Advice on Med-Surge 1 !!!

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Dec 14, 2005

you have learned a lot up to this point. you are now going to start putting a lot of it together in med/surg. you will be starting to study various diseases, their treatment and nursing care. diabetes is usually one of the big ones the shows up in the first med/surg class. so, with it as an example you will need to know your anatomy and physiology of the pancreas, the pathophysiology of the pancreas, and now you will procede to learn how diabetes, specifically, is treated. this will encompass medications, diet, activity, etc. then, you will need to introduce nursing care into the equation. the goal always being to assist the patient to return to some sort of normalcy and function. there will be other diseases to study as well. just a hint for you. always ask yourself "why". why did the doctor order this particular medication for the patient? why is this a treatment for this disorder? why are you doing what you are doing for the patient? this will help form a nice circle of understanding about what is going on. surgery is a medical treatment for some diseases. there will be general nursing things you will learn to do for all surgical patients. again, try to answer "why" questions. why do you have a patient cough and deep breath after surgery? why do you want the patient moving as soon as possible after surgery? as part of learning the answers to those questions you will want to find out just exactly what happens to a patient once they go through those surgical doors into the or. if you haven't been exposed to care plans yet, you will be this next semester. they are, in a nutshell, the written expression of the logical progression of disease treatment as i've explained above.

here is a wonderful internet link for you to help give you some explanations on diseases

http://www.ehendrick.org/healthy/index.htm

here is a web site to help you find everything you want to know about lab tests

http://www.labtestsonline.org/

and, here is a site to help you learn about medications

http://www.rxlist.com/

good luck! remember, you are not the first to go through this. many thousands of us did it and so can you. it's just that it's time to start putting things together and really thinking about what is going on and what it all means.

rayofsunshine · Dec 14, 2005

Thank you so much for all of the good advice. I'm printing it out to keep with me!!! :specs:

VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN · Dec 14, 2005

you have learned a lot up to this point. you are now going to start putting a lot of it together in med/surg. you will be starting to study various diseases, their treatment and nursing care. diabetes is usually one of the big ones the shows up in the first med/surg class. so, with it as an example you will need to know your anatomy and physiology of the pancreas, the pathophysiology of the pancreas, and now you will procede to learn how diabetes, specifically, is treated. this will encompass medications, diet, activity, etc. then, you will need to introduce nursing care into the equation. the goal always being to assist the patient to return to some sort of normalcy and function. there will be other diseases to study as well. just a hint for you. always ask yourself "why". why did the doctor order this particular medication for the patient? why is this a treatment for this disorder? why are you doing what you are doing for the patient? this will help form a nice circle of understanding about what is going on. surgery is a medical treatment for some diseases. there will be general nursing things you will learn to do for all surgical patients. again, try to answer "why" questions. why do you have a patient cough and deep breath after surgery? why do you want the patient moving as soon as possible after surgery? as part of learning the answers to those questions you will want to find out just exactly what happens to a patient once they go through those surgical doors into the or. if you haven't been exposed to care plans yet, you will be this next semester. they are, in a nutshell, the written expression of the logical progression of disease treatment as i've explained above.
here is a wonderful internet link for you to help give you some explanations on diseases
http://www.ehendrick.org/healthy/index.htm
here is a web site to help you find everything you want to know about lab tests
http://www.labtestsonline.org/
and, here is a site to help you learn about medications
http://www.rxlist.com/
good luck! remember, you are not the first to go through this. many thousands of us did it and so can you. it's just that it's time to start putting things together and really thinking about what is going on and what it all means.

wonderful post, daytonite :)

crb613, BSN, RN · Dec 15, 2005

I will be starting Med-Surge 1 in the spring and am wondering if anyone can tell me what to expect. I heard that it is a faster pace than Fundamentals and that more is expected of me. What does that exactly mean?

I would also suggest you get a good book on fluids & electrolytes. The made easy series is good....this will not go away & keeps repeating its self in everything. Good luck:)

SNKerri · Dec 15, 2005

I would suggest lots of flash cards, high lighters and coffee. We had med-surg 1 our first semester and it isnt bad if you keep up with the reading and make sure that you review and anatomy and phys that you are unsure of! GOOD LUCK! :rolleyes:

auntie2_12 · Dec 20, 2005

i too will be starting med surg in the spring and looking for advice, thanks alot daytonite, i am also printing it for use during the spring semester, i am really anxious about going into med surg because most people that i have spoke with say it is hard, i did good in a & p so they think i will be ok but it will be harder for students that just squeaked by.:loveya:

i can do all things through christ that strengtheth me. phillipians 4:13

lisamc1RN, LPN · Dec 20, 2005

Excellent post by Daytonite. :) I would just like to add that a big part of your tests will be about prioritizing care of your patient with a certain disease. You may find that there are 2 or more correct answers to a question but you must figure out which one to do first. Understanding how to prioritize your nursing care will help you through a majority of those question. Once you understand the disease you can then ask yourself questions about Maslow's Heirarchy and the ABC's and put them in order of importance. :)

