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by rachelaleanRN2B

Has anyone done this? I spent 2.5 years in ER then went to Home Health for 8 mos. The paperwork was horrible and I have gone back to school which makes this job impossible. I took a Med-Surg job b/c I could do 8 hr shifts which is good for my kid's baseball/softball and I start on Monday. What are the major differences? What can I expect. I can say I am truly an ER nurse at heart, love it. Any info will be great.

[RNinSoCal]

Re: ER nurse going to Med-Surg

Hi,
I have been doing med/surg for over 4 years now and I love it. The differences are that you have your patients longer. Some patients may stay as little as 1 day and as long as 1 month. It can be annoying with difficult patients but very rewarding with complex patients. I like to see my patients improve and go home OR help them deal with end of life issues and protect their right to die with dignity and as comfortably as possible. The commonalities between med/surg and ER (IF it is a general med/surg floor you are working on) is variety. You still get the varied diagnoses and treatments/skills that make nursing interesting. I hope your hospital has limits on how many patients you can take. A good CNA and a limit on the number of patients will make or break your med/surg career.
I love my 8 hour shifts on med/surg currently because I still have the time and energy to be active in the evenings. I miss the 4 days off that you get with 12 hour shifts but there is a pay off in that I am not too exhausted to go out after work with the 8 hour shifts.
Best wishes for you and your family!!!

[meownsmile]

Re: ER nurse going to Med-Surg

Med/surg is an extension of Er i think. You just keep the patients instead of sending them on someplace else. Med/surg usually has a fast turnover of patients so you should be comfortable with the fast pace of the nursing.

[RedCell]

Re: ER nurse going to Med-Surg

Expect for the nurses to all come to you for the difficult intravenous sticks. That is what happened to me when I went to open heart recovery.

[gonzo1]

Re: ER nurse going to Med-Surg

I think you might miss the close relationships with the doctors and having them so available to you. Also your floor patients will each have several doctors involved in their care, so more coordination is involved. I think you might find it a little easier that ER because the patients are already diagnosed and you for the most part will be monitoring and assisting in their improvement. You won't have to try and quess what is wrong with them as frequently.

[clee1]

Re: ER nurse going to Med-Surg

Originally Posted by RedCell

Expect for the nurses to all come to you for the difficult intravenous sticks. That is what happened to me when I went to open heart recovery.

But for God's sake, leave the AC's alone!!!!

[RN-Cardiac]

Re: ER nurse going to Med-Surg

Rachel,...I just did the opposite,.I went from tele/stepdown to ER,...many adjustments!! ER is a whole different mind set and very c/o focused!! The ED's main objective is stablize and move on to OR, ICU, NICU, home, what ever, and do it as quickly as possible. On the unit I knew way more about my pts,.every dx, more in depth hx, had to treat the CHF as well as the chronic back pain, DM, IBS, depression, GERD, gout, insomnia and fibromyalgia!! I work nights, so there is almost never a Dr around,.I felt I had much more autonomy in the unit,.had to make more decisions on my own or with the help of my co workers,(this could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the situation),..to me the unit is more task oriented, as there are so many things to do and never enough time to get everything done!! I can't really say one is "better" than the other,.just very different. Time management and good assessment skills will make life in the unit much easier for you!! Good luck to you!!

[RNsRWe]

Re: ER nurse going to Med-Surg

Originally Posted by clee1

But for God's sake, leave the AC's alone!!!!

LOL, I guess our hospital isn't the only one with gripes about all the ED admissions hitting the floor with caths in their ACs! Easy to get in there, but darned difficult to KEEP in without it occluding and making the pumps beep every ten minutes. And our patients, we keep