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.

[stephpdx]

I went straight into the Trauma/Surgical ICU at a level 1 trauma center. I really lucked out by going to a teaching hospital and they loved hiring their own graduates. I did my synthesis on a progressive trauma/surgical floor and I felt like that really laid out a foundation for me (even though it was only 225 hours).

I know that it sucks right now but you do learn some skills that can help you move up. After your year is up, I would definitely start applying within the hospital you're at and try to get to know some people on the floors you'd like to get a good word in! It might be harder for you to apply to different jobs at other hospitals with such little experience.

[Satori77, ADN]

On 8/19/2019 at 7:37 PM, Undercat said:

Just wondering.....are nurses in California as apathetic about working med surg with having nurse-patient ratios? Would all this antipathy disappear if nurses never had to take care of more than 4 patients? So, is it the specialty or the working conditions?

I'm in Colorado, not California. But for me personally, it is a little bit of both. Even if I only had 2 patients, I know I am not a med surg nurse. Its not the specialty I want to end up in. But I do think it would be a lot more doable having only 4 patients. Where I was working it was usually 5 patients on days (and with discharges and admits, there were times nurses could have 7 patients at one time), and on nights you have 6-7. Its not always safe.

[martymoose, BSN, RN]

On 5/2/2019 at 7:53 PM, Rose_Queen said:

Med surg will be of assistance in WIS. Those patients may indeed have the conditions that you would see in med surg. As for the OR, no, med surg won't transfer much. It's a completely different environment.

I actually interviewed for the OR where i am, and they told me I needed a year of med surg.

I would think the only experience you need to work in the OR is how to duck from flying instruments,and learning to deal with arrogant ,spoiled baby, rude surgeons....

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

17 minutes ago, martymoose said:

I actually interviewed for the OR where i am, and they told me I needed a year of med surg.

Well, there are facilities that do require med surg to do anything else, whether it's OR, ER, ICU, L&D, peds, etc. I "interviewed" at one as well as part of a job fair on campus. Chose not to work there.

18 minutes ago, martymoose said:

I would think the only experience you need to work in the OR is how to duck from flying instruments,and learning to deal with arrogant ,spoiled baby, rude surgeons....

Well, if the facility tolerates that, it's not a facility to work in. I can guarantee my facility would not tolerate things being thrown- they've actually suspended and mandated anger management classes for reinstatement of privileges after a surgeon threw something.

[ILoveHorsesRN, ADN]

I did not do a year of Med Surg because I never wanted to work with adults. It's a myth that you must do a year of med surg. If you want to work in a different area, see if you can get trained for it. I was trained as a new grad in the NICU.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

Never worked a med-surg floor, but took care of plenty of med-surg overflow.