Does anyone have anything positve to say about med-surg?

steelcityrn, RN · Jul 12, 2007

You will get the BEST hands on experience in general nursing that is possible. You will see just about every procedure done at the bedside, wound care, dressing change, iv medications, blood transfusions ect...ect...ect...Plus, you will obtain much experience in dealing with all varieties of staff and physicians.

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Jul 12, 2007

I have heard such bad things about med-surg, does anyone have any positive things to say about it?

I worked on med-surg for over 20 years and 19 of those years I enjoyed my job. I learned alot. I started out as an LPN, then RN which opened alot of doors for me. I began doing charge and precepting. About the time I turned 50 I began having a hard time doing 12 hour shifts and left the floor. I still miss the clinical end. The stress didn't get to me until the last year. Good Luck.

psalm, RN · Jul 12, 2007

I work on a med/onc floor. Med pts. are so diverse and usually have many diagnoses so it is great nursing...everything must fit together for all the systems. It can be overwhelming at first, but as was said in another post, you will get the BEST of hands-on experience. And when you see the improvements in pt. condition, wow, that feels great.

Critical thinking, anticipating needs, seeing improvements...great stuff!

Roy Fokker, BSN, RN · Jul 12, 2007

Not to mention that you'll get a crash course on time management and resource management!

One minute you'll be hanging blood, the next minute assisting with conscious sedation for bone marrow aspiration. Then hop over to medicate someone for pain and agitation, then adjust someone else's morphine/heparin/cardizem drip while hanging antibiotics on someone before topping it all off by suctioning a pneumonia patient's mucous secretions to help clear airway and increase blood oxygen levels...

Oh yeah. On my feet all the time. Sometimes, I admit - I like it. It's always hopping and when I'm well rested and I have support from techs/CNAs .... you'll find me with a grin on my face as I go charging about :)

Med-Surg isn't evil. Med-Surg isn't "just med-surg".

It's a specialty in nursing just like any other unit is. Traditionally, my unit is the Surgical unit but I work with Ortho/Med/Surg/Tele patients.

Yes it's very stressful - but it can also be very rewarding.

cheers,

deeDawntee, RN · Jul 12, 2007

Good things about med surg: You will test yourself, your patience, tolerance... You will learn how to multi-task, prioritize, and do things efficiently. You will be engaged and challenged. You will learn a ton. When you master this area of nursing, you will know what an incredible accomplishment it is.

GrnHonu99, RN · Jul 12, 2007

I have heard such bad things about med-surg, does anyone have any positive things to say about it? Is it really that stressful? What is so horrible about it? I am going to get a job in med-surg , not because I want to but because I have to in order to ge the job I want in the future. Any positive stories out there?

Med surg isn't that bad. I, personally don't want to work there, but it has it's advantages. You get to see a variety in terms of illnesses and will be able to interact with quite a few different docs.

queenjean · Jul 12, 2007

I love the medical floor where I work. I worked there for a couple years, then went to OB and office nursing for 5 years, and now I'm back on the medical floor.

While I loved the office hours, and I loved attending births and caring for mamas and their babies, I really really love the challenge of the medical floor. I love the diversity of the pt problems, I like the challenge of caring for these incredibly complex patients; I am just well suited for the medical floor, I guess.

muffie, RN · Jul 12, 2007

i did it for the first ten years of my career

good place to get the basics of disease processes and organizational skills

hang in there

and good luck

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jul 12, 2007

Been in med-surg for 16 years. It's not for everyone, but I like the variety.

Yes it is that stressful, and it's tough because the nurse to patient ratios can be quite high and the patients can be quiet sick.

NursingAgainstdaOdds · Jul 14, 2007

I'm a newbie nurse on a Medical/Tele unit, and it has been a great experience. Now that I am nearing the end of my preceptorship my ratios are bumping higher, which makes me really nervous. However, I intentionally work nights because on our floor that is the best shift for teamwork there is. I am so thoroughly backed-up by my co-workers, and not just because I'm a new nurse. I like that I see a lot of different pts with a lot of different acuities. My personal pet peeve is our floor seems underappreciated by some working in critical care units, I'm not sure I understand that whole line of thinking.

Anywho, I do get a lot of skills practice and I am really learning a lot.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Jul 15, 2007

I've written LOTS of positive things about med-surg; just too tired to go over it again now!

Do a search, and you will find many many posts from people like myself, who love what they do in a med-surg unit. Keep in mind that many (if not most) med-surg units have a particular focus, as in med-surg/cardiac, med-surg/surgical, med-surg/respiratory, med-surg/renal, etc etc. "Med-surg" may be a catch-all term, but you'll find that they are absolutely not all interchangeable!