Question about Cleveland Clinic Neuro floor

WSU_Ally_RN, BSN, RN · May 3, 2008

H60 is one of regular neuro floors (by regular I mean not ICU or step-down). I work in another unit (E18 the transfer unit). I can tell you from my experience, we send a lot of patients up to H60. Admitting tries to keep just neuro patients up there, but we do send a fair share of med/surge patients there too. Admitting isn't going to keep an open bed open long, so they fill with what we have and then shift patients later if need be.

lovegoddess1977 · May 3, 2008

thanks for the info. i kinda figured that it was going to be one of those floors but i went ahead and accepted the offer. i figure that even if its not exactly what i want to do, its still going to be experience. and once my contract is up ..if i want to go somewhere else than i can. so how do u like working up there? i have searched it alot on here and found several different opinions.... just hoping that i am going to like it!

WSU_Ally_RN, BSN, RN · May 4, 2008

There are goods and there are bads, I would assume like any job. My unit is staffed like an ICU, so ratio's are good. We have a 12 bed unit, and on days, usually have 4 nurses, plus a free charge nurse, and one assistant nurse manager, who are all able to take assignments if things get hectic. I'm not sure how other floors are, but I have heard most of the med/surge floors do team nursing, so there is an RN, an LPN, and a PCNA for a set amount of patients.

I'm not sure how CCF compares to the other hospitals in the area as far as pay, but I have heard they don't give as big of a raise each year, so I would assume we get paid less, but that's ok by me. I'm working there purely for the experience. What I see is so drastically different than what my friends from college see where they work. The patients they have no idea what to do with are what they send to me.

You will quickly find out that parking is terrible. You will probably have to park in the Muni lot and be shuttled in. That is where most new employees park for quite a while. I park at Mt. Siani, which is still off campus, but it's not that bad. When I work weekends, it takes me the same amount of time to get to a garage, find a spot, park, and walk to my unit as it does during the week to get to my lot, get shuttled in, and get to my unit. A lot of people are bothered by the fact that they have to park so far away, but it really doesn't bother me.

Overall, I really do like where I work. I've been in my unit almost 2 years. Once I hit my 2 year mark, I'm going to start looking for a job in another unit, still at the main campus. Like I said before, the experience you get here is so different that the experiences you would get at other hospitals. I'll talk with my friends from school, and they'll tell me about some patient they had in the ICU that could walk, and talk, maybe had a PE or something, and when I tell them that a patient like that would go to our med/surge floors, they are flabbergasted!

You are correct, if you don't like your unit, you usually have to stay 1 year, then look for another job within the main campus, until your contract is up. Some managers will even give you a waiver, which lets you out of your unit before that year, if it's really not a good fit for you. Good luck to you. I hope you do enjoy your new unit! When do you start??? :)

lovegoddess1977 · May 4, 2008

Thanks so much for all the good info. I start on July 7th. I cannot wait. I am hoping to take my boards by the end of June. I really just want to get moved and get everything taken care of.

I so did not want to to go to med/surg. I really want to work in the ED. I interviewed for the ED at the Clinic and I didn't get it. They said that it is really hard to get in as a new grad and that I didn't have enough experience. I think that if I was meant to get it then I would have.

To me.... med/surg is like a nursing home. I have been an LPN in the nursing homes for the last 7 years and I just can't take it anymore. At least that's what the med/surg units at the hospitals around here are like. Everyone keeps telling me that the Clinic is totally different. I am really looking forward to the experience. I feel that I should get that initial experience so that it will make me a better nurse.

I heard that parking was a nightmare. LOL! I don' think that I am going to mind it to much. I will probably walk cause god knows I need the exercise.

I had one more question. :) I made my appointment for my health screen. Now, what exactly do they do for that? I quit smoking a year and a half ago so I am not worried about the nicotine test. But I was wondering what all goes into the health screen. I have heard through the grapevine that its a way to detect "unhealthy" employees. How true is that? I am fat so I wonder if I am going to get a lecture from them before I start. I quit smoking while I was in school so I ate like a fool and I packed on alot of weight. It's not something that I am proud of and I am working on getting rid of it. Anyways... I was just curious as to what I should expect.

So where would you go if you left where you are now? What other areas are you interested in??

:nurse:

WSU_Ally_RN, BSN, RN · May 5, 2008

When I went for my health screen 2 years ago, they drew labs to test for titers for immunizations. They had me do a urine tox screen, which I have heard now does also test for nicotine. (They don't hire smokers...) That was pretty much my whole health screening. I am also not the smallest girl around, but they didn't lecture me or anything. It was pretty basic.

When I decide to leave the unit I'm currently in, I'm probably going to go to either the MICU or SICU. In my unit we take care of all different services of patients, including the ICU's, and I really like those two types of patients we care for. Right now I don't see myself leaving the clinic. It has it's pluses and minuses, but like I said before, the experience I am gaining is something that most other hospitals can not give me. Once I feel more confident in my abilities as a nurse, I'll probably start looking elsewhere, but probably still within the CCF system. I could see myself going to Hillcrest or Fairview, or one of the other smaller hospitals. They still see a lot and are great hospitals.

dolphincrzyqt · May 6, 2008

I just went through the physical back in March and it is still about the same. I was pretty surprised because I was expecting it to be much more in depth. When I was an STNA they checked my back and had me do some bending and squatting exercises to see how well I was able to perform.

I work on a Med/Surg floor at the Main campus and I really love it. I'm not sure about the other MS units, but mine doesn't do team nursing anymore. I am still on orientation so I only get 2-3 patients but I have been paying VERY close attention to the ratios of the other RNs and I am very surprised at the numbers. They staff according to acuity and I have yet to see more than 5 patients assigned to a day or night shift nurse.

RN Power Ohio · May 6, 2008

I think you should pay closer attention to the staffing ratio's. I am certain that RN's have responsibility for more than 5 patients on nights on Med/Surg! In fact, I bet they are taking 10 5 of which are covered by the LPN. These patients are still part of the RN responsibility.

I can guarantee that the M/C floors at CCF are not like nursing home. As the previous poster said most patients on M/S at CCF would be in ICU at a different facility.

It is very good for you to start your nursing career taking care of a wide variety of patients. This will definetly help you if you desire a future in ED. Many RN's that start in a specialty unit have a hard time thinking systemically and you will learn to do this in M/S. It will be an incredible asset to understand the signs of impending MI, PE, ARF, and ESLD. You will be able to take better care of all of your patients with the critical thinking skills you develop.

Good Luck!

yu673 · Aug 24, 2008

Hi,

I work at CCF M/S floor. My pesonal best:8 patients by my self + blue code + admission. This is the ratio for a night shift. Should be 4:1 b/o acuity.

IT IS NOT SAFE!

CCF is not a nursing home. This patients are very, very sick, ready for a transfer to the unit rather that d/c home.

RN Colleen · Oct 27, 2008

Hi I was wondering what positives/negatives they have. I would be working on the Peds Floor? any input would be great - I would be a new grad.

Thanks so much! :nuke:

enriconohio · Nov 28, 2011

Hello. I have the same interview at H60 Neuroscience Med Surg next week.

How was your interview? What type of questions did they ask you?

Thank you.