Cardio vs. Med Surg?

al7139, ASN, RN · Jul 3, 2008

First let me say that I am shocked that your school does not do clinicals on at the least a telemetry unit. Ours did, and that's where I work now (on the same unit I did clinicals at). You learn all about the heart in school, and it's an essential part of life, so I do not understand why you are not going to do clinicals on a unit that is heart related (but, that is a problem with your school, not you).

Anyway to answer your question, cardiac is more complicated, frustrating, stressful, and at the same time more interesting that a med surg unit. We do have med surg patients on our unit and the med surg units have cardiac patients on theirs. the determination on who goes where has to do with the presenting complaint, and the acuity. For example, we may get medical patients who have a chronic heart condition that requires monitoring by staff that are trained to treat it regardless of the primary diagnosis (such as a diabetic pt with cellulitis who is in A-fib that had a BKA, but is at risk for cardiac problems that require telemetry). Med surg deals primarily with surgical, and chronic conditions other than heart related.

The differences really lie in that on a cardiac unit your patients are more unstable (MI, chest pain, CAD, COPD) most of the time than on a medicine unit. You must be familiar with abnormal EKG rhythms, cardiac drugs, and what to do in situations like active chest pain, or SVT.

I started on a telemetry unit after graduation, and I really like the experience of it. We have lots of pts who are there regularly, and opportunity to learn every day, not just the same old thing. I know that some med-surg nurses will say that their unit is just as good of a learning experience, and I agree, but the cardiac experience opens you to a whole new dimension of nursing.

Amy

Ruffles 1 · Jul 5, 2008

I agree with al7139 telemetry units are a little faster pace than med/surg. floors. When patients are having a heart attack you have to act quickly. Thanks