Hired On a Floor That Does Mostly Lumbar/Cervical Postop

[Goldenrod]

Hello everyone,

I've been hired on a medsurg floor that population is mostly 50-70 yrs old and has a lot of post op lumbar/cervical care.

Has anyone worked on a floor that solely had these types of patients or dealt with patients like this? Please give me your take on it and your typical day.

[Goldenrod]

Anyone??

[RNperdiem, RN]

I think the reason you are not getting much response is because it seems like you are taking care of an unusually specific patient population.

Now if you are working orthopedics, that is familiar territory. You need to know about activity restrictions in ortho. There are all kinds like- full spinal, cervical spine precautions, sternal precautions, hip positioning devices, clamshell braces and various splints.

In orthopedics you get familiar with pain control, especially when it is time for physical therapy. You also need to have a good working relationship with your CNAs because many of your patients will need 2 people for getting out of bed.

[NurseMegP, BSN, RN]

Agree with RNperdiem above, this does seem pretty specific. I'd say that pain control is going to be your biggest concern but also watching out for any post op complications (blood clots, etc). If it's run like a med-surg floor then your typical day is likely going to be lots of assessments for said complications, helping therapy or case management with any questions they might have, and a loooooot of passing medications.