Are there nurses out there that actually LIKE Med-Surg?

Virgo_RN, BSN, RN · Jan 9, 2010

Yes, there are. I am not one of them, but they are definitely out there!

allnurses Guide · Jan 9, 2010

Yeah, I did it for 14 years or so. I liked taking care of my folks.

MedSurgeMess · Jan 9, 2010

Another m/s nurse here, and yes, I love it like crazy!

Bortaz, MSN, RN · Jan 9, 2010

Not me. I have respect for those that can do it, though.

studentnurse2175 · Jan 9, 2010

Ive only been in med surg for four weeks and I'm still with a preceptor but I cant do it long term. Its like a train station the constant rushing in and rushing out. Busy, busy, busy, busy. Yesterday I had two discharges and two admissions plus my regular case load of insanity.

All hail the med surg nurses out there who do it and love it. I am not one of them.

Ahhphoey · Jan 9, 2010

I did it for about 6 years (the last two prn) before finally giving up totally to work solely in ICU. I once did enjoy working there, but the stress of not being able to do a good job because of the increasing patient load and acuity of patients finally got to me. I often left work feeling like I forgot something or feeling guilty that I couldn't spend as much time as I wanted to with my patients because I had so many patients and so much charting on top of the high turnover of admissions and discharges. I love the fact that I'm at the bedside a lot more in ICU. Though I can't see myself ever going back to med-surg (unless I absolutely have to) I have a lot of respect for those nurses that work in med-surg. Its a hard job.

BluegrassRN · Jan 9, 2010

Yes, I love it. Maybe it's my facility's staffing, maybe it's just me, I don't know. I normally have plenty of time to provide quality care for my patients. I love my medical floor job, and can't see doing anything else.

I think people who come from a more acute care setting have a very difficult time adjusting to the different level of acuity and staffing. People who are used to caring for 2 critically ill pts sometimes simply can't adjust to 4-6 acutely ill pts (even with an aide). It's a different mindset, with different priorities. This isn't a criticism, simply an observation. There's a lot of floating and trading between units in our hospital, and this is an issue among my friends who work ICU/stepdown and float or transfer to the med or surg floor. Even if you are aware and prepared for it, it is still a difficult transition.

RiverNurse · Jan 9, 2010

I am on a telemetry/med-surg floor - really a "catch all" floor. At this point in my career, I do like the work. The acuity is something at times and so is the patient load. However, it is a med -surg floor and patients typically do not require the intense focus that those in a critical care unit would. It is a matter of priority and teamwork and I have to say, over the past few months on my floor - it has improved significantly - and that makes all the difference.

RiverNurse

tokmom, BSN, RN · Jan 9, 2010

Yeah, I work with one gal that has a passion for it. For me, I got in a rut and have worked Med/Surg for 20 yrs. I got burned out on nursing and quit for 4 yrs. I would still be out, but a husband with medical issues forced me back. I swore if I EvEr went back, it would not be Med/Surg. It would be OB, where my true love is.:heartbeat

Where am I? You guessed it.....med/surg. The only place I could get quick employment. To top it off, it's cardiac/tele as well. Never in my wildest dreams would I think I'd end up here and sort of......like it...(did I say that?) I think the staffing ratio and the nurses I work with make all the difference. It's true team work and I'm finally able to give decent care. It made me realize that it wasn't the type of nursing I was in, but the type of care I can give, that made all the difference for me. I'm now thinking of getting certified for Med/Surg.

aileenve, ASN, RN · Jan 9, 2010

I have 15yrs of Med/surg; one thing that I like is every day is a different day; we see everything here and this is the place to get experience.

TigerGalLE, BSN, RN · Jan 9, 2010

I've been a medsurg nurse for 3 years. My full time job is on a mainly medical floor. I now work prn on a mainly surgical floor. I can now say... I prefer medical patients over surgical patients. It is a busy place to work. Just wish med surg nurses were appreciated more.