Does anyone dislike the medsurg clinical experience?

AirforceRN, RN · Apr 1, 2010

I'm with you Ham...I didn't like medsurg during school and once I graduated I was placed there for a period of time by the military. I still don't like it...BUT I now appreciate it. I don't think there is any other floor that can offer such a strong base in nursing knowledge and hands on experience.

On medsurg floors you get to hear every type of lung sound, every type of heart sound, see all sorts of weird and wonderful things, get experience with vitals, assessments, foleys, IVs etc etc etc...it really is a floor that can't be beat in these aspects.

I also prefer to work with a younger (

So, in summary...

You aren't wrong for having these feelings. This is what makes nursing great, if you don't like med surg, go to orthopedics, if you don't like that, go to oncology, if you don't like that, go to ICU, if you....well, you get the idea. Take advantage of the time you have in various places...learn what you can and if nothing else, appreciate the fact that you now know where you don't want to be working.

twentytenRN · Apr 1, 2010

I felt just like you in nursing school. I HATE Med-Surg. I have ALL the respect in the world for nurses that work there because I can't do it!! Old people make me feel very uncomfortable and I just don't enjoy that type of nursing. But that's the wonderful thing about nursing, is that you have a CHOICE of what you want to do after you're done with school. Everyone finds their niche. The feelings you have are normal as a student and as a human. Just make the best of each day of these clinicals and learn something valuable each day. I hated every day my Med-Surg clinicals, but I did learn a lot.

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Apr 1, 2010

Hey everyone,
I started clinical a few weeks ago and i'm in medsurg. I didnt want to admit it to myself, but i'm not really liking the whole medsurg unit. I hope I don't offend because thats the last thing i want to do, but... everyone is old and i kind of feel uncomfortable working with some patients. One patient i had recently was completely unresposive to me, and i kind of felt sad and awkward being there. On top of that, i'm new to this, so i dont know what im doing so i know im an incompetent dingdong. I guess what i'm asking is, is it normal to feel uncomfortable, and even dislike working in a certain area of nursing?? I just dont feel a click with the older folks and im afraid that im doomed in the nursing profession. I really hope to work in pediatrics, but i dont know what thats like yet....
Has anyone ever felt uncomfortable, or even been unhappy working with a certain group. I've met some nice older people, but i feel uneasy taking care of them, and im afraid of doing pericare.... how can i get over my fears?
Any story or advice would be helpful.
Thanks :)

Our first semester clinicals were LTC facility. I HATED it. Not the patients, but I found the whole institution disturbing and I was apparently at one of the "good" facilities. I found it very sad, depressing, hopeless, and swore to myself I would never put my parents in a home and threatened to take my kids out of my will if they put me in one :| I was truly miserable, also lost my first patient I got close too. Ironically though, that was a good experience as hard as it was for me, it was a very good learning experience.

First half of second semester we had our med/surge class clinicals. I LOVED THEM. BUT we weren't only on the Med/ Surge floor. We had 2 rotations over 6 weeks so 3 weeks in one and 3 in the other. I was fortunate to get to go to 3 areas though. The first rotation we were split up between, Tele, Ortho and Medical. I was on the medical unit for the 3 weeks and really enjoyed it over all.

The second rotation we were split up between, Med/Surge floor, Surgical, and Neuro.

I was initially on med/surge and did not like it. The clinicals themselves I didn't think were bad, I had more great experiences and learned a lot. Also experienced 2 codes. Both unites I got a large variety of patients. Different ages and illnesses, but the vibe on the med/surge floor was different and I didn't find the staff friendly, the night staff warmed up a lot but overall just got a bad vibe. My last week I got the opportunity to spend my last 3 days on the surgical floor, I had a lot of Gastric Bypass patients, we are the center gastric bypass excellence so I guess we get tons of those patients at our hospital. Over all it was a good experience too.

I have a make up day this sat. and I will be on Neuro for my first day shift. My clinicals were 1-11:30. I loved doing evenings. So that will be yet another new experience for me.

I must say though, I found the older patients more friendly and less demanding then the younger ones, in my experience. Was a young male that was very rude and cocky, a middle aged guy that the biggest drama queen, and a couple of the middle ages woman just could not be pleased. :| The elderly patients I took care of were wonderful in comparison, yet much different then the LTC facility.

So overall I loved the clinicals for my med/surge CLASS but not the med/surge unit in particular.

We do our Peds/OB/Respite care rotations in a couple weeks.

MPKH, BSN, RN · Apr 1, 2010

I like Med Surg. Lot's of skills to be learned, lot's of patient type to work with, lot's of experience to be gained.

itsmejuli · Apr 1, 2010

One patient i had recently was completely unresposive to me, and i kind of felt sad and awkward being there.

I had a patient like this on med/surg. He was an older gentleman just lying in the bed. I was there to give him a bed bath. He was skinny and dirty, wherever he came from they hadn't been doing a good job caring for him. He had food crusted in his beard and on his chest.

I talked to him the whole time I was with him, told him what I was doing, talked about my family and my dogs. Poor guy was getting a bit chilled and was moaning. I got him a heated blanket and tucked it all around him ...he gave me a big smile of appreciation. That made it all worthwhile for me.

Anyway, yeah..I'm not a big fan of med/surg either...but then I don't really want to nurse in a hospital setting.

aerorunner80, ADN, BSN, MSN, APRN · Apr 1, 2010

I think it's completely normal for you to be uncomfortable in certain areas.

I'll never forget my mother-baby and L&D rotation. Just a few hours on the floor and I just knew that mother-baby was NOT for me and that L&D would be tolerable and that's it.

I also know that nursing homes are not for me either.

That is what our clinical experience is about though. It's ment to help us find what we like, what we don't like, and to help us grow into nurses.

None of us started out 100% comfortable in the nurse role.

I came from a tech background and thought I had this stuff down until the first time I had to walk into a pt room and do a full head to toe assessment!

Just hang in there and you will find something that works for you and know that you are not alone.:redbeathe:redbeathe

MassED, BSN, RN · Apr 1, 2010

yes, it's normal to feel out of sorts. We all were then. You'll click with them at some point - at least some of them. It's an invaluable experience to have M/S time.... soak it up!

I can't stand geripsych or psych, really... prefer not to deal with sick sick pediatric patients and love love love trauma patients. So there are your strengths and weaknesses that you'll find. Some people LOVE LOVE LOVE geriatrics. If it's not for you, then it's not for you, but learn what you can so you can bring that with you.

AirforceRN, RN · Apr 1, 2010

I got him a heated blanket and tucked it all around him ...he gave me a big smile of appreciation. That made it all worthwhile for me.

Off topic but for those of you still in nursing school...

NEVER underestimate the power of a good tuck-in and a heated blanket. I have brought more smiles to old people's faces through heated blankets then I ever could through a morphine push.

HyperSaurus, RN, BSN · Apr 1, 2010

There are certain aspects I don't like. Dealing with geriatric patients makes me nervous, but other than that, I don't have a problem with you. I DO, however, dislike working with patients who aren't really sick and spend their entire time complaining and moping and taking up time that could be used on those who really do need help. That's hard for me to deal with, but I usually try to think of and understand their specific situation.

tokyoROSE, BSN, RN · Apr 2, 2010

For me, medsurg is boring. On our unit, an ortho unit, it is the same thing day in and day out. I do enjoy seeing all the different patients, from teens to geriatrics. So far, all the nurses and patients I've worked with are wonderful. However the best thing about the medsurg experience is the assessment and basic skills that will serve as a foundation for the rest of my nursing career. I have the utmost respect for the nurses on these units because its tough. :redpinkhe:redpinkhe:redpinkhe

dudette10, MSN, RN · Apr 2, 2010

I have found that setting, rather than the age of the patients, makes the difference in my like/dislike of a certain rotation. When I did my first rotation in LTC, I was uncomfortable during most of it, and I got bored with it quickly. (I have a feeling that the LTC rotation is just to get us used to a clinical setting and hone our very basic skills.) I thought it was because of the age of the patients, and that I would hate med/surg, knowing that 80% or more of the patients are older.

Nope...I really like med/surg, even though all my patients so far have been 65+. One of my classmates seems sad on this rotation. I like her a lot, and I talked to her about it. She shone in LTC, and I found out that is what she wants to do!

Another friend of mine is baby-crazy, and she loved L&D, but, surprisingly, she despises peds.