patients or slower pace(if such a floor exists). any advice?

Thank you to everyone for your advice, encouraging words, and time! I really do appreciate this especially because it seems that in this profession it can be hard to express feelings of doubt or worries. And especially hard to express these worries to the right person. i think I was also shocked at how different this is from what we were allowed and handled in nursing school. So thank y'all again for your words of advice to this anxious new grad! & I have decided to stick it out.. at least a little bit longer because honestly it really wouldn't be any different anywhere else. & with almost any job you will have bad days.

A part of me knows that you are right. & I do want to stick it out. But I also don't want to risk hurting anyone either. I've been making a lot of mistakes and I know I'm not where I'm supposed be. For example, I sent a pts ekg reading to the wrong place to preceptor's chargrain, I took the whole night to chart on one pt and still ended getting out late. I don't Want to transfer but I'm not sure if I'm a right fit for the floor I'm on.

That's just it. It's not just one bad day. It's multiple and the only two decent days I've had is because we've had 3 pts and they really didn't require much besides meds. I think you know when your sinking. & you may be right, I should persevere. But at the rate I am going, I definitely won't make it past orientation. That's why I've been hoping to move to a floor with a slower pace. ( & yes I know no unit is really slower than the other especially for a new grad ) but the floor I am currently on is one of those "monster" units. At one point it was normal for the nurses on that floor to have 8 pts. I think if not by tomorrow then by sometime next week I'll talk to the NM about trying to transfer elsewhere. I just don't what to wait and wait and wait till I'm out the door and then can't do anything. & ive been asking my preceptor for honest feedback but I haven't really gotten any because I was in the PCU most of the time. Like I said, she's nice as far as answering questions and such. Would it be wise of me to warn my preceptor ahead of time about my thoughts?? I don't want to blind side her but at the same time I don't want my plans or my thoughts to get back to the floor or to the NM before I'm ready.

Hi, so I've been on this forum earlier last week. im currently a new grad on my second week of orientation. & I think I'm not cut out for this. I am on a busy Tele floor on night shift. 3 out of my 5 shifts I spent on the PCU. Now I had trouble getting started in the beginning. So around my 3rd and 4th shift my preceptor finally felt comfortable with giving me 1 pt to handle independently. After taking everyone's advice I made improvements. But then today on my 5th shift it was my first time holding my own 1 pt load on the med-surge/Tele unit. My preceptor was around when I needed her, but was charge nurse with 7 pts, technically 8 if you count the one I was handling. So down to where things to the wayside... i was basically no help at all. The one pt I had, I basically took the whole shift to chart on. & then I had to stay an extra hour to make sure I charted everything. This pt never went to sleep. She was constantly crying out the entire shift & I literally mean crying out. Some of it was because of pain & Given her condition I could understand that she was in pain, so I did what I could when it seem like the meds weren't working. Anyways whole shift, she needed something. Then she started complaining about pressure and tingling under her arm cast, said it was a new symptom. So I paged the ortho doctor. He came & when he was asking me questions about the pt I had no answer to a lot of the questions. I felt silly because how am I the nurse & not know these answers. I hadn't had time to thoroughly review the reports & history & the shift report wasn't that great. Throughout the night I made various mistakes. I sent an EKG chart of a pt who was having chest pain to the wrong place.( it was already determined it wasn't an MI or PE by then thankfully), I called the wrong doctor when I need a decrease on vancomycin. He got mad of course but still went in to see my pt. Apparently I kept paging him but I only paged him once or thought I did. I was so flustered I'm not even sure. The nurses were irritated because they had this extra person on board and of no help. One nurse expressed her disbelief that I was still charting one pt throughout the night & I quote "well did she just start orientation" I also like to run things by my preceptor, maybe too many things. Even if it's just PRN meds. I have this fear that I'll administer a drug & make a med error because I missed some important lab or some other contraindication to giving the med. I think this also exasperates her as well since I shouldn't need to run every little thing by her. Anyways should I just sit down & see if I can transfer to another unit or should I just look for another job elsewhere, maybe outside the hospital setting all together? Everyone keeps saying this is normal but I think you know when your really not doing good. & I could understand everyone's exasperation. I would be too if I had this other person of no help. So any advice is welcome really. Were there any other new grads in this position? What did you do?

