Med Surg only ... for New grads???

studentnurserachel · Dec 8, 2005

I understand the rationale behind it and I have heard from quite a few nurses who did their year of med-surg and found it very valuable in developing a wide array of nursing skills, so that they are more prepared if they ever decide to switch specialties, but I have also talked to plenty of nurses who went right into specialty and haven't looked back, been very happy and feel confident in their abilities. In this area, new grads can work anywhere except OR and sometimes they make exceptions for that, so I guess we're lucky. Still, if I can't get right into L&D like I want to, I'll do my time in med-surg, I think it can't hurt and will most likely be helpful because let's face it, we're not going to graduate being competent in all the skills that med-surg nurses use on a daily basis.

IrishItalianRN · Dec 8, 2005

I know so little at this point about the ins and outs... i guess i have two years to decide what i think is best for me...i agree like you said it can't hurt to get the extra experience first. I also think do I want to put myself through a year of something I dont like? BUT how will I know I dont like it till i try it !?!?!?!?

pricklypear · Dec 8, 2005

Are you thinking of going into a specialty? My own personal take on the subject is this: If you're thinking of L&D, peds or surgery, there should be no reason to start in med-surg. I think these areas are so specialized, and so unique, that experience with med-surg patients wouldn't really matter. Procedures, medications and diagnoses are so different in those areas. And nurses in those areas rarely, if EVER float to other areas.

However, if you're thinking of critical care, some experience on a floor of some kind might be helpful. I chose telemetry because it would give me good cardiac care skills. The floor I worked on had a good mix of overflow med-surg type patients, also. I learned good time management skills during my time there, as well as how to deal with the stress of a busy unit. I learned a lot about medications and their uses. All that knowledge helped me transition into critical care. I didn't have to worry about trying to figure out the basic process of nursing as well as learning to deal with ICU patients and their multiple problems at the same time. This doesn't mean that you cannot go directly into a specialty area without other experience. I've worked with some new grads who have done exceptionally well in ICU. It really depends on you: your comfort level, your learning style, your knowledge base and the type of training you'll receive. I'm sure you'll get lots of different opinions on this subject.