Staying in the same department for long periods of time...

Chico David, BSN, RN · May 5, 2010

I've been in one department almost my whole career and there have been pluses and minuses.

I still thoroughly enjoy my work and have a high degree of expertise after so long. But the work I do is a bit out of the mainstream of nursing - Cardiac Rehab - and I sometimes wish I had stayed in a pure bedside area a bit longer to really cement skills before moving into this. The field I work in is highly desirable and lots of nurses would love to work here, so jobs open up very seldom - so without the med-surg or critical care skills, I'm less mobile than I might be otherwise. But there has never been an issue with getting bored or tired of the work

RNperdiem, RN · May 5, 2010

I have worked in my ICU for 10 years.

I am happy there, well paid and work in excellent working conditions. Why would I want to leave?

There is always something new and exciting, but that is not what keeps me.

New and Exciting is only a small part of things that takes you into the long term-a bit like a relationship.

oramar · May 5, 2010

I know a couple of people that worked the same unit from the day they graduated to the day they retired. Nothing wrong with that, if you are happy doing a thing keep on doing it. My niece has been a secretary for about 25 years on same unit. Staying in one place is becoming a rare thing but I remember it being the rule rather than the exception in years gone by. That was a long time ago. Last 20 years people in health care have become more and more mobile. Oh I remember when I was a student their was a nurse manager who had started on a unit as a new grad, had been a staff nurse and charge nurse there for a long time and then ended up as a manager. She had about 28 years all told at that point on the unit and I think I heard she retired from the unit.

MTLnurse1790 · May 5, 2010

- so without the med-surg or critical care skills, I'm less mobile than I might be otherwise. But there has never been an issue with getting bored or tired of the work

That's what some people have told me - that I should work for a couple of years in a med-surg setting so I can really become an expert at all the technical things.

I'm so excited to start working ! I'm so happy I finally found something I love doing :)

Honeynurse · May 5, 2010

Hi. I think you should go where you are most happy. Yes, it can be good to have that MedSurg experience, but it's not for everyone. You can maybe work MedSurg for a year and then do Labor and Delivery. The good thing about bedside nursing is there are so many fields of nursing to choose, you can't really get bored.

MTLnurse1790 · May 5, 2010

Hi. I think you should go where you are most happy. Yes, it can be good to have that MedSurg experience, but it's not for everyone. You can maybe work MedSurg for a year and then do Labor and Delivery. The good thing about bedside nursing is there are so many fields of nursing to choose, you can't really get bored.

You're right.

I live in Quebec and I'll be getting my DEC in nursing in about a year, and so I was thinking of maybe working Med-Surg while I'm getting my BN at McGill (for 2 years) and that way I'll have all those skills down pat, and when I graduate I can decide where I would be most happy :)

wooh, BSN, RN · May 6, 2010

So you do med-surg for a year or two, then do L&D for 10 years, and you think you'll remember all the magical med-surg stuff after that? I went from adult med-surg to peds med-surg, and I'm already realizing that I've forgotten everything I used to know about cardiac enzymes and EKGs, because babies just don't have heart attacks all that often. And I'm at least giving some of the same drugs I used to give.

Go do what you want to do. If you want to work elsewhere, then you're going to need to orient. It won't be from totally nothing, you'll at least have your nursing common sense to guide you. But thinking a couple years of anything is going to stick with you years later is crazy.

And I've got a few people on my unit, that have worked not just for the same hospital, but on the same unit for 10-20+ years.

allnurses Guide · May 6, 2010

I'm with Wooh; go do what you want. I moved around a lot when I first started, a year here, and summer position, then some LTC willing to hire short term while waiting to go over seas. It was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot.

On the other hand, now I've been in the ER for 14 years, and at the same hospital for nearly 20. Do what you want to do with your life! It is too short to do what other people think you "should" do, its up to you and God to decide.

mustlovepoodles, RN · May 6, 2010

I've worked in a lot of different specialties. I started out as a grad nurse in L&D. Unfortunately, I had no practical med/surg experience so when we had patients with chronic conditions I was uncomfortable to say the least. I moved to med/surg for 2 years and did some ER too. Then transferred to staff education, which I didn't like. After that transferred to newborn nursery, which lead me to NICU. Now THAT was my real specialty. I stayed in NICU for about 14 years, until my own child was born with multiple handicaps and I couldn't manage both. So I transferred to peds telephone triage, working with parents with sick or injured children. I left that after about 7 years and moved into school nursing. I've been here 3 years and I just love it. All of my previous experiences come to bear here. Anything that can happen at home can, and does!, happen at school. I mostly work with young peds, but occasionally I have an adult with a problem, so having that little bit of med/surg background helps me with the basics. I would never try to advise adults other than basic preventative healthcare. And of course, I can recognize adult as well as pediatric emergencies.

All told, I have been in some form of pediatric nursing for about 25 years. I've moved 5 times in the last 29 years and never had difficulty finding a job, I think because my experience is so broad. :nurse: