Med-Surg: Survival Tips

TheDudeWithTheBigDog, ADN, RN · Feb 2, 2019

Apply everything back to your fundamentals. And every new thing you learn, it all starts relating to each other. Don't treat it like you're learning something completely new. Treat it like an extension of what you already know.

magnoliablush, BSN, RN · Feb 2, 2019

Keep in mind you need to know your nursing interventions. You’ve done the A&P, now focus on what the nurse will do. I really recommend looking at how to answer questions. Like remembering the A, B, C’s, Maslow, and such! Just knowing the information isn’t enough, try to apply the nursing intervention... if you can only do one thing to keep that patient alive or safe...which one is it? That will help. ?med surg is hard, but not impossible. You can do it!

BookishBelle · Feb 3, 2019

Watch Cathy Parkes and registered rn on YouTube. They have both helped me so much!

TheDudeWithTheBigDog, ADN, RN · Feb 4, 2019

And don't stress over interventions. It's common sense thanks to how limited nursing is. Your intervention is literally putting someone in bed and telling them that their broken foot won't hurt if they stop putting weight on it and let it heal. Anything complex, assess and gather all the information you'll need, and tell their doctor or respiratory or PT. You're literally looking at a symptom, habit, or risk and figuring out how to fix, prevent or relieve it. Think of it like this: The doctor medicates and cures the disease, you make the lifestyle changes (including taking the medicine) to help them heal or prevent the disease.

It's really not hard, as long as you understand what you're dealing with. If you understand the basics of a disease, you'll understand which intervention is the best one to use. How many different bacterial infections does it take to figure out that if there's a fever, you address that pretty much the same way? And how many bacterial infections does it take to know that you should be watching for a fever? Where it gets hard, is each bacterial infection has something unique about its symptoms or treatment. You need to address that within your scope. If there's only one thing you remember, make it that characteristic. All the rest, an infection is an infection.

Don't overcomplicate it. It's hard, there's a ton to learn, but the more you learn the easier it gets, at least for me so far.

PhoenixSP · Feb 19, 2019

Six weeks really is not enough time. I am in an accelerated program as well. But at least we get about 8 weeks, roughly. I recommend breaking your learning into systems (i.e. Cardio, Resp., etc). Figure out the major diseases in those systems and watch youtube videos about the nursing interventions and answer practice questions. THEN do the assigned reading and fill in your gaps in knowledge. After awhile, things start to just click and you can think of a system, what is happening if something goes wrong, and what the patient needs. Good luck!

dragon7869, BSN, EMT-P · Feb 27, 2019

Break each section down in an organized system hitting the main points : etiology, pathophysiology, medical interventions ,nursing interventions, patient teaching ,solid knowledge of medications and interventions with knowing the expected outcomes of treatments and adverse effects/complications associated with them. Patient teaching is key . Be able to explain everything to a patient. And do practice questions as much as you can. That's how I approached Med Surg,finished with an A and 100% on the final exam. You can do it. Just stay consistent and have a good study method.