Bad Rep for Med Surg

Thank you for the suggestions in these threads, but I feel less than efficient somedays, and the patient's attitudes in the acute/chronic care setting are too negative. I understand the diagnosis cannot be cured one hundered percent. I have a silly idea about improving a patient's quality of life. If I can educate myself and the patient too on this theme things could turn around. Is there such a language as patient speak?
The cattiness is only the tip of the iceberg on a med surg floor. I have cinical attitudes from coworkers, patients, and family, but this is an accepted norm on the floor.
I like med surg work, but I need to polish up my skills first, and only then will I believe that I can seem effective in my work. I am there for the work, and as far as I can see any unnecessary drama from all parties referenced above can stay off the floor.
Do not get me wrong I find some coworkers truly inspirational to work with each day, but I will feel silly for sharing this observation, so I keep my nose to the grindstone. Med Surg is tough because you can get bogged down into two deliberate areas being patient care and medication administration. Unfortunately I feel my skills suffered from tunnel vision, and only I can make up for this alone.

I feel there are a great deal of misgivings about working a med surg floor. You forgive yourself for the stuff you signed on for and tell yourself not to quit. I am looking for a second wind. No lie...

I've only been working as a nurse on the MCU for 3 months now but I've come a long way. I'm starting to really love working, it's such a variety of pts and diseases, everything from UTI's to meningitis. I think the trick most nights is trying to keep a step ahead, getting enough of your work done so that if you have admissions or a patient go critical you aren't chasing your tail for the rest of the shift, but of course that's not always possible.

As the manager of a Med Surg floor, I have read and fully appreciated every posted comment relating to this subject. I think everyone has hit on a valid point of some aspect or another, and for the record, I know how hard you work!

I'm not so sure Med Surg nursing itself has the bad rap, but more like the working conditions and expectactions that are asked of you each shift. Add to that a changing census every few hours, the co-morbidities for each patient, and the endless change and ever more difficult to meet regulatory agency requirements, ....well you take all that and then be the lowest paying hospital in your "region", (or lower paid nurse because it's not perceived as difficult as ER/ICU) I can see why the new grads are hesitant to sign on.

Med Surg doesn't have that "glamor" of the drama and trauma that is perceived with ER or ICU nursing. But it can, if we promote it. You know all the hype now about "Rapid Response Teams" ? Well who did that before they came on the scene? The Medical Surgical Nurse, who sensed that "something wasn't right" or just felt like " if this one crashes, it'll be fast." The Med Surg nurse "saved their life" then and continues to be the first in line to do so now. Pull a new nurse in on a "bad" patient as soon as the opprotunity comes up, let them place a second IV line, or document. But get them involved and they'll get the same Adreneline rush the ER nurse does with a priority one patient.

A quick after thought, I was in the ER for several years, and LOVED it, becasue I loved the drama and trauma.... the having to think quick on my feet. Since transferring to a Med Surg Managers position, I've found the same number of opprotunities of turning around a bad situation. And while I certainly do not want to encourage "speciality nursing bickering", do you know an un-recognized difference between and ER nurse and a Med Surg Nurse ? The ER nurse knows their patient is there for a finite amount of time and will be going somewhere before their shift is over (usually)... the Med Surg Nurse will continue to have a case load for 12 hours, with ER admissions, direct admits, discharges, transfers, etc....because if the patient load isn't there for them to care for, guess who gets placed on call? Not the ER Nurse.

I applaud your dedication, and hope we can all work to promote the "coolness" of this specialty nurisng. Thank you from all the Med Surg Managers out there who are really trying to do right by the staff and the patients!

i have worked med surg for 9 years now .. and i can tell you i know exactly why people leave. it is stressful and so much pressure .. it wears on your mind and wreaks havoc on your body.. i don't know just stress .. i am leaving soon .. i have seen new nurses on the verge of tears because they are so overwhelmed and the pressure keeps coming.. you get 3 or 4 admits a shift plus your other patients.. i had 6 patients .. 2 were getting blood , one had a CBI , 1 was sent to emergency surgey and i think i had a code and a admit.. i was so exhausted by the time i got home.. i never wanted to step foot in that hospital again. but i did ..

I just want to say, that I worked in Med/Surge for 7 years... 4 as an aide, 3 as a nurse... I was so convinced that I hated it. Now I'm in psych and getting ready to return to med/surge.

Why? Well, I never thought I'd really say this, but.... I'm BORRRRED... actually, I wouldn't say psych is boring all the time... it goes from boring to horrendously stressful, with no in between. At least in med/surge, some nights you are lucky enough to be steadily busy without any crises. Psych in my experience isn't like that. Plus I'm tired of having NO hands-on work with the patients.

So.... while I like psych in very limited doses, I'm ready to go back to med/surge. I miss it!!!! =) I'm very excited.

I worked Trauma Med/Surg - leaving in a couple of weeks. Tired of no help, 6-7:1 ratio, in trouble if you have any overtime, and management that has all these "great ideas" on how to do more work with less staff/help. Oh yeah lets not forget the horrible patient satisfaction scores that of course are due to the nurse's inability to tend to everyone at once - it's all our fault! - I quit. I think I'll be a Greeter at WalMart - hehe sure would be more fun.

oh no! I hear ya, about it always being nursing's fault. I work the night shift where we are blamed for everything...

I hope you find a better place to be, and it isn't your fault.

read my post about med-surg certifications

Med-surg is not a speciality; isn't it the basics of nursing? I don't see anything thing special about . That's why there shouldn't be any "certification" for it. that's like being certified "nurse". Aren't we all "certified"?