"You *Have* To Start in Med-Surg"...fact or fiction?

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As a new grad, newly licensed RN, I've heard it a hundred times from instructors, other nurses, and all over AN. I understand the reasoning behind it, to "gain those valuable skills and lay a strong foundation for future knowledge."

Just wondering how many believe this to be true. If one was offered a position in a field that interests them, that isn't med-surg, do you think it would be detrimental to their future nursing career? Obviously as a new grad, with a limited number of job openings, we have to pretty much take what is offered. But just wondering your point of view and what you think of this advice; is it fact or fiction?

Specializes in ER.
Do you have to have med/surg? No, there are units that will hire without med/surg.

However, all the positions I see are saying X amount of time/experience in med/surg required or X amount of time in the specialty the posting is about.

I dreaded med/surg in school, not sure why. The majority of my clinical experience was on the med/surg units. And to be honest, I actually liked it. I'd be perfectly happy to get a position on a med/surg floor. But that's just me :)

The point about med/surg is it's a well-rounded nursing experience. Period. No, you don't learn Telemetry or focus on pediatrics, but once you have the basics, then you can move on. It's just sound advice for those launching into nursing. That's all.

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It provides a good foundation but no, you don't have to start there. I'm a float nurse and I can work anywhere except OR and L&D. I can even do case management if needed. Working in med-surg first made me really comfortable working with critically ill patients and doing case management because I could see the whole picture.

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The point about med/surg is it's a well-rounded nursing experience. Period. No, you don't learn Telemetry or focus on pediatrics, but once you have the basics, then you can move on. It's just sound advice for those launching into nursing. That's all.

Not sure why you quoted me for your response, but I totally agree with you. I personally think having med/surg experience under your belt is a good thing, but as others have pointed out, its not required in order to otain and thrive a non med/surg position.

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Specializes in ER.
Not sure why you quoted me for your response, but I totally agree with you. I personally think having med/surg experience under your belt is a good thing, but as others have pointed out, its not required in order to otain and thrive a non med/surg position.

I don't know why I quoted you either, maybe just to reinforce what you wrote.... dunno.

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Thanks everyone for their opinions and advice! Like I said before, I'm a new grad RN looking for my first job in this tough economy, so I'm pretty much going to jump on whatever is offered to me (have been looking for almost 3 months, after well over 200 applications/resumes sent in, I'm bordering on desperate! :banghead: lol)

I have interviewed for a Mental Health Nurse position and I feel it went pretty well; waiting to hear back from them. I think this is where the fear of not doing med-surg is stemming from. I'm very interested in psych nursing and believe I would really enjoy the position. After reading some of your comments, I feel more comfortable jumping into this job without that med-surg experience. Thanks!:)

I love hearing everyone's opinion on this! Keep the replies coming! I know I'm not the only new grad that's wondering if this is fact or fiction!

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Specializes in CMSRN.

I don't think there are any hard and fast rules about where you start. Obviously not every new nurse starts out in Med-Surg, that wouldn't be humanly possible. I think it's a great option and given that I'm on my Job Search right now, I would do cartwheels if I were offered a Med-Surg position. Yes, we all have to start somewhere but you have to do what's best for you. Good luck!

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Thank you for asking this question! I graduate (fingers crossed) in December and have wondered the same thing. new grads don't get hired easily in my city and have been worried about my long term future if I don't get that coveted med-surg position

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It depends on what area you want to work and what training they will give you. I wanted to become a hospice nurse and getting that year of med/surg was very important. It made me so much better prepared. I knew someone that got hired at a small hospice as a new grad and she regretted it. If you are bring hired in to another area with a strong new grad program they will train you. I can't see what help med/surg would be for OR or L&D, these areas are their own worlds.

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Specializes in Anesthesia, ICU, OR, Med-Surg.

With the economy being the way it is, as a new grad, I would recommend you to apply for whatever you can get to at least get you inside the door and after time, you'll be able to move around within the organization to the area you really want. When I finished school, I did med-surg for 5 years and then switched over to the OR. I stayed in the OR for 10 years and then switched over to ICU. Been in ICU now for 3 years and currently in nurse anesthesia school now. I did have some classmates that went straight to the ICU after nursing school and did great. I always tell new nurses, go for what you really want to do. Who knows what nurse in what specialty might have made a lasting impression on you to join the nursing profession. I work with some ICU nurses who have never worked med-surg and they do just fine. I did have one that was getting ready to place saline in the foley balloon but I was able to intervene and let him know to use sterile water inside. Med-surg prepared me very well in regards to my nursing assessment and being able to manage up to 10 patients and be on point with my skills. When you go to the ICU, you still do the same assessment you did on med-surg but it's more fine tuned such as checking pupils and having the use of monitors to help guide your care and interventions for the patient.

Good luck to you.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

It's fiction. Cutting your teeth in med-surg can't hurt, but in no way does it guarantee success in any specialty. The "first year of nursing" is less about perfecting your Foley technique as it is learning about things such as delegation, prioritization, time management, developing assessment skills and learning how to be a nurse in real-world settings. All of these can be learned in any specialty...

And yes, this includes psych :) What, you don't think we do physical assessments here? You bet your cat we do!

In addition, if you know you don't want to be in med-surg, why make yourself miserable in it?

The one thing that could be said for starting in med-surg is that it does give your experience to transition to a lot of settings...however, keep in mind that most employers look for recent experience (as in the last 3 years). So doing a year in M/S and moving on to something else may not necessarily be of much help several years down the road

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Sorry but I'm old school. At least one year on a med/surg gives you a very good bases to branch out to the other specialties.

And the ones that whine how they couldn't stand the med/surg floor.....it almost broke you, then perhaps nursing really might not have been your place.

Every pt. that comes in is either a med. or surg. pt but to an extreme measure.....you need to have a strong base line.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

I'm on the "start somewhere" side; however, for ME, I know I like to have a strong skill-based experience...I am a new RN...I started in skilled nursing as a new grad LPN, and I wanted to start my RN career in Med-Surg or skilled nursing; after a hiccup-jumping on an opportunity and putting the cart before the horse, I'm going back to skilled care...I missed it...soo excited! :yes:

You can learn how to organize, prioritize, and assess in Med-Surg, Skilled, Home Health and Psych...I actually think that these areas are great frameworks into nursing. You are still going to have people with chronic health issues; mental health is a chronic health issue that a lot of times can be missed or ignored unfortunately..we are supposed to give that holistic approach ;) in terms in starting in Psych, you have that flexibility to go anywhere; it's a great asset to have. :yes:

When you get settle, you can always moonlight in Med Surg...and mix it up a bit ;)

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