Who Did NOT Do a Year of Med Surg?

[Satori77]

When I went to nursing school, I knew I didn't want to be a floor nurse. I had little interest in med surg. Now when I did my clinicals, and most were med surg, I enjoyed them for the most part. I like taking care of people. I don't mind the tasks. I have no problem cleaning up people, helping them to the bathroom or to eat. I like talking with and educating patients and family. I don't even mind the rudeness. But I can't stand being understaffed. High patient to nurse ratios. Very acute patients and little help from charge nurses or docs.

I worked in a SNF full time for 6 months, and still do PRN work because I love the residents. And then I took a med surg position to get my foot in the door at the hospital. I have been doing this for almost 5 months and I'm just not sure I can make it a year. There has been such turnover. We are constantly pushed to discharge patients and do more admits. Its very task oriented, and I don't believe I am giving the best care that I should be giving. And still being a newer nurse, I'm afraid of missing something and a patient getting hurt. Plus I am seriously getting burned out. I work nights (which I like the flow better, but it is still quite crazy with half the staff and a higher patient load).

With how rough it is, and knowing that I am not passionate about floor nursing, I'm wondering if I can/should look for another job. Now I can't search within my hospital system because you need to be in your 1st job for a year before transferring. Which I completely get. Should I just suck it up for another 7 months (at least) and try to apply elsewhere in the hospital. After all, I have worked hard to get where I am. Or can I start applying at other hospitals? Would they even consider me? I don't want to be someone who jumps jobs every few months. I want to find my home and stay there. Anyone else able to either not work med surg out of school or only do it a few months before landing a job that is a better fit?

For reference, the areas I am and have been interested in since before school is OR (including periop where I did my senior practicum) or WIS (including NICU). I just feel like those areas are so specialized and so unlike med surg that I wonder how much med surg (besides time management) is really helping me.

[ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP]

I was hired for a SNF and left after two weeks. Then I got into med-surg and worked nine months full time before going contingent. Did NICU full-time for over three years and now am going contingent in NICU and back to my PRN med-surg job full-time for tuition benefits.

If you are wanting certain career advancement, med-surg experience is invaluable. But if you want to specialize and stay specialized, then you may not necessarily need it. As someone who has super-specialized AND has med-surg experience, I find my options limitless. But you could get the same benefits with general ICU and step-down experience.

[RobbiRN, RN]

I worked as a "Nurse Tech" on a Med-Surg unit with a 3/4 RN load while paired with an RN who supervised my work during my second year of an ADN program. ( I already had a BA in another area and this was a pilot program at that time.) When I graduated, I went straight into ICU and on to the ER before the first year was over. Several of our current ER RNs worked as Patient Care Techs along side us while getting their RN degrees, then they came on board at the RN level as soon as they got their licenses. Our home-grown crew has worked out very well.

[beekindRN, ASN, RN]

I, too, was encouraged to do one year on Med-Surg after graduation. After a lot of soul-searching and speaking with mentors, I'd decided my year an as aid on med-surg was all I wanted. I was luckily hired into an ICU, but made sure they had a fantastic nurse residency program. We have a 16-week orientation with a preceptor and a mentor for when we are on our own. I'm almost done with orientation and loving it. I've had nothing but positive feedback, and not once been told I should go back to med-surg. I felt I'd seen all the basics beforehand as an aid, and now I'm more confident with advanced tasks.

I understand how fortunate I am, but my advice is to go where you're desired. Worst case scenario, talk to your nurse navigator or HR -- they just may be able to bend the rules to keep you on staff in another department. You won't know until you try. Good luck!!

[Oldmahubbard]

I lasted about 8 months with the Med Surg, hating most of it, as I had anticipated. This was many years ago, and I then got into Home Health, which was not as intense as it is now.

From there, I did some LTC with a psych population and several years of outpatient mental health. Then onto Psych NP.

[ORoxyO]

I went straight to the OR and never looked back. It's what I wanted and I had a chance so it worked out great for me. (I did work as a nurse tech for 1.5 years while in school on a post surgical floor. )

I can truly say that had I done a year in med surg, I probably wouldn't be a nurse today. I want no part of it and I'm sure I would not have been able to handle it. I don't know how floor nurses do it.

[Kaisu]

I worked 4 months on med/surg and absolutely hated it. My license was at risk every day and I made the decision to leave. It's a shame, because at a better hospital, I think I would have not only thrived but perhaps grown to love it.

That being said, I am still in my second job 2 years later. I am a hospice nurse and love my job. I was lucky to land somewhere so suitable.

I think you should stick it out. It will open many doors for you and you won't have 2 under 1 year jobs damaging a potentially sterling resume.

Good luck to you.

[dianah, ASN]

I floated in ICU (MICU, SICU, CCU), DOU (stepdown), Med-Surg, Post-Partum, Newborn Nursery for the first 3.5 years after graduating. Worked in the hospital where I trained. Gained a wealth of skills and knowledge. Mind you, this was 1975-1978 (back when we took NCLEX and then waited 6-8 weeks for results, working in the meantime with an Interim Permit [IP]). Have since worked in other facilities in Cath Lab, ICU, and Radiology.

[PeakRN]

I never did med/surg. I wanted ED after school so I applied in enough places to get a job I wanted. I've since moved around a bit but have always stayed in emergency or critical care.

Med/surg is in many ways becoming a specialty in it's own way. Renal floors, spinal floors, transplant floors, and so on are as different from each other as many other specialty areas within the hospital.

There are many areas in which med/surg is of little or no help either for experience or when applying. Both our NICU and OR programs put little value into med/surg because other than simply having a good employment history it has very little to do with working in those areas. Likewise our pediatric floor, PICU, and EDs also place little value beyond a good work history to time on med/surg.

It will be hard to transfer with less than a years experience, especially without some other extenuating circumstance (such as moving to a different region). I don't think that it would hurt to look into a few jobs, especially if they have new to the specialty type training programs.

[Workitinurfava, BSN, RN]

I never worked regular med surg but I worked med-surg oncology. I now work psych. I will most likely stay with this field as it works for me. I don't really want to do any med-surg stuff.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

Clinic and research nursing for 26 years now. It is possible. Never worked acute care as never wanted to.

[MillieCNOR]

I did SNF, LTAC and Psych before I went to the OR. I know it’s difficult but push through the next 7 months and apply for the first opening you can find in the OR. I only get my patient awake for about 5-10 minutes but it’s the most rewarding position I’ve had. You only get one patient at a time, it is still busy and fast paced and honestly can be stressful but never on my worst day does it compare to the normal day when I had 50 patients and a vent patient all in one night at a snf, but it made me a great nurse with that experience!

[Betrnb4, ADN, BSN]

I have been nursing for 20+ years. Fortunately, as some of the others have mentioned, I was able to go straight into my area of choice - Pediatrics (unit was med-surg with a focus in Peds Tele/ Cardiology) for 7 years.

Now, all of these years later, I have done NUMEROUS things, including coming back to my first love, kids - as a school nurse... So, should you stick it out??

I do sometimes wish that I had done Med-Surg first, as my situation changed later in life, and I would have liked to be more well rounded- as far as being in the hospital, to do general nursing travel assignments . But, I have had an interesting career, (Home Health, working contracts and such) and would NOT change it, even though it could appear as job hopping.

As a new nurse, however, it DOES take about a year to 18 months to get ‘comfortable’ in your new career. So, if you can stick it out for another 7 months, hang in there! It does get better and easier. But, if not, or you feel that your license is at risk, then begin looking for what you want, and start practicing your response for the inevitable interview question... “I see you have only been on the job for about 5/6 months. Why are you looking for a change?”