supernurse3177

From my side of the screen, it sounds like you know what you want to do. No specialty is better or cooler or ____er than another. It's all about finding a good fit for your personality, unique gifting and financial needs. If this job isn't it, and you're that miserable, leaving for something lower stress is a beautiful act of self love and respect. Your life is precious and you deserve to be happy! Don't worry about what anyone else thinks. Follow your heart!

@Justine B Man, I can feel exactly what you're talking about. The constant anxiety, the fear, not feeling ready. It's enough to make you go crazy. I gave it 6 months and decided it just wasn't for me. I was so anxious all the time it was terrible. However, that 6 months of experience opened up so many doors for me in my career. I was able to get a job in a PACU position which I couldn't have had without my ICU experience and it's a great job. it sounds like you could use some support right now. I actually coach and mentor new nurses now too. I'd be happy to talk with you this week and give you a safe space to process what you're going through. Feel free to message me on facebook or insta @AbbyKayPayne or email me at [email protected]. I wish I'd had someone to talk to when I was in your shoes, so please don't hesitate to message me !

Hello @Swittiepie, I know you posted this several months ago, but I'm just now seeing this. How are you doing now? How is the anxiety and depression? If you feel like you could still use more support, I am an RN and New Nurse Coach. I'd love to connect and see if I can help support you in this transition.

Hi everyone! I'm hoping for some general advice r/t medsurg vs. ICU. So as you read in the title, I'm having a really hard time transitioning from Med/Surg to ICU. I worked on Med/Surg in a small community hospital for about 2.5 years. I loved my job very much but we moved further away and the drive was just too much. I decided to switch specialties since I had always been interested in the ICU. I always handled it well when my patients on Med/Surg would tank their BP, I acted quickly during codes and RRT's and all my coworkers affirmed that they could see me doing well in the ICU. My manager even put in a special call to help me get the job, I was so excited. Fast forward now I'm about 6 months into a CVICU job at a large, Level 1 ICU. All my coworkers are really great, no problems there at all. I just find the ICU in general to be very anxiety producing in me. I find that I am always anxious about what kind of patient I will be given, if I'll be able to handle it, if they will die, etc. I have started seeing a counselor to help me try to get a handle on my anxiety and she affirmed that I am in a severe anxiety state. There are times at work that I start to get lightheaded from all my anxiety and I feel like I am losing some control. Aside from the anxiety, I just miss my old job. I miss the routine and the steady patients. I miss doing my assessment, med pass, wound care, etc. I miss talking to my patients and making them laugh, celebrating with them for walking a full lap around the floor, anticipating the predictable post-anesthesia urinary retention and knowing what to do, etc. I find that the ICU is very very detailed to the point that it annoys me. Things change so fast you can't really plan for your day. We also do total care in my ICU (No tech's or CNAs) and I hate doing all the bed bath's, BM cleanups, bathroom trips, etc. Is this sort of a normal transition? Is it just because Med/Surg was my comfort zone and I just need to give myself time to adjust? Ideally I would like to do a full year because I know they put so much effort and money into training me, but I just keep thinking life it too short to be this miserable and why did I mess with a good thing by leaving a specialty I liked? Has anyone else felt this way and did you go back to your old unit? Thanks for reading. Feeling pretty lost right now!

Hi there! I am wondering what you ended up doing? I am in the exact same situation as you were. I could have written this post. I miss MedSurg. I miss my stable patients. I miss the routine and I’m having such a hard time with my anxiety on the ICU. Did it get better?

Hi there! I live in Denver, but I don't work in peds. If you have a year of experience, I'm sure you'll be able to get a job. There is also PSL which has a children's ICU. I'm pretty sure all our hospitals out here hire new grads into ICU's so I'm sure you'll be fine!

