How to choose a med-surge speciality?

[RNenthusiast]

As I am older and a new grad and a single parent, I am afraid to be pigeon-holed. I want to have options as I develop my career and be able to "float" rather than being "cancelled". I like med/surge but there doesn't seem to be any general med-surge jobs that I am hearing about - It is med/surge ortho, med/surge renal, med/surge tele, etc.

I would love to do any and all of the areas as I am an RNenthusiast :) but need some feedback from the experienced nurses who can unblur the line of med/surge specialities.

Which will possibly teach me to be the most rounded RN? Which might offer more job opportunites to transfer to new areas of med/surge? How much should I take into consideration staff patient ratios? Etc Etc

Feedback appreciated!

[tokmom, BSN, RN]

tough question to answer!

Even though I work on a med/surg tele, I see all of the above and then some, just not hardcore sick people that intense specialists, dialysis, etc.. That is the beauty of med/surg. You typically see a bunch of stuff.

In my opinion, I would go for med/surg tele. That can take you into PCU, ICU, Ed with tele background. You will get really good at cardiac!

[LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN]

With todays economy and as hard time that new grads are having even getting interviews, I would go with the first job that comes along, once you have experince you can be picky later. That is unless you have multiple job offers, something that is rare with new grads and if you do Congratulations! I would say med/surg tele would be the best because you need to understand tele if you want to go to ICU, ED

[tswim]

I agree that the med/surg tele options are the best route, even if it's just med/tele or surg/tele. Being on a telemetry floor means your patients will have cardiac or a history of cardiac issues, so you'll become familiar with rhythms and codes (more likely than non-tele) while being exposed to a variety of other medical and surgical conditions.

Also, if med/surg is definitely your thing, the tele experience will only give you an advantage should you decide to transfer to a specialized med/surg unit (ortho, transplant, etc). And, as the others said, it's easier to move to non- med/surg if that's what you end up wanting to do later.

[nrice28]

Medsurg ortho is also great experience. You not only get the medical patients like renal, diabetics, HF, etc..but you also get the surgical patients. Its totally different when they just come out of surgery. But hip fractures do sorta get old after a while. Medsurg tele does sound pretty good. Although almost every medsurg patient ive seen is on telemetry. So who knows..It may just depend where you are located. But I agree with the other post, if your into medsurg just get in somewhere! I know alot of ppl who are having a hard time as new grads to find a job. GL-

[evolvingrn, BSN, RN]

Im on a med/surgical tele floor . Our hospital will soon be 'tele' throughout so to me 'tele' isn't that special at our hospital . it does add a new component. i like the surgical pts . (although we get the tele ortho pts and those i don't care for because of the intense physical help they need)

[RNenthusiast]

Thank you everyone - will keep you posted. If I get the job then the new grads are being divided up into the areas I mentioned. They are trying to give choices and just wanted input - thank you!

[Morainey, BSN, RN]

Exactly what tokmom said! Wish I had been able to pick an area, but I took the first job I could get :)

[pitaya]

I'm on a med-surg tele floor and honestly, we get patients with everything in the book. People who need to be on tele tend to have other things wrong with them. I've had ortho patients, lots of vascular patients, dialysis patients, random hepatitis, etc. etc., you name it, we got it. Also, we get regular med-surg overflow patients so oftentimes I have patients who aren't on tele at all! I really feel like I work on a general med-surg floor.