Common Conditions in Med/Surg

Nurses General Nursing

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Hello Everyone,

I'm a recent grad looking to go into med/surg nursing. I would like to know which conditions or illnesses seem to be the most common on a general med/surg unit. I ask because I'd like to know what to expect to see frequently, and I'd also like to also brush up on these conditions in my books so that I could at the very least have some in depth knowledge about them. I know that diabetes and CAD are two biggies from clinical experience. Any others?? Thank you all in advance. I would really appreciate any feedback. :)

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Specializes in cardiac/medical.

COPD, GI bleed, CHF, Mental Status Change, CVA/TIA, Chest Pain, and I could go on and on.

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Thank you! This will be a great start for my review. I appreciate it!

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I think it's good that you're reading up on these conditions, but you should probably know that you would learn much more being in the clinical setting learning it hands on, rather than from a book. Real world nsg is very different from textbook nsg.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

CHF, chest pain r/o MI, syncope, change in mental status, PNA, ESRD, cellulitis, CVA, COPD, SOB, GI bleed, anemia, we get patients who come in with CA, A-fib with RVR..etc.

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Specializes in ER.

Can't forget the ever present "weakness", my personal favorite.

UTI, urospesis, chest pain r/o MI, intractable pain/nausea/vomitting, s/p fall, deconditioning, ambulatory disfunction needing nursing home placement...really the above poster is right you can go on and on

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Thanks everyone. You've mentioned some conditions I hadn't thought about. I really appreciate the feedback. I wish I could do more, but for now reviewing the conditions and nursing interventions is all I can do at this point. I have upcoming interviews and I can't wait to begin my career as a med/surg nurse so that I may get some more hands on experience. Thanks Again!

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Specializes in Trauma/Tele/Surgery/SICU.

I work on a elective and trauma surgery floor we see a lot of the following: Acute and chronic renal failure, Acute respiratory distress, copd exacerbations, hyperkalemia, CHF, and DM are two biggies, We see tons of ex laps, small bowel resects, new ostomies, fem pop bypass, skin grafts, wound vacs, chest tubes, lots of fractures, some traction, Sub arachnoid hemorrages, sub dural hematomas, Parenchymal bleeds, liver and spleen lacs, Hep C, AIDS, Cirrhosis, GI bleeds, DVT's, GSW's, MVA's, stabblings, assault, lots of PCA's and epidurals, lots of decubs, C-diff, tuberculosis, cellulitis, BKA's and the most dreaded.....Rule out Sepsis!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

Depends on what surgical ward you go to as to what you will encounter. Most likely, with all the hospitals I have worked at, they will have a mixture of patients on different wards,(as the wards they are supposed to go to get full), but patients will not just be admitted with one or two conditions, ie: unstable diabetes. They may have that, plus osteoporosis, have had/need hip/knee replacements (common in older people), hypertension, dementia/memory problems, arthritis, bowel problems (most likely constipation)/bleeding, need assistance with ADLs, toileting, cardiac related probs, etc. I could go on but there wouldn't be enough room. My experience working in many different wards/hospitals as an agency nurse is: expect anything and everything! Do a good general read-up on medical/surgical nursing and get your basics right, that should help at least. And ask LOTS of questions on the wards. Also read up on common medications given, that will help a lot.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.
I work on a elective and trauma surgery floor we see a lot of the following: Acute and chronic renal failure, Acute respiratory distress, copd exacerbations, hyperkalemia, CHF, and DM are two biggies, We see tons of ex laps, small bowel resects, new ostomies, fem pop bypass, skin grafts, wound vacs, chest tubes, lots of fractures, some traction, Sub arachnoid hemorrages, sub dural hematomas, Parenchymal bleeds, liver and spleen lacs, Hep C, AIDS, Cirrhosis, GI bleeds, DVT's, GSW's, MVA's, stabblings, assault, lots of PCA's and epidurals, lots of decubs, C-diff, tuberculosis, cellulitis, BKA's and the most dreaded.....Rule out Sepsis!

Wow sugar you mut be running all day to keep up with it all! And I thought agency nursing was busy!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.
Thanks everyone. You've mentioned some conditions I hadn't thought about. I really appreciate the feedback. I wish I could do more, but for now reviewing the conditions and nursing interventions is all I can do at this point. I have upcoming interviews and I can't wait to begin my career as a med/surg nurse so that I may get some more hands on experience. Thanks Again!

May I say if you have upcoming interviews, the interviewers will probably give you a few different scenarios to answer, and they will be re emergency care. For example, (I was asked this), you are on the floor, all the other nurses (for some reason or other) are not there, you notice a patient saying 'I don't feel well' clutching his chest & abdomen. He has had recent abdominal surgery with a GA, is bleeding from his abdomen, & has multiple medical problems. What would you as a nurse do from this point on? Think of DRABC, calling for help, using pressure to control bleeding, get crash cart, institute CPR, use of oxygen, do vitals, etc. Say you would also follow ur institution's policies re emergencies, ie: do u call a MET call (medical emergency team)? Think of what you would do as a nurse during these crises. I was also asked if I was the 2nd nurse to come upon the above scene, what did I think my role would be if the 1st nurse was controlling bleeding (for instance), and couldn't leave the patient? And they will give you more than one scenario, so start reading and making notes!

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I'm doing home health care and I know that this is not a med-surg floor I do believe that you will run into patients with major chronic diseases,once you know those you be fine such as COPD,CHF (major one),diabetics and hypertensive patients,dialysis patients,patients with epilepsy/seizures,pneumonia patients,GI bleeds,iron deficiency anemia aka blood transfusion,dementia patients,dont forget diverticulitis and maybe bladder surgeries.Those are sorta patients that I see (I'm lucky to have a fair mixture of different conditions)

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