1st ever RN Job@Surgical Unit-references/help!

[SurgicalRNnewbie]

Hi everybody!

(Btw, I hope I am in the right forum. I was considering MedSurg nursing but thought more people will see this in General nursing. Its prohibited to post duplicate posts in multiple forums, so hope I chose right!)

I just got my 1st nursing job ever...wait for it....in the SURGICAL unit! So, I'll take care of patients after they've been to the OR & PACU.

I want to be as prepared as I can. (I know a lot comes from experience but I think being somewhat prepared helps anxiety/performance). This is what I've done so far

1) Took notes from Lewis & Dirksen textbook Ch 20: Postoperative Care.

2) Studied EKG rhythms (VERY imp)

3) Memorized head-to-toe assessment

4) Reviewed progress note format

5) Reviewed care plan formats

I need advice! I think I need the following info, SPECIFICALLY to Surgical nursing:

A) phone apps with nursing reference information (ie interventions, assessment, etc)

B) medication info (ie anesthetics, analgesics, antiemetics, Abx, antipyretics, antiplts------ie names (generic/brand), onset, duration, side effects, labs to watch, etc)

C) Any pocket guides/mini texts specific to Surgical Nursing

Please share suggestions re: apps, guides, texts that will compress all surgical info into 1 spot as opposed to being dispersed amongst 1800 pgs of Medical rn info.

I thought about going through all 1800 pgs of my text....but surely there is a more efficient way.

Also, I Googled & Amazoned "surgical nursing only" texts but zilch.

Any little bit of info is GREATLY appreciated! Please shower your wisdom upon me!

Thanks~~

[SurgicalRNnewbie]

Also, I wanted to add that I'm especially looking for rn interventions/assessment for well differentiated surgeries ie thyroidectomy, lap choly, appendectomy, mastectomy etc etc ........as each surgery has its own nuances (ie watch calcium levels post thyroidectomy). Thanks again you great people!