Advice For The New Nurse Entering Med-Surg

Specialties Med-Surg

Published

Here is your chance to give some advice and counsel to new RN's and LPN's entering their first clinical job as a nurse. What advice would you give them?

I am going to make this a sticky so that it is always available on the top of the forum for our newer nurses to see right from the start. Looking forward to seeing some of the great advice that our experienced nurses can lend to the newer nurses ..... :balloons:

I am from Africa.I came to the US, for a safer and better life for my family and myself and to pursue my career as a nurse, my life long dream and passion. I graduated in Nursing in Zimbabwe 27 years ago but did not work as a nurse.I literally had to learn to study and it was all so new to me. My application process was long and difficult.I had all the qualifications but the paperwork and fees were unbelievable. My paperwork was also miplaced or lost at some stage. This did not discourage me. I just kept calling and writing to them until I was accepted for the exams. I had to pass the Toefl, TSE and TWE first, all to prove that I could read, speak and write English. When I was finally accepted, I had to first pass the foreign nurses exam, and then apply for the Nclex which incidentally I passed first time too. I then needed a sponsor so I could work legally in the US and obtain my Green Card. I was offered a job and the process took just over 15 months. Needless to say I also had legal fees to pay at this stage. I worked as a Clinical Coordinator of a very busy Cardiology office where I have worked for just under 2 years. I love it but the time has come for me to spread my wings and further my education and experience as a Nurse. I completed an RN refresher and applied for a job at the same hospital and have just been offered a position in a med/surg unit. I actually completed my clinicals on this unit and loved it but I am actually quite terrified now that I am actully going to be working there. I know I have alot to learn and I am not afraid of that. I need some helpful advice please.................. I have had one hurdle after another for the past 5 years since I am in the US but I am going to keep trying.......... I want to be a NURSE! :)

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Congrats on getting this far, and good luck in your future endeavors!!

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Specializes in women's health.

thanks for the input- i am an experienced lpn- but not to med/surg and a new rn with a full time position in on a medical floor- any advice on purchasing a pda and how helpful it would be on a medical floor?

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg,Cardiac.

I use my PDA mostly to look up drugs that I am unfamiliar with, I'm new grad , just one month on the Med/Surg floor still orientating and I find it quite challenging/and rewarding at times. Not sure how long I will stay though.:confused:

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Hi!

I am new to the forum and new to nursing.

I have recently been hired at the hospital here, small town, 100 bed med/surg unit. I am really interested in hearing what kind of advice you would have for someone in my position.

I was hired as an NA, I have a Medical Assisting degree. I will get my CNA shortly after coming on board at the hospital. I will enter school this fall and work on my 4 pre-recs for nursing school and will enter nursing school Fall of 2007.

I HAVE to work full time, unfortunately, but working nights at the hospital seems to be the best course of action for me.

Do you have any advise? What can I expect to see and do as an NA on the med/surg floor? Evidently most of our pt's are here for their 2 day stint before going into a nursing home. I was told we see quit a few people detoxing as well. (Meth is really big in my area)

I will be working nights. Is it slower at night? What kind of work does an NA do at night??

I will also like to certify as a Monitor tech and/or a Phlebotomist, that way I can PRN at something that pays a bit more.

Also, can CNA's Certify as an IV Tech? I would love to be able to start IV's. It would add to my skill base and make me more valuable for my employer. Plus it would give me experience and practice!

Thanks you guys for taking the time to answer my questions!

:)

Kristin

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Specializes in Adult/Geriatric.

I am a new grad studying for NCLEX. I really want to work in Med Surge and interviewed in a few hospitals for a position. One hospital had a position in Med Surge, Telemetry, ER, and OR. My understanding is that all of those units are derivatives of Med Surge and can fall under one big Med Surge umbrella. At least that's how it was when I did my clinicals. I was interested in all of them and I applied to all of those units for that reason. But the recruiters didn't like that. I was told that I don't know what I want, even though I mentioned to them that I felt it was all part of Med Surge. What do I do??? Should I only apply to Med Surge and exclude the other units I mentioned?? I don't want to limit myself.

