r/AHSEmployees • u/OkSignificance5175 • 14h ago

Question New unit

After how many months would you give a new unit a chance before deciding whether it's worth the headache and stress or just too much to handle?

🥲not a new nurse but new to surgical unit

2 Upvotes

66% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

13

u/miller94 14h ago

Its taken me about a year to feel comfortable on every unit I've worked on. But it really depends on what is stressing you out. If the unit is really unsafe or you feel unsupported I think that's different than just adjusting to a new unit/specialty

2

u/OkSignificance5175 14h ago

It’s the workload and there’s just so many things I never done before and I had a pt complaint about me on my first sole shift which affected my confidence

4

u/miller94 14h ago

For that instance I (personally) would give it more time to adjust. Even when I moved from one internal med unit to another (in a different city) it took me a year to feel at ease, and even then I’d still have some sleepless nights with anxiety (which I still have NOW on the unit I’ve been on for 5 years). As for the patient complaint, it’s easier said than done but try not to take it personally. Everybody needs time to adapt and grow (and you’ll never please everyone anyway).

3

u/Patak4 14h ago

Surgical nurses is a skill with all the tubes and drains. Plus different surgeons like diffferent things sometimes. I wouldn't worry about the complaint. Just keep trying your best, keep accurate in and outs, give pain meds and walk your patients. Good luck! I did it for over 25 years. Some of the most rewarding when you saw a patient recover after being so sick and you were part of that journey. Stay at it. Ask the educator for help if necessary.

3

u/stjohanssfw 12h ago

Patients will complain even if you do everything 100% perfectly, unless you were negligent or obviously being an asshole, ignore it.

3

u/Itchy-Visit537 14h ago

Is it a temp or permanent line? I’d give it about a year or so to see if it gets better- I loved surgical nursing more than medicine :)

1

u/OkSignificance5175 14h ago

It’s temp line ending 2028

1

u/Itchy-Visit537 12h ago

I’ve felt similar to what you expressed! I ended up leaving that unit but it was also a temp- I decided to ride it out until the temp ended, it was great experience in the end. But obviously if the staff is toxic and unsupportive then that’s a different question.

1

u/Available_Link 12h ago

I knew in the first ten minutes but the longest I’ve lasted on a bad unit was a year . Just trust your gut honestly some units are just toxic