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Dec 20, 2005

i too will be starting med surg in the spring and looking for advice, thanks alot daytonite, i am also printing it for use during the spring semester, i am really anxious about going into med surg because most people that i have spoke with say it is hard, i did good in a & p so they think i will be ok but it will be harder for students that just squeaked by.:loveya:
i can do all things through christ that strengtheth me. phillipians 4:13

anything worth achieving is worth working for. ask questions about subjects you are studying come up, post to this forum. some of us old baby boomers have some good experience to impart to you. also, i have been developing a pretty good list of links to certain kinds of nursing information.

BunnyRN · Dec 20, 2005

here is a wonderful internet link for you to help give you some explanations on diseases
http://www.ehendrick.org/healthy/index.htm
here is a web site to help you find everything you want to know about lab tests
http://www.labtestsonline.org/
and, here is a site to help you learn about medications
http://www.rxlist.com/
good luck! remember, you are not the first to go through this. many thousands of us did it and so can you. it's just that it's time to start putting things together and really thinking about what is going on and what it all means.

very good websites!!! :)

d.page · Dec 21, 2005

Hi, I'm DeAndre and I just finished my 1st semester of LPN class and we will be going on to med-surg and pharmacology. The info will help me also. I also need help figuring out the key to "critical thinking". Any takers!!!

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Dec 21, 2005

hi, deandre. . .i think i'll take you up on your offer. i've wondered, too, just exactly what the term "critical thinking" is. so i went to the following website http://www.criticalthinking.org/ and found this, their definition of critical thinking, that i pieced together to keep it short:

critical thinking is that mode of thinking about any subject, content, or problem in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by

skillfully analyzing, assessing, and reconstructing it

. critical thinking is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective. critical thinking involves analyzing thinking by

identifying its purpose, question, information, conclusion(s),assumptions, implications, main concept(s), and point of view

. to assess thinking by

checking it for clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, significance, logic, and fairness

.

what a mouthful! too many words and too many times the words "critical" and "thinking" are used. however, there are a couple of words and concepts there that i realize my nursing instructors started teaching us when i was in nursing school and i've bold faced them so i don't have to repeat them. all that information is pretty much included in the nursing process, from which the beloved nursing care plan emanates.

this web site goes on to explain that the result of critical thinking is that the thinker (now watch how i insert nursing process into these):

raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely (develops a problem list), gathers and assesses relevant information (collects data), using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively (develops a nursing diagnosis)

comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions (develops nursing interventions), testing them against relevant criteria and standards (determines outcome criteria)

thinks open-mindedly within alternative systems of thought (doctors orders), recognizing and assessing, as need be, their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences (knowledge of the sciences),

and, communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems (writes a care plan).

the results listed above are what we are all striving for in using the nursing process, part of which includes collecting data, analyzing it, developing a plan of care, implementing it and evaluating it's effectiveness and changing it as necessary.

in practical application the way you do this is you constantly ask yourself questions. my favorite one is "why?" ask it all the time in your mind as you are doing things as a nurse. you have at hand your knowledge of anatomy, physiology, chemistry, psychology, microbiology, math, information about drugs and nursing procedures, and theories on the practice of nursing. enter, the patient who presents with a disease or some problem. with critical thinking you are taking your background of knowledge (the things i listed a couple of sentences ago), and the "rules" of good nursing, combining it all with the data you collect about the patient and the orders the doctor has given you, open your mind, and ask questions like:

why is this symptom occurring?

what can be done to alleviate it or make the patient more comfortable?

how is this particular drug that the doctor ordered going to help?

what else can we do if this intervention doesn't work?

why didn't the doctor order this/or that?

why didn't this treatment seem to work?

why is the patient getting better? or, why is the patient not getting better?

that is critical thinking in it's practical use. you are always looking for answers to questions. you are always asking yourself questions. you are always looking for an explanation(s) and reason to make sense of what you are doing. and, you are turning all that thinking into a practical plan of action. i think you are on a good start since you are asking, "what is critical thinking?" that indicates to me that you already have an open mind and are willing to consider new information.

so, that might be a kind of heady, geeky explanation for you, but my last couple of paragraphs, i think, were a little more grounded in reality. (i took philosophy in college and absolutely loved it!) just keep in mind that everything you are going to be doing for a patient has a reason. if the reason isn't clear, you need to ask yourself why and search for answers until you are satisfied that the answers you come up with make sense based on your knowledge and experience.

how'd i do? anyone else care to jump in and try?