WHY do so many people hate nursing? Sigh.

Nursesstyle · Feb 13, 2016

I am not sure if we begin to hate nursing I just believe we become so consumed with the politics and unfair treatment of nurses. Many times I have considered another profession, but I have to admit it, I really love being a nurse and I love everything that is good about it. It is sad that this industry will not recognize us as they should.

Happy Nursing :)

nutella, MSN, RN · Feb 13, 2016

I can't say that I blame the new grads for side stepping med surg and going into specialties. Med surg is one big, chaotic beast. But I don't think anyone should ever think med surg is beneath them or any nursing specialty for that matter. Most of us work just as hard as the next nurse, no matter what department.

Oh yes - I totally agree! Nurses work hard no matter where they go!

I think there is nothing such as "less worthy" - it all all about personal preference and sometimes what the market has to offer.

mrsjonesRN · Feb 13, 2016

Someone said med surg is the meat and potatoes of nursing.
I like that.
My years in med surg has opened many doors for me as a nurse who can learn anything and be plugged in anywhere.
Love it.

I agree! I am thankful for my time "out on the floor." I learned so many skills. My communication improved. My confidence level climbed. My time management got better, and I made life time friends. I was fortunate enough to work on a surgical trauma med surg unit so I saw a little of everything. I honestly feel like I can DO almost anything! (Except OB!)

Med surg isn't for every one, but I'm sure glad I worked it first before doing anything else!

mrsjonesRN · Feb 13, 2016

Oh yes - I totally agree! Nurses work hard no matter where they go!
I think there is nothing such as "less worthy" - it all all about personal preference and sometimes what the market has to offer.

Very true! And having so many options is the wonderful part of nursing.

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · Feb 13, 2016

New grads aren't clueless. They know how crazy med-surg can be.

Specialty orientations are way more supportive and thorough than med-surg.

My NICU orientation is 12 weeks. My med-surg orientation? Barely six. I get numerous educational classes related to NICU. Med-surg? Good luck. My nicu orientation is very structured. Med-surg? The orientation was just out of control and one time my preceptor(who clearly didn't want to precept) was given eleven patients. They figured since she had an orientee she could handle that many patients.

Med-surg throws new grads in charge all the time without any training. New grads shouldn't be in charge of ****. More specialized units? That would never fly.

It isn't that new grads think they are above med-surg. I would have stayed longer but throwing me into charge nurse with nothing but new grads and no further training was not something I was comfortable with along with many other things that were going on.

My unit has lost almost a third of its staff with more to leave. Its sister unit has lost fifty nurses in a span of two years.

Farawyn · Feb 13, 2016

You had a bad experience in Med surg TPB, but that was your experience. It sounds as if you are speaking generally at times.

My experience was nothing like that.

And new grads are kind of clueless. This has nothing to do with their intelligence or potential. They just don't know what they don't know.

ME TOO. I was there once, as we all were.

nutella, MSN, RN · Feb 13, 2016

New grads aren't clueless. They know how crazy med-surg can be.
Specialty orientations are way more supportive and thorough than med-surg.
My NICU orientation is 12 weeks. My med-surg orientation? Barely six. I get numerous educational classes related to NICU. Med-surg? Good luck. My nicu orientation is very structured. Med-surg? The orientation was just out of control and one time my preceptor(who clearly didn't want to precept) was given eleven patients. They figured since she had an orientee she could handle that many patients.
Med-surg throws new grads in charge all the time without any training. New grads shouldn't be in charge of ****. More specialized units? That would never fly.
It isn't that new grads think they are above med-surg. I would have stayed longer but throwing me into charge nurse with nothing but new grads and no further training was not something I was comfortable with along with many other things that were going on.
My unit has lost almost a third of its staff with more to leave. Its sister unit has lost fifty nurses in a span of two years.

I worked med/surg tele , very busy major teaching hospital. It was a challenging environment for any new grads and it was for me as I had worked in critical care and not used to that level of multitasking and the pace.

The learning curve is huge in med/surg - you are right that support is lacking in a lot of places for new graduates. Retention is a problem because it is hard to find the right fit for this kind of environment. It is a lot of pressure.

Though I did not stick around for more than a few years med/surg tele it was a valuable experience and I learned so much!

