After working through school as a CNA on med-surg, I knew that was not what I wanted- no chance to know the patients from day to day and no time to really give good care. After school I went to a physical rehab inpatient center for a year, but the DON was crooked and made work hell. I found this position quite by accident, but fell in love instantly. I love LTC- being able to know the residents and their families, learning something different every day, having the time to go in and sit with someone who can't sleep and talk with them for a while. I get to really make a difference, and I look forward to every shift.
Specializes in ER (new), Respitory/Med Surg floor.
I chose the hospital I worked at because it was only 30min away. I worked as a tech at a bigger teaching hospital and felt mislead there with hiring me and HATED the commute. I also heard from workers there they thought the hospital I am at now is a nice place to work (although maybe everyone hears that!). I didn't like the idea of a nursing home treating the same geriatic pts continuously. I liked starting ivs and other nursing skills you seem to do more in the hospital. Chose med surg for experience and where I did my school internship. Enjoyed it very much at first with great coworkers. Coworkers hired that did not work together. Dealt with inneffective management there. Turnover rate increased. Not enough techs, too much bickering and management not assisting to stop it despite issues brought up and attempts to cooperate. I found out I couldn't stand the med surg floor I was on. It was mostly respitory and geriatric. Very very needy pts and families that I just did not have the time with all my duties to deal with. I'd get dismayed over the pts staying for weeks at a time. Doctors when they'd hit a standpoint and not take action to better those type of pts. So out of DESPERATION for my sanity looked at other areas. I had no idea. I thought peds but no. Icu I thought to devote ALL your time to careful details with several patients. Then I thought the same day so you can treat the pt then send them elsewhere. But couldn't get into those. FINALLY I found an ER position. I need some level of consistency and stability. I never thought ER because I was afraid to deal with any emergencies. I knew I needed a change or I'd leave nursing. I wanted to treat patients, still complete and keep up nursing skills, but not have to deal with these patients continuously as on med surg. Sounds horrible but no it really is stessful. Then I finally came to the conclusion: I wanted to try ICU, I sort of liked to work with children at times, wanted different things, wanted short term pt stay. That's all ER. Any pt can code and you have to deal with it. Not every ER pt is totally downhill. You have such a variety and if you have a pt you are having a hard time with that pt leaves. Now there are drawbacks. You can't follow through with pts so you miss that complete longterm goals for treatment and progressively better as you get on med surg and repoire you get with pts. However you do meet tons of people in the ER and is still enjoyable working with them. There is some satisfaction in that the MD makes a dx we give treatment and lots of teaching with discharge instructions. There are also many areas to travel in the ER to vary it yet still learn a routine of what dx gets what to have some level of stability. Oh I got a little lengthy there! But I've been in ER for 6 weeks and really really enjoy it.
Sometimes you know, sometimes you just discover it on your own which area. I'm actually glad for my med surg experience to prepare me for what I do now. Also the issues that arouse I don't think are common on other med surg floors it was just this particular floor. It has a bad rep and was worsening. But if that didn't happen I might have stayed and been very bitter. I got to a point where I think many nurses get to. They don't like change. They stick with what they know and that was ultimitely why I stayed. If worse comes to worse with anything you can just apply for another position until you find what works. What's funny is all the med surg nurses I talk to say well how many pts do you get. It really isn't like that. It's is very busy but a different kind of busy and it is intense still. But it is a high turnover rate. Which made it so intolerable with a high turnover rate on med surg, actually makes the ER tolerable. It's the nature of it. You are giving treatment and meds for the present condition. That's one of the major diferences. It's great. You get everything there.
I'm also trying to get accross if you don't like what you are doing, give it some time. Starting out takes 1-1.5 years at least for new grad to med surg to get accustomed to where you are. Then after that if you find you don't like it or if you did but need something else, don't stay b/c you are used to it. That will burn you out and be too depressing. One of my coworkers for years wanted to go to ICU (over 15) but never did wishes she did. She finally transfered to float position b/c she couldn't stand our floor either and LOVES it when she thought she never would have before because no consistent floor or assisgnment. So whatever works for you! Nobody should limit themselves.
LoriAlabamaRN
955 Posts
After working through school as a CNA on med-surg, I knew that was not what I wanted- no chance to know the patients from day to day and no time to really give good care. After school I went to a physical rehab inpatient center for a year, but the DON was crooked and made work hell. I found this position quite by accident, but fell in love instantly. I love LTC- being able to know the residents and their families, learning something different every day, having the time to go in and sit with someone who can't sleep and talk with them for a while. I get to really make a difference, and I look forward to every shift.