General questions about third year nursing (Med-surg/Psych)

[phelipa]

Hey everyone,

I just happened upon this site - what a great resource!

I'm going into my third year of nursing this fall and we'll be starting Med-surg/Psych rotations first. All we've done up to this point is geriatric nursing so I'm just wondering what is actually done in Medsurg and Psych. I'm trying to brush up on skills before going back so that I'm not completely bogged down with the workload and having to deal with re-learning skills from last year at the same time. In medsurg is it work on a general medical floor or is it watching surgery or dealing with patients in post op care? Our course instructor is quite vague so we really don't have much information on what's going to happen.

I was just wondering if you could tell me what you actually do as a student nurse in Medsurg and Psych (and Peds and OB if you feel so inclined, because that's coming second semester ) and which skills I should be re-learning to make this easier. I have a tendency to get flustered and feel faint (that topic is actually how I ended up on this site!) if I'm not doing something correctly or am put in a situation where I don't know what to do, so I'm hoping that preparing ahead of time will help relieve some fear and reduce my chances of passing out .

Thank you all so much :)

[CharleeJo.RN]

For us, med/surg & OB rotations were a completely different world from LTC. I wasn't really into the LTC and I absolutely loved med/surg rotation. Basically you implement all assessments & procedures you've learned in school. I also participated in patient teaching. I would suggest reviewing a nursing assessment book including post-op care and familiarize yourself with some common labs (K, Na, Ca, Mg, etc).

REALLY STUDY MEDS!! i would suggest having a pocket LPN book with important info in it - you can find these at your schools bookstore - they include assessments, VS, lab values, among other things. I have a PDA with Epocrates Rx and that is very useful at clinics.

Try not to stress - remember you're a student, and you are not expected to know everything. If you are ever unsure of what you're doing always ask your instructor or a nurse at the facility! as long as you are smart & safe with patient handling you will do just fine. :)

Good luck!

[phelipa]

Thanks so much :)

I wasn't so fond of LTC either so I'm hoping to enjoy these ones more. I'll definitely have to review lab values and look into the pocket book. I do have a pocket drug guide and one with really basic assessment info so I'll have to take another look at important info.