Please help! :uhoh3:

Alisa

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

hi, alisa!

er and or are pretty much considered specialty areas/intensive care areas. do you think you are ready for the stress of working in them? they require special orientation and training. i don't recommend telemetry units as a starting unit for any new grad. i worked for many years on a telemetry/stepdown unit. they are a derivative of med/surg, but semi-intensive care oriented. i've seen too many new grads go down in flames on these units. most hospitals have difficulty staffing telemetry units and a lot, because of their staffing needs, seem to have no qualms about putting new grads there and then failing to give them the support they need to thrive. my recommendation: a nice surgical unit, either a general post-op surgical unit or orthopedic unit. things are more routine on these units which is a help when you are trying to learn to perfect your time management skills and prioritizing. medical units can be ok too if you have good support, but they can be hectic since you will see a very, very wide variety of medical conditions.

ultimately, you have to make the final decision, but don't put all your eggs in one basket. go back and tell these hospitals that you've made a decision and want _______. you won't be limiting yourself. you need to be on one unit for at least a year learning the above skills (time management and prioritizing) in addition to honing the other hands-on nursing skills you only touched upon in nursing school. after a year or two of seasoning you can move on to another type of nursing unit within the same institution. you will have also proven your worth as a good employee by then as well, so keep your attendance record clean.

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I am a nursing student entering my clinical rotation. We have been told to research and make-up Diagnosis Cards for common illnesses seen in med-surg nursing. Would anyone have suggestions of illnesses that are most common that i could start researching and completing my cards? Thank you for any help you can offer.

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You guy's have pretty much helped me to continue my Med/sur career. I love all of the uplifting advise. I hope I will be adding more in the new future. Keep up the good work.

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Specializes in geriatric nursing.

thanks for this thread... i just started working last monday (1 week).. i graduated last yr and didnt work in a hospital immediately after my graduation and local board exam here in the philippines. i concentrated first on finishing the NCLEX and TOEFL/TSE exams before i start to find a work. i was very anxious, scared and excited coz it's my first time to work.. during my first week, i feel so frustrated, depressed and dumb.. i feel like i dont do my work efficiently.. i always feel i missed something.. im so anxious that i might do a mistake...:o

is it normal to feel this way during your first time at work? :uhoh3: but little by little im coping and adapting..

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All of these posts mean SO much to me!

I just graduated nursing school in June. I just passed my boards and currently looking for work. I am anxious, nervous, excited, and scared. :( :mad: Luckily I have a wonderful nurse who precepted me last semester at school who gave me her home and cell number just to call whenever I'm feeling upset, happy, mad... :D

I am not as assertive as I'd like to be and I am scared most of being eaten alive OR not trusting my gut and doing something stupid to put a patient at risk OR burning out. I hope most that I will be able pull through my first year...

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Thank you for all your advice. I will need all the advice I can get. I just started my preceptorship and I am scared as hell. I am trying to keep my composure but it is difficult at times. Many of the RNs on the Med-Surg unit are not very nice to me and when I ask questions they make comments that make me want to crawl in a hole. My Preceptor is nice but she doesn't seem to want the position. I think she was kind of pushed into it by a superior. To make things worse my clinical instructor/Liason is hard to get a hold of. I feel very alone and am trying not to give up. Any advice?

I'm not sure if this will help because everyone is different but I'll tell you what I did in a similar situation. I chose ICU as my preceptorship. After doing a couple days I was so burnt out that I felt like crying during and after my shift. The RNs there including my preceptor were not incredibly welcoming and made comments about other nurses (new RNs, floats) that were not familiar with the floor. I couldn't help but think what they thought of me. I ended up confiding in my clinical instructor. We had a meeting with the preceptor and clinical instructor. I chose to transfer to Med-Surg. It was the best choice I made. Ultimately, I realized that being burnt out was not going to help my patients in the ICU.

The only advice I could give you is do you what you feel right. If you are unable to contact your clinical instructor confide in a professor and see what they say. Maybe if you're comfortable, talk to the preceptor.

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