Should I choose telemetry or step down floor

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In May, I graduate with my BSN. I have been offered two positions, which are working on the telemetry floor or the cardiac unit step down floor. I do not know which one I should choose. I want to take the postion that will give me the most experience where I can advance to the coronary care unit or to the open heart recovery/unit. The positions are at the same hospital. I just do not want to take one and wish that I had taken the other.

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Specializes in telemetry.

Choose the stepdown unit. It is a "stepdown" form the coronary recovery unit/coronary care. It will put you at the head of the list of applicants when you gain some experience and apply.

Where I work there is medical/tele that has Pts needing to be monitored but still stable cardiac wise with other medical things going on. The stepdown unit you Pts are sicker and you give a lot more IV cardiac meds, unstable rythems, post open hearts, pacemakers, MIs, ect. Stuff not on the medical tele floor. I vote for the stepdown.......

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Thanks for the input. I have decided on the step down unit.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

I faced the same choice and chose the stepdown unit. Very glad I did

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I took the step down unit. Once I have my temporary license I can call and get on the schedule to start orientation. I just hope I do not have to wait long to take the NCLEX.

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Specializes in CTICU, Interventional Cardiology, CCU.

I want to hear about how your experience on the tele step down is..I work interventional cardiology/CCU step down for 9 mo. now. I work nights, I have a love/HATE relationship with my floor. Are you going to be working days or nights...i think it was a wise decision to go cardiac step-down, more exp. DEF. as a new nurse. GOOD LUCK and of you need any advice or need to vent we are here for ya!!!

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I have not started yet, since I do not have my temporary license in hand. I am hoping that I receive it this week. I am ready to start work. It sucks that I can not even sit through the classroom orientation on blood borne, HIPPA, etc. until the hospital has a copy of the temporary license.

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Specializes in ICU/CCU, PCU, Neuro, Telemetry.

I've have found in recent years that what most hospitals consider Step Down are really just Telemetry. When I first became a nurse, PCU took stable vents, drips, etc. In the last three hospitals I've been affiliated with, they have referred to their Telemetry Units as Step Down units put have not taken vents and very few cardiac drips.

Deciding between Step Down or Tele, you made the right choice with Step Down especially if the facility you are going to work out has a distinction between the two.......you are more apt to get a better experience/education in Step Down to better prepare for the area you really want to work in.

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Specializes in ICU.
i want to hear about how your experience on the tele step down is..i work interventional cardiology/ccu step down for 9 mo. now. i work nights, i have a love/hate relationship with my floor. are you going to be working days or nights...i think it was a wise decision to go cardiac step-down, more exp. def. as a new nurse. good luck and of you need any advice or need to vent we are here for ya!!!

aloha! i think that i need a venting moment!!! i started out in the icu working mainly msicu, with some cvicu and neuro icu with pts with less one-on-one care...i.e. immediate open heart post-op, iabp, crrt, post op crannies with ventricular drains etc. i was rarely floated to cardiac step down, but when i did, it wasn't that bad...3-4 pts with head to toe assessments 2xper shift/prn...just a different pt population (non vented pts with lots of drips and continuous vs's).

i put my year in and took a cardiac tele position in a city where i have always wanted to live. the 2nd-3rd day of work, they expected me to know the floor routine, charting system, take 5 pts, complete head to toe assessments every 4 hours, pulling strips and measuring all intervals, care plans, focus charting, getting 2-3 pts back from interventions within 1-2 hours of each other and monitor vs/surgical site q15 x 1 hour and then every hour for 4 hours...it was crazy with 5 pts...is this typical for a cardiac tele floor...? i admire all of you that can manage it!!!

maybe i shot myself in the foot by starting in the unit, but i really like spending time with pts even if they are vented...the nurse that i was with the first day told me that you have to spend 10-15 minutes with a pt and practically throw there meds at them to complete all the other busy work...for real! not my fit after working icu i guess...don't know what to do now b/c rn jobs are scarce here...and icu is really competitive...oh well...i got just a little off my chest...just a big change! any feedback from anyone would be greatly appreciated!!!

have a great new year! :onbch:

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Love tele because sustainability is important to me. I don't want a job that turns nurses into burnouts. It's that simple. People are an energy source for me. I love interacting with a variety of people. I love teaching and motivating. Not a whole lot of any of that when you have 2 pts and they're both intubated, hey? Coming out of school, the tele nurse/pt ratio (4 during days, 6 at night) didn't look that appealing. But it's added tremendously to my skill set. I think I can successfully go anywhere I want from tele--if I wanted to leave.

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Specializes in Clinical Nurse Specialist-ICU, Educator.

I also started in the telem floor as a new grad. GREAT learning and you will see a variety of other medically complicated patients, all feeding into your experience bucket.

Best of luck to you!

Barbara

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