What should I do?

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Hello nurses,

I am a semi new graduate and have been a Med Surg RN for about 4 months now. So far the job has been ok... but the thought of leaving has crossed my mind many times. The hospital I work at is understaffed and the staff asks for more nurses (or not relying on certain units being closed so we can get extra help, etc) but nothing changes. Many girls I started out with have left for this very reason. It's not uncommon to have 6 patients and all fairly high acuity (needy, require a lot of care, etc). Also, we don't have any CNA's, aids, etc. so we do everything for every patient. It is a small(er) hospital than some others in the area and we are the lowest paying hospital. I have thought about leaving for more money and better nurse-pt ratios. The reason I stay is because of my day shift hours. I think it's going to be difficult to find somewhere that offers a new RN a daylight position.

My ultimate goal is to become a Nurse Educator. I wanted to get 2 years at least of Med Surg experience so that I could be considered for an educator position when I complete my schooling. I also wanted to stay at this job for the full 2 years just to show job stability. For those who have similar stories or started out working a med surg floor and became an educator, what did you do? I'm so torn because I really want to work somewhere where I won't feel like having a nervous breakdown every day from my patient load and responsibilities, but I also know how important it is to get floor experience before moving up to a bigger career like teaching.

Please leave your stories and advice. I appreciate it.

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I'm amazed every time I see someone post on this site with their real name or their real picture ...especially with complaints about their employer. Please tell me that's NOT you? And if it is, my advice is that you change it. ?

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Agree with Sour Lemon...you should change your user name & photo.

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I worked in nursing education at a large hospital & the educators had a variety of backgrounds, such as NICU, L & D and PACU. So, none had a strong med/surg background. Some of the units had their own educator that was very familiar with the workflow of that particular unit (ED, for instance). There were also CNS's that provided some unit-specific education.

I recommend scheduling an appointment with your hospital's nsg edu department (and even at other hospitals) to network and see what they look for in job applicants.

2 years as an RN sounds a little premature to me for an educator position. Hopefully you're planning on an MSN with a concentration in education. That has not been a minimum qualification to all nursing educator positions I've seen, but may give you an edge.

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38 minutes ago, Golden_RN said:

I worked in nursing education at a large hospital & the educators had a variety of backgrounds, such as NICU, L & D and PACU. So, none had a strong med/surg background. Some of the units had their own educator that was very familiar with the workflow of that particular unit (ED, for instance). There were also CNS's that provided some unit-specific education.

I recommend scheduling an appointment with your hospital's nsg edu department (and even at other hospitals) to network and see what they look for in job applicants.

2 years as an RN sounds a little premature to me for an educator position. Hopefully you're planning on an MSN with a concentration in education. That has not been a minimum qualification to all nursing educator positions I've seen, but may give you an edge.

Thank you so much Golden_RN for answering my questions as well as voicing your concern! I really appreciate it! I was unaware that signing up would automatically pull over my photo from Facebook so thank you for kindly mentioning to change it! ?

I plan to get my MSN with concentration on education, yes. I want to teach at a college or something like that.

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In two years you may develop competency, but certainly not expertise.

Will that really qualify you to teach?

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Specializes in Public Health, TB.

4 months in Med-surg is barely getting your feet wet. Especially on day shift. With more experience you will anticipate more, which in turn will gives the needy ones more confidence in you, and you know better who to be concerned about. I learned so much on med-surg, and what I didn't know, I spent my off time studying. At minimum your first year is like an additional year of school, where you are learning in depth the stuff you barely skim in school.

I would say stick it out if you can, because it will help in your future studies and teaching. Best wishes.

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Specializes in corrections and LTC.

Every job has good and bad. You are getting great experience giving total care on a med/surg unit. No matter what hospital you transfer to, there will be things that stress you out and make you think you will lose your license. I would hang in there, not pick up extra shifts, and work on getting a Master's Degree. I like the advice where a poster recommended that you speak with your education department to see what they look for in an applicant. Unfortunately, I also agree that two years of med/surg experience does not give you enough experience to be an educator. Good luck!

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Specializes in Cardiology.

Even bigger hospitals have staffing problems with nurses and aides despite the acuity. One thing you will learn quickly (if you haven't already) is that hospitals dont take into account the acuity of patients when they staff the floors, they just look at numbers.

Stick it out if you can. You will be surprised how fast 2 years goes by. Just remember, the grass isn't always greener.

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