Med-Surg

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What is it about med surg floors that make people want to avoid them? I have just started looking into nursing recently and have been reading books and the posts on this site, and there always seems to be a ongoing debate. People ask when they graduate if they should serve time on a med surg floor first, or go straight into a specialty. People talk about med surg like it's the plague. I was just as to what that's about. Thanks!

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Specializes in ICU/ER.

My personal reason for not wanting to work in Med Surge is the huge pt to nurse ratios. I know myself and I could not take care of 7 or 8 pts and give good quality care. I would be afraid I would miss subtle changes in the patients status. I dont even know if I could handle an 8 pt med pass with out making a mistake or forgetting something.

I have always heard spend a few years in Med Surge before you go specialty--well I spent 4 years as a CNA on med surge and still feel like 7 or 8 pts is too much to take one.

In the ICU I have 3 patients max, and even though I give complete care from baths to walks to med admin I feel like I am giving holistic care.I belive I am learning more in an ICU setting than I would if I worked on Med Surg.

Hats off to the Med Surg nurses:bowingpur I couldnt do it, not now anyways.

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I actually wanted Med/Surg for several reasons after graduating: 1) I thought it would be a good area to learn the basics of nursing, organization skills, get good at interpreting heart monitoring/rhythms since I am on a telemetry floor, 2) I like being able to talk to my patients and families, 3) I like the elderly population and many are found on Med/Surg floors, 4) on my floor, while all patients may be hooked up to the heart monitor, each one may have a different diagnosis. This provides many learning opportunities for new grads. The last time I worked, I had one patient who had an esophagectomy, one with neck stabbings, one with possible GI bleed, and one in ESRD with hypotension. And, in the 13 weeks that I have been on this floor, I have never had more than 5 patients. I think, in the end, you need to figure out what interests you, and go with that. I wouldn't necessarily worry about "needing" to do Med/Surg first. Many nurses choose other routes. Do what interests you.:nurse:

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I don't look at it as the "plague" at all. I think it's a great place to learn the skills of nursing with patients who are less ill, get a wide variety of experience, get a good look at a variety of medical conditions, get organizational skills down, then move on to whatever specialty interests you. It's probably a rough place to work, yes, but it's rough anywhere in nursing. You could do a pediatric floor and that can also still count as med/surg - just for little folks.

I tried an ICU right out of school, but quickly got my rