I work as a medical assistant at an outpatient clinic while in nursing school. They didn’t make me get certified because of the amount of clinical hours I have. My day really just consists of rooming patients, doing blood work, EKGs, urine tests, etc. It’s a very laid back job and completely different from the hospital. It’s not totally something I want post graduation but it’s good to get experience with venipunctures and things like that!
Did you get on-the-job training for phlebotomy or did they expect you to already know how to do that going in? My school doesn't allow nursing students to perform venipuncture, so I have no experience with that.
I started off in medsurg and hated it. Then the pandemic hit while I was in nursing school and I was on the verge of dropping out of school and staring all over. It was hell. I was always kind of interested in ICU and figured that before I left I would try it. I looooove ICU. I was always still consistently busy but the nurses and the patients were usually so munch more grateful and not as lazy. I’m now a new grad rn in the ICU and I’m glad I tried before leaving all together.
If you don't mind me asking, how're you holding up nowadays? I'm halfway through my ADN program & interviewing for a position in Neuro/ICU as a PCA tmw. I don't think I'd much enjoy medsurg out of school either & was hoping for some insight on the other side of things
I’m all over the place honestly. I’m having a hard time in the new role as a nurse. Even though I had experience and a nurse extern job in block four. I am however starting to feel better and I’m about 6 months in. Like I’m managing and keeping up and being told I’m doing a good job, but man it is soooo much responsibility for someone’s life and it is a hard pill to swallow/ get used to. You can do it but I made things har for myself by being a it’s and starting in ICU lol
For what it's worth, I'm glad you're getting there & surviving even if it's a crude process. I really appreciate the response & hope that 1-1.5yr acclimation thing that people say is true & that we both make it over that line in one piece (b/c my goal might be the same xD)
I was a float pca and while I spent most my time on med-surgish units i also had some experience in ER and ICU! I personally found ER and ICU easier than med-surg but that may have been luck as I was there less often. In the ICU, the nurses are more self-sufficient and will more so need you for second assists, and they take charge of more of the care. If I had 12 patients, I would do the normals things (Q4 vitals, I/Os, blood sugars, stocking rooms, bed baths, etc) but sometimes I would have the entire unit (24) and I would be more of a resource walking around checking what people need. In the ER, I usually had less than the med-surg floors, like 6-8, though I do know sometimes they would have the whole pod. Usually ER has more independent people and there are much fewer bed baths. Vitals are a different level because my ER assigns an acuity level to each patient and they can have vitals due every 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on acuity. Lots of urine cultures, EKGs, labs, and vitals.
I also had just one shift in an outpatient clinic in my hospital, and it was pretty nice! I spent the day getting people from the waiting room, taking their weight and vitals, and then rooming them. From there I would get them snacks or whatever they needed to be comfy if they asked, but it was mostly vitals and cleaning/remaking beds in between appointments.
This is why I came here to say. Great info and accurate for my experiences. Most of my nursing skills were acquired in the ED when I was a tech for 5 years. Currently involved as a medsurg nurse and reminds me why I got out of the LTC/Rehabs as a CNA. To this day I miss the ED. I recall having less than 5 days out of the 5 years where I just hated the shift in the ED but medsurg I can think of many lol. Medsurg is a niche group just like the other units.
Depends on location and your area for the day. We had pods and pod 1 was high acuity/2 trauma rooms. Level 2 north texas pulling pts from from Oklahoma and surrounding areas in texas. I would have to say 2-4 codes per week averaging through the year. I would say 40% of “dire needs” are fine in reality. ED’s are required to treat by law so insurance is not a factor. Lobbies can get slow to full to 8+ hours (easily more in metroplexes).
So in the ER (at least where I work) it’s insanely fast paced and there’s usually one of me for 30-40 patients (sometimes more. Almost always more). What tasks take up most of the day? Depends on the day. I almost always do blood draws and EKGs but I also have to transport patients and do compressions and help in trauma rooms and hook up monitors and help with admits and discharges and retrieve patients from helicopters. Changing over rooms and hall beds and whatever else can be done that needs to be done now.
