Skills performed on tele and/or med/surg floor??

[cardiologynurse]

Please help... I have been a cardiac nurse for the past 8 years, mostly in cardiac procedures (stress testing, moderate sedation, recovering for the cath lab etc.) I have not worked on the floor for a very long time. However, I am very seriously considering applying to work as an agency nurse for the flexibility and increased pay rate. What are your thoughts? Would I be too far from the floor by now to be successful? I'm worried about not having an orientation. I'm not worried about handling emergent situations and I'm great at reading strips etc. but I'm worried about remembering how to set drips, how to suction a trach, haven't set a PCA pump in years, TPN? Can't even remember what to do with that! Ha! Get where I'm coming from? However, I don't want to "use" a hospital by getting refreshed and then bailing. I just don't feel comfortable with that. Please share your thoughts.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

Agency orientees are expected to be able to preform independently, or at least mostly independently, on a unit after two shifts of orientation usually. My hospital has identified that they do much better if we can give them 6 shifts of orientation, but that still is not much. That orientation will mostly be focused on hospital specific policies, charting, and computer programs- not basic nursing skills. Keep in mind Agency is at a facility because they're desperate to fill a staffing gap NOW.

All of that being said, if you're as rusty as you say, perhaps try and return to the floor for a bit where you are before going agency. Maybe you could even pick up OT shifts on the floor while keeping your current job and see how it goes? You could also look for nursing skill videos and see if once you start seeing these things done it all floods back.

[RNperdiem, RN]

Are you happy where you work? Procedural nursing for many is a plum job with one patient at a time and no call bells, no excessive charting, dealing with CNAs etc.

If money is an issue, is there any way you can pick up extra work in your department?

You might or might not be fine in med-surg, but would you really want to make that change?

[nursej22, MSN, RN]

I would suggest a refresher course before taking on agency work. Agency nurses are expected to be up and running with minimal orientation. The other staff may welcome you or resent you, but they mostly likely won't have time to help much.