Congrats on your new career in nursing! No matter where you start out (Med/Surg, ER, ICU, Step Down), there is going to be a big learning curve and it just takes time. I went from housekeeper to CNA in nursing home to LPN in a clinic to RN on Med/Surg to BSN in the Cardiac ICU. My best advice is to give yourself 6 months -1 year of "free nursing". What I mean by that is, you show up to work, you make mistakes, you learn, you cry, you ask lots of questions, you look up all your meds because you can't remember them, you go in and out of that room a thousand times because you forgot to do something, etc. Think of this time as an extension of school -- like a true and final clinical. You're a nurse, yes, but really you are still a student now learning to really be a nurse. Let yourself still be a student in your brain. This will help your brain chill out and take some pressure off. After the 6m-1y mark, you won't be able to recognize yourself and will probably be asked to be a preceptor. At this point, start saying "yes" to all the new opportunities. Join a unit practice council, become a preceptor, train as charge nurse, float to other units with a good attitude (even if it's Med/Surg!), start helping out other nurses when you have down time, take some classes if you haven't already like NIHSS, become a trained super user of a device (like the pumps or the charting system), etc. This, in my experience, is what gets you noticed. In my experience, no one is really expecting you to do fantastic when you're new, they don't really "have their eye on you" for a promotion until your first 6m-1y are under your belt. So take advantage of this time to learn, grow, get your nurse legs under you, and become known for being a team player and invested in your unit. When the time comes for you to apply for the ICU, you will have glowing referrals from your manager and they will say you are destined for great things. This is normal for every job, I think nursing makes it feel more intense. Being a new 5th grade teacher, accountant, mother, father, or any other "new career" has a big learning curve. All new things take time for our brain to absorb and become proficient in. You can't rush this. Press into the pain, embrace your learning brain with kindness. You will have a very long and exciting career in nursing and all experience is good experience. Be kind to yourself and give yourself time. It will come together, you will get into the ICU, you will go where you want to go, I promise!

My husband just got his e-mail also. 9/10 points if I added it right. Congrats everyone! You'll all do great!

He took his HESI yesterday and got a 95%. He has a bachelors in health and exercise science already so I think that helped him get a good score and he is great at math. If he can get As in his remaining 3 classes then he will have 9/10 points. Did anyone have to do online labs for Micro or Chemistry? That’s the only option with COVID.

Hi everyone! My husband is applying for the Spring 2021 ANO program. He takes his HESI tomorrow and he still has to take Patho, Micro and Chemistry this Fall. I'm already an RN so I know how challenging that semester will be. Hopefully he will be joining you all in January. @Clairebear how many points did they say is "on the cusp"? Just wondering how optimistic we should be haha.

Hey guys! I am an RN on a Med/Surg floor at a small community hospital. I've been an RN for 2 years, I'm a relief charge nurse and a preceptor. I was an LPN for 2 years before that in Urgent Care, Family Medicine and MedSurg. I'm applying for the ICU Residency program and I have a choice between a large, level I trauma center or a smaller level III. The Level I has a very bad reputation of poor teamwork. Many nurses who came from here tell me no one wants to help you, you are on your own. Lots of cliques and bully's. The experience would be really great in terms of exposure. This hospital gets all the trauma from the Colorado mountains and Ski resorts. The Level III has a great reputation. Excellent teamwork, everyone is willing to help you learn and assist you when you're struggling. They don't see as much, obviously, but all the nurses I've met from here rave about a good experience. The level I is 15 minutes from my house and the level III is 40 minutes. Winter drives in Colorado can be really bad. My long term goal is to become a traveler and ultimately an FNP in developing countries. Which hospital do you think I should apply for?

Hey guys! I am an RN on a Med/Surg floor at a small community hospital. I've been an RN for 2 years, I'm a relief charge nurse and a preceptor. I was an LPN for 2 years before that in Urgent Care, Family Medicine and MedSurg. I'm applying for the ICU Residency program and I have a choice between a large, level I trauma center or a smaller level III. The Level I has a very bad reputation of poor teamwork. Many nurses who came from here tell me no one wants to help you, you are on your own. This hospital gets really crazy trauma from the Colorado mountains and Ski resorts. The Level III has a great reputation. Excellent teamwork, everyone is willing to help you learn and assist you when you're struggling. They don't see as much, obviously, but all the nurses I've met from here rave about a good experience. The level I is 15 minutes from my house and the level III is 40 minutes. Winter drives in Colorado can be really bad. My long term goal is to become a traveler and ultimately an FNP in developing countries. Which hospital do you think I should apply for?