Med Surg....... what to expect???

kcochrane · Dec 25, 2008

I did not have to take 1st semester since I was a LPN..but from what I was observed:

In addition to po meds, you will do IMs, SQs and IV piggybacks/pushes. You will probably not do many IMs unless it is flu season - anything that can be given PO or IV, will be. You should get several SQs (heparin and insulin). You will get familiar with PCA pumps.

You will continue to need to know what the med you are given is being used for on your pt., is it within the normal dosage and what are some common side effects. You should get parameters from the MD on when not to adminster certain meds, but check your med book for digoxin, narcotics in general, bp meds.

Knowing your lab values is important too. Brush up on your nursing care plans.

They will emphasize ambulation for your surgery pts., which in some cases is a challenge. Our instructor required us to ambulate two times before we left for the day - work on your negotiating skills.

Basically you are building on your fundamental skills. Total pt. care with additional skills added on.

That's all I can think of at this time.....have fun!

dmansmith10 · Dec 25, 2008

I also was a little nervous about going into med surg myself, but it was mainly because I kept listening to what everyone one else was telling me, and most were not really positive...so stay way from those negative responses people give you because everyones views are different...after my nerves calmed down a little, I actually thought med-surg was pretty interesting and its even better you have a patient who has the same disorder as what you learned in class. It gives you a visual and makes everything a lot more easy to understand and remember....good luck!

nursejoy23 · Dec 27, 2008

The thing my Med-Surg teacher had to emphasize to my class was to start thinking like a nurse and stop thinking like a tech. We constantly chose taking vital signs as the nurse's 1st priority when in fact the nurse does the assessing. They take vitals too but in most settings that the responisbility of the tech. Always remember your ABC's!! (airway, breathing, circulation) If you have alist of correct interventions, the one pertaining to airway is ALWAYS first. Hope this helps.

lizzyberry · Dec 27, 2008

Med Surg is the class where they really teach you how to answer those NCLEX style questions. Its the class that really teaches you how to be a nurse. Do a lot of the questions that come with your Med Surg book, that really helped me out. You'll get through it just remember to really read the assessment and implementation part of each sickness.

dmr71 · Dec 30, 2008

I have heard that med-surg is the toughest of all of the topics in NS, any truth to this?

lizzyberry · Dec 30, 2008

I have heard that med-surg is the toughest of all of the topics in NS, any truth to this?

This is true, but I would say that the first medsurg you take is really hard. After you successfully complete your first medsurg, then the second is easier because you should have a better understanding on how to do the nclex style questions. I havent taken my third medsurg yet, this next semester I will. But really read your medsurg book. I tried to read my chapters word for word if I had time. Especially if its your first medsurg class then def. spend more time reading the chapters to get an understanding of medsurg. I remember my first test was on preop, intraoperative, post-op, and I thought the chapters were pretty easy reading so I kinda skimmed but when the test came there were such detailed questions on there like, what do you do if you patient has stomach pains after surgery? And the answer was to ambulate them (to get the bowels moving) so really look into your chapters and read about the nursing assessments, implementations etc...

lizzyberry · Dec 30, 2008

When you get questions about delegating to CNA's remember that the CNA cannot do any tasks that involve critical thinking or assessments, they can only do... such as take BP or temp, or serve the meal etc.

kgh31386, BSN, MSN, RN · Jan 1, 2009

I'll just say that this class is as hard as you let it be. A big thing to focus on is what would you teach a patient and what would you do first. Expect questions such as ,"a pt understands teaching when the patient states.... or further teaching is necessary when a pt states"...Other questions are likely to include,"a priority action by the nurse would be...". Don't listen to rumors because they are just that, rumors. Yea it's true a lot of people fail, but that's because most of them don't know WHY they are doing what they do. For example, one of my classmates had no idea what to watch for when giving Lasix, or Digoxin, or any cardiac drug for that matter....and we were on a cardiac floor! And a lot of students just memorize things for a test and forget it the next day. Or a lot of them memorized a lot for patho then forgot a LOT from patho after the test. That came back to bite them. But again dont listen to the negative, do what you usually do and you'll be fine. If you understand the patho of something, you should be able to understand what the meds do and what the teaching includes...the most important thing you'll learn from this class is how to put stuff together and how to think differently.

creativemom, BSN, RN · Jan 2, 2009

Ahhh, the newbie student that I am.

Was wondering if any of you actually worked on a med surg unit BEFORE taking the med surg class (as STNA, NA, or NT?) Did the work experience aid your studies?

kgh31386, BSN, MSN, RN · Jan 3, 2009

I haven't. But I was fine, actually my teacher said I was one of the best in her groups. :nuke: I think experience helps some people, but I know of about 10 ppl who worked as PCA or something and they failed Med/Surg pretty bad...like made a 65 and needed a 75 in the class. It really is individualized. I'm sure you'll be fine if you just learn as they teach.

kcochrane · Jan 4, 2009

I did well in Med/Surg clinical since I was a LPN. But most of my clinical group did well despite not having any floor experience. Sometimes having experience does work against you if you are not able to set it aside (habits, shortcuts, etc) and learn what the instructor wants you to learn. For example, we had to take the MARs in the room when we passed meds. In my facility we never take the MARs in the room. So I had to break that habit.

You will do fine. Be confident, learn, ask questions. :)