On the other hand - I once got a job in a very desired hospital, specialty, very competitive and I left because they were super unsupportive, lateral violence ans such - all apparently accepted by higher ups and the culture was just like that. Compared to the weeks I stayed there - med/surg was a picnic ....

bgxyrnf, MSN, RN · Feb 13, 2016

Adult Med-Surg has nothing in common with NICU. In fact, I think starting in med-surg is only going to make things more difficult for me as I have to practically erase everything I have learned in my first job.
Two years or even one year wouldn't have helped me in the slightest in NICU and just about every single NICU nurse I know who has made the transition from adult med-surg to NICU agrees with me.

These days it seems that most employers are looking to fill positions with specifically experienced candidates and even internal hires can have a hard time breaking into an unrelated specialty.

If one wants to be a NICU nurse then they should do everything that they can to land a NICU new-grad position or at least a post-partum nursery position. The further that you start from your goal, the more in jeopardy it becomes.

Med-surg is a fine starting place for some people's ambitions but it is easy to get stuck there. I did it for a year and I do mean "stuck." I disliked med-surg and I still do.

mrsjonesRN · Feb 13, 2016

New grads aren't clueless. They know how crazy med-surg can be.
Specialty orientations are way more supportive and thorough than med-surg.
My NICU orientation is 12 weeks. My med-surg orientation? Barely six. I get numerous educational classes related to NICU. Med-surg? Good luck. My nicu orientation is very structured. Med-surg? The orientation was just out of control and one time my preceptor(who clearly didn't want to precept) was given eleven patients. They figured since she had an orientee she could handle that many patients.
Med-surg throws new grads in charge all the time without any training. New grads shouldn't be in charge of ****. More specialized units? That would never fly.
It isn't that new grads think they are above med-surg. I would have stayed longer but throwing me into charge nurse with nothing but new grads and no further training was not something I was comfortable with along with many other things that were going on.
My unit has lost almost a third of its staff with more to leave. Its sister unit has lost fifty nurses in a span of two years.

Sorry you had such a bad time on med surg. I assure you that is not typically the norm. I assume specialty areas do offer more training due to the "higher liability." Every facility is different with the training programs it has, I assure you.

I had an excellent orientation on med surg. I got 12 full weeks with a preceptor who sat with me each night discussing care plans,disease processes, and doctors orders. She taught me to be a proactive patient advocate.

Hopefully nicu works out well for you. Thank goodness for the specialty areas...I know I couldn't do nicu!

bgxyrnf, MSN, RN · Feb 13, 2016

Med/Surg took a chance on a new grad that wasn't hired by the unit where she was already working in another role. They spent months orienting you -- months in which you were costing them money in the form of your salary and benefits while you were contributing nothing to the bottom line. Then you were out on your own and still not pulling your own weight because you were so inexperienced. Experts estimate that it takes about two years for a new grad to begin to be competent and to contribute to the bottom line. Instead of paying back the manager and the unit who gave you your chance, you jumped ship at your earliest opportunity. Because it was your dream. I find that more than a little princessey.

I disagree with the "contributing nothing to the bottom line" as do I also challenge the estimations of the "experts that it takes two years for a new grad to be competent and to contribute to the bottom line."

"Experts" estimate lots of things but those estimates are often grossly in error... and sometimes made to justify a preexisting viewpoint... or that of a funder.

Farawyn · Feb 13, 2016

Nor I. No NICU ever. Creds to those that do.

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · Feb 13, 2016

You had a bad experience in Med surg TPB, but that was your experience. It sounds as if you are speaking generally at times.
My experience was nothing like that.
And new grads are kind of clueless. This has nothing to do with their intelligence or potential. They just don't know what they don't know.
ME TOO. I was there once, as we all were.

I realize that my experience isn't representative of everyone's, but it is very common, at least that is my impression from allnurses. I get frustrated when people like Ruby Vee want to point fingers at new grads with inaccurate information ("months of orientation"? LOL) and rip us apart for not wanting to stick around in horrific work environments.

New grads may be clueless to some things, but we know a crappy situation when we see one. If something were to happen, we would be held liable. The court wouldn't care that we have six other patients, an inexperienced charge nurse and no sitters to watch our 1:1 cases.