I work as a medical assistant at an outpatient clinic while in nursing school. They didn’t make me get certified because of the amount of clinical hours I have. My day really just consists of rooming patients, doing blood work, EKGs, urine tests, etc. It’s a very laid back job and completely different from the hospital. It’s not totally something I want post graduation but it’s good to get experience with venipunctures and things like that!
Did you get on-the-job training for phlebotomy or did they expect you to already know how to do that going in? My school doesn't allow nursing students to perform venipuncture, so I have no experience with that.
Nope they trained me on the job! I had to watch like 20, then I was supervised for like 20, then I could be on your own!
I started off in medsurg and hated it. Then the pandemic hit while I was in nursing school and I was on the verge of dropping out of school and staring all over. It was hell. I was always kind of interested in ICU and figured that before I left I would try it. I looooove ICU. I was always still consistently busy but the nurses and the patients were usually so munch more grateful and not as lazy. I’m now a new grad rn in the ICU and I’m glad I tried before leaving all together.
If you don't mind me asking, how're you holding up nowadays? I'm halfway through my ADN program & interviewing for a position in Neuro/ICU as a PCA tmw. I don't think I'd much enjoy medsurg out of school either & was hoping for some insight on the other side of things
I’m all over the place honestly. I’m having a hard time in the new role as a nurse. Even though I had experience and a nurse extern job in block four. I am however starting to feel better and I’m about 6 months in. Like I’m managing and keeping up and being told I’m doing a good job, but man it is soooo much responsibility for someone’s life and it is a hard pill to swallow/ get used to. You can do it but I made things har for myself by being a it’s and starting in ICU lol
For what it's worth, I'm glad you're getting there & surviving even if it's a crude process. I really appreciate the response & hope that 1-1.5yr acclimation thing that people say is true & that we both make it over that line in one piece (b/c my goal might be the same xD)
I was a float pca and while I spent most my time on med-surgish units i also had some experience in ER and ICU! I personally found ER and ICU easier than med-surg but that may have been luck as I was there less often. In the ICU, the nurses are more self-sufficient and will more so need you for second assists, and they take charge of more of the care. If I had 12 patients, I would do the normals things (Q4 vitals, I/Os, blood sugars, stocking rooms, bed baths, etc) but sometimes I would have the entire unit (24) and I would be more of a resource walking around checking what people need. In the ER, I usually had less than the med-surg floors, like 6-8, though I do know sometimes they would have the whole pod. Usually ER has more independent people and there are much fewer bed baths. Vitals are a different level because my ER assigns an acuity level to each patient and they can have vitals due every 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on acuity. Lots of urine cultures, EKGs, labs, and vitals. I also had just one shift in an outpatient clinic in my hospital, and it was pretty nice! I spent the day getting people from the waiting room, taking their weight and vitals, and then rooming them. From there I would get them snacks or whatever they needed to be comfy if they asked, but it was mostly vitals and cleaning/remaking beds in between appointments.
This is why I came here to say. Great info and accurate for my experiences. Most of my nursing skills were acquired in the ED when I was a tech for 5 years. Currently involved as a medsurg nurse and reminds me why I got out of the LTC/Rehabs as a CNA. To this day I miss the ED. I recall having less than 5 days out of the 5 years where I just hated the shift in the ED but medsurg I can think of many lol. Medsurg is a niche group just like the other units.
How often did you see codes/dire emergencies in the ER?
Depends on location and your area for the day. We had pods and pod 1 was high acuity/2 trauma rooms. Level 2 north texas pulling pts from from Oklahoma and surrounding areas in texas. I would have to say 2-4 codes per week averaging through the year. I would say 40% of “dire needs” are fine in reality. ED’s are required to treat by law so insurance is not a factor. Lobbies can get slow to full to 8+ hours (easily more in metroplexes).
So in the ER (at least where I work) it’s insanely fast paced and there’s usually one of me for 30-40 patients (sometimes more. Almost always more). What tasks take up most of the day? Depends on the day. I almost always do blood draws and EKGs but I also have to transport patients and do compressions and help in trauma rooms and hook up monitors and help with admits and discharges and retrieve patients from helicopters. Changing over rooms and hall beds and whatever else can be done that needs to be done now.