Should I go to endoscopy?

Editorial Team / Admin · Feb 19, 2020

5 hours ago, tvxq14 said:
I will be interviewing with HR and the endoscopy manager soon but now I am having doubts if this move is really the right thing to do.

I would go into the interview with an open mind, and ask any questions you have before making a decision. Sometimes, going in with a preconceived idea can interfere with objectivity. Think about the positives that can come with a change.

5 hours ago, tvxq14 said:
Although the job is stressful, it's emotionally comforting to know where everything is and who you're working with.

Even if you were to go into another type of med surg floor or a med surg floor in a new facility, you would still feel the same way. Yes, procedural areas have a lot of supplies and equipment that you aren't currently familiar with, but a good, thorough orientation will allow you to learn where everything is and what it is used for. Are you still going to have to ask about a few things after orientation? Absolutely. Heck, I've worked in the same OR for 15 years and sometimes need to ask someone where something is (usually it's right in front of my face). It's just part of the learning curve.

5 hours ago, tvxq14 said:
It also scares me to go into such a specialized unit. One night I think "hey I'm up for the challenge" and the next night I think "no I'm terrible at IVs, what if I can't keep up with the other nurses, what if I hate it."

If you really think about it, almost every unit is a specialized unit. Even med surg floors have become specialized- they take vascular patients or they take neuro patients or they take orthopedic patients. While it is different in that it's a procedural area, it's not unique in being specialized.

A good management team isn't going to expect you to be able to keep up with the other nurses who have been doing this for years. Even after orientation, we expect our nurses to have questions, be a little slower as they gain more confidence in their skills, and reach out to our resource or facilitator nurse. Skills can be learned, and I'll bet you'll get more IV experience in endo than you do currently.

5 hours ago, tvxq14 said:
I am also thinking about asking for a shadow day but I have no idea when I should ask for that. Should it be after they give me a job offer? Should it be at the interview?

I would ask at the time of the interview. It will show interest to the interviewer as well as helping to facilitate the process over waiting to ask for a shadow day after an offer is made.

5 hours ago, tvxq14 said:
I will also be giving up a 12 hour/3 days shift job and switching to an 8 hours/5 days job for endoscopy with on call (which I have never done)

There are pluses and minuses to both 8 and 12 hour shifts. I can tell you that I am way more exhausted after 12 hours than 8 hours, even though it's more days per week. As for on call, you'll want to ask about response time and how often call is expected. Sometimes, the amount of call can be minimal- 1 shift per week and maybe once every 6 weekends. Other times, it may be more depending on the staffing. You'll want to ask about the specifics of that particular facility. In my previous role (cardiac surgery), I was taking a LOT of call, sometimes over 100 hours in a pay period (weekend alone is 64 hours). However, most of the time I worked on call was staying late to finish cases that were already running. It was fairly rare to actually be called in from home.

tvxq14 · Feb 20, 2020

7 hours ago, Rose_Queen said:
There are pluses and minuses to both 8 and 12 hour shifts. I can tell you that I am way more exhausted after 12 hours than 8 hours, even though it's more days per week. As for on call, you'll want to ask about response time and how often call is expected. Sometimes, the amount of call can be minimal- 1 shift per week and maybe once every 6 weekends. Other times, it may be more depending on the staffing. You'll want to ask about the specifics of that particular facility. In my previous role (cardiac surgery), I was taking a LOT of call, sometimes over 100 hours in a pay period (weekend alone is 64 hours). However, most of the time I worked on call was staying late to finish cases that were already running. It was fairly rare to actually be called in from home.

Thank you so much for your reply. Your insight has given me some more piece of mind. I will definitely ask about the shadow day during the interview with the manager and also those specific questions about on call. I think deep down I know that my job is not making me happy, but I keep rationalizing not moving on because I'm afraid of the unknown.

Zobot05 · Apr 23, 2020

Hi I am in a very similar position to you except I work on NICU. Can I ask what you decided to do in the end?

Thanks :-)