Hi! So I am a new grad student. & I have a controversial and unpopular opinion/question? I graduated from a BSN program & I have started my first nursing job. But I feel like I'm having a hard time transitioning from nursing student to "hello, a certified RN". Anyways, I just feel as tho since I put in all this time and money in a BSN program I should know how to do more than I do. I just feel like I have experienced nothing, besides giving meds and starting the occasional IV, during my clinicals in school. Now that I am on the med-surge floor, I feel like the nurses who have taken the accelerated programs have had more clinical experience. My main question is.. Does any new grad or a nurse in general felt like their BSN program prepared them more for taking the NCLEX than actually working on the floor?? Or is it that I may just be the only one thinking that to justify my struggle? (It's ok, please tell if I am) while it has been easier for me to get a job and such, I want to feel like I'm worth it to my patients and right now I don't. I keep going back to my time in school & wondering was their some type of clinical experience that I missed?? & while a BSN program did provide me with a chance to explore different specialties, I felt like i missed something as far as clinical experiences. & Disclaimer: never have I thought that since I was in a BSN program that that would make me better than anyone. But I did assume that a BSN program would give you more in depth experience because you are in school over a longer period of time. I just wanted to state this just in case I conveyed the wrong message.

Hi! I am a current new grad and I was wondering are you still working on that unit? I just did my 3rd shift in orientation and I am afraid I might not make it through orientation. I just feel that perhaps I'm not catching on fast enough and I let too many serious mistakes slide by. I was wondering if you knew some of the reasons as to why you it had not worked out for you on the floors?

So update: I did my 3rd shift and it was better. We only had three pts because we were on PCU but I went in calmer & tried to not let my anxiety get the best of me. The technical stuff such as learning the charting system, and the iv pumps have gone much better. I still want to work on the charting system since on this shift there were still some things I miss when charting. & I need to work on the time needed to review the charts. I would just rather know that I have all my info. I still hadn't had the chance to really sit down and talk with my preceptor about where I am at and just where we want to see this orientation go in general. I know some people have said "fake it till you make it" in terms of showing your confidence level on the floor But that is somewhat hard for me. My confidence level on the floor could use some improvement and I have been told this many times during clinicals. & I really want to improve on is the confidence as well. Idk if that's something I should mention to my preceptor tho. As I said my preceptor is good. She's helpful and instructive. I just have reason to believe she has been gossiping about me and has been avoiding Working on the general Tele floor with me. So I really want to ask what I can improve on to know where I truly stand. Another reason why this transition is so hard for me is because I have it in my mind that since I am no longer a student, that I shouldn't feel this incompetent. Plus there is the fact that i hadn't worked in a hospital prior to this. And once again Thank you to everyone for your advice, I took in quite a few suggestions the other day. It was nice to be able to vent and get some helpful advise on these worries without having them spread around in a rumor mill on the floor or being given the side eye like i might have been given if I was talking to some other nurses. I know you have to be strong for your patients and do what needs to be done above all else. I just want to make sure I can give my patients what they need.

Hi! I don't know if you'll see this since it's been so long but I am in your current situation. Except I had a chance to do psych but I went with the acute care setting. Now mind you, after working as a tech at the psych facility for 2 months I began to get somewhat bored with the routine & the emotional draining kinda got tiresome.. that quickly. & deep down I want so more but I think my anxiety & fear holds me back. It's like knowing what you want to do but having your fear overcome your ability to do so. Also I did want to have some type of hospital eclxperience. Anyways can you tell me did you ever transition? Or did it get better?

Thank you everyone for the helpful feedback!! I'm going on tomorrow night with a better attitude & hopefully I can get my self together. Accept some of the humility pie someone mentioned because after some self reflecting that is part of the problem as well. I was jus so distressed because by this hospital standards I am technically behind in handling pts. But I also understand that I gotta go by what I can handle & keep the pts safe as priority. I just want to help ppl & I know there's hardly anything scarier than a nurse coming in & looking like they don't know what they are doing with you or your loved one. Thank you so much everyone for being so open with the advice.

thank you so much for the advice!! I will definitely practice this! I probably could've gotten over some things but it was the med errors that were the most upsetting. I want to safe for my patients. & I don't won't them to suffer because I'm not able to get their medicines together.

Thank you for the advice! I feel somewhat better now. I just felt down because I just feel like this level of screwing up is not normal for a new grad. I feel like I miss a lot of vital things. There was even one point in the night where another nurse had to help with our pt while my preceptor was off the floor. She was in distress & I had somehow missed it while charting. She had been vomiting a lot & needed suctioning to. I couldn't even hook up the yankaur correctly. It wasnt working properly so I had hook it up to the vacuum directly because she needed help right then. Silly mistakes such as these is why I think I should rethink things. I am improving with charting but I have to ask on multiple occasions how to set the pump, run the meds or set up a feeding tube change. & the other new grads don't appear to struggle like I do. They're practically on their own while I'm hand holding