Student nurse looking for info

Specialties Orthopaedic

Published

Hello to all you good orthopedic nurses out there.

I'm just beginning nursing school (won't actually start for a few weeks yet), but I've already received notice that my first clinical rotation will be in orthopedics. I've never been on an orthopedics unit at any time, so I would love to just hear some very basic information about what to expect.

If you are willing to answer, please don't feel you have to restrict yourself to these questions if you have other things to say about orthopedics.

What's the nurse/patient ratio typically in your unit?

Are your patients all or mostly post-surgical?

Are most of the patients geriatric or is there a wide mix of ages?

What makes orthopedic nursing different than other sorts of nursing based on your experience?

Do you enjoy your unit or are you hoping to move to something else?

In your opinion, what would be some important skills to work on during my rotation?

What skills are most valuable within your unit?

Thanks in advance to any who are willing to enlighten me a bit.

Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

What's the nurse/patient ratio typically in your unit? 4-5; sometimes an aide, sometimes not

Are your patients all or mostly post-surgical? Most are post-op unless they are waiting to go to the OR (mostly hips in traction waiting to be fixed)

Are most of the patients geriatric or is there a wide mix of ages? Wide mix where I am. We have some specialists that do congenital repairs, trauma-lots of motorcycle wrecks in spring, amputations.

What makes orthopedic nursing different than other sorts of nursing based on your experience? Most of the patients are not really "sick" so it is more pain management and mobility. The stays tend to be less than other units.

Do you enjoy your unit or are you hoping to move to something else? LOVE ortho-not leaving,

In your opinion, what would be some important skills to work on during my rotation? Collaboration with OT/PT, learn the precautions for hips (anterior and posterior) knee precautions, Pain meds backwards and forwards, s/s of over/under medicated pain,

What skills are most valuable within your unit? Body mechanics.

Hope this helps!!!

PaulBaxter

145 Posts

Thanks, that's all very helpful to me.

Would love to hear from others as well.

Lev, MSN, RN, NP

4 Articles; 2,805 Posts

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I work on a mixed surgical unit that takes many Ortho patients. Our ratio is 1:5. We used to get 6 patients pretty often but our new manager got our ratios down. Now it's not uncommon to have 4 patients each. Probably 3/4 if our patients are surgical. There is a mix of ages because we also take GI patients and plastic surgery patients and medical patients too. The Ortho patients are generally age 40+. Orthopedic nursing is a very specific specialty. Patients usually do very well after surgery. There is a lot of pain management and a big emphasis on ambulation. And lots of ice. I do enjoy my unit. Ortho patients are very straightforward, somewhat predictable patients.

Skills to focus on would be neuromuscular assessments, transfering/positioning patients after surgery, and learning about different types of pain medications.

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