What to do....

[Maco]

I currently work on a med surg floor-which is where i went straight out of school and have been on this floor for 3 yrs...i'm debating on going to the ER but i'm scared to make a change.My manager is wonderful to work for(unlike the er manager from what I heard) and I'm comfortable on my floor but I feel that I need to learn more than what I'm currenlty learning....my floor is soooo busy I feel that all I do somedays is chart and pass meds....I work days and also I started doing a couple nights a week and nights are nice...if I went to the er i would have to go to straight nights and i'm not sure If I could do nights all the time...even though the few nights that I do work are great but I feel that I walk around in a daze for a day or two after.Maybe I'm just not use to doing nights...ive only been doing nights a couple weeks now.....like I said I usually do days and nights in 1 week .....any advice...

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

the one problem i foresee other then your transition to nights is your transition to doing something new and being similar to a new grad nurse all over again. when transitioning from one specialty to another you are no longer considered experienced and thus will have a transitional phase. this, i am told my experienced nurses, is normal and so if you go in humble you should be fine. the second more urgent problem is the fact that your new manger might be a nightmare and may be a reason not to transfer.

i do not know if you ever had a bad boss before.... i have had a few in my former careers, and they were enough not to take on another one if i can help it! btw, i want to be an er nurse someday, but given what you have said... i would not transfer right now if i had your situation. instead i would ask my current manager to allow me to move to nights so i could get used to working nights. then i would request that i be allowed to float to the er as often as i could. the reason being, floating gives you an idea what it is like to work in the er at nights without the commitment of leaving your green grass at this time. you will also get more of a heads up on the manager to be sure that he/she is someone you can work for or not, which should help with your decision to transfer. if you cannot float because you are needed every shift, then i would talk to the er and see if i could pick up a day or so in the er while continuing to work on my current unit. either way, you will get the benefit of learning the reality of a transfer without committing to it just yet (and yes, i know nurses who did this...).

[systoly]

There is a huge difference between filling in on nights and working nights all the time. When you fill in on nights, you don't adjust your life style. when you work nights all the time your life changes.

[Maco]

I'm not sure that I can float to the er..from my understanding If I would transfer to the ER I would have to precept for 6 wks...like a new grade....I don't know if I would just do a night here and there....just to get a taste of it....

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

i'm not sure that i can float to the er..from my understanding if i would transfer to the er i would have to precept for 6 wks...like a new grade....i don't know if i would just do a night here and there....just to get a taste of it....

i have a friend who was precepted over a few months and only worked one shift a week in the ed. he did not leave his primary floor during that time. he made arrangements with a nurse who precepted him and the manager of the floor to do this with no intention of transferring. although he wanted to be an er nurse when he graduated, he did not have the opportunity right out of school. he, like you, landed a medical surgical floor he likes. plus, my ed's reputation is bad in the community and the day shift is bad to everyone including staff!! so he refused to transfer, but wanted to gain er training so he could work per diem. thus, he made the arrangements he made and after his training he became an er nurse per diem while continuing to work full-time on his medical surgical floor. i know it sounds odd, but it worked. he had to put in extra studying time, education, training, and work but he made it happen.

i am planning to do the same in a few months or so... i wanted to work in the er upon graduation but did not have the opportunity because the department was not hiring new grads. so i have to continue to work on my floor for another year. rather then wait around i plan to grab er training in the meantime. after i become acls certified, among other things, i will be training with an er nurse to help me with my future transition. besides, in my hospital everyone floats so it will not be difficult for me to float to the ed or icu a few shifts a month since others on my floor will go to those floors kicking and screaming first (it is ok with me because i work nights). if you cannot float, then try to make arrangements to work a per diem... if they are not willing to work with you then i suggest that you look at another er because poor managers are not worth the time.

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

There is a huge difference between filling in on nights and working nights all the time. When you fill in on nights, you don't adjust your life style. when you work nights all the time your life changes.

I know, that is why I wrote that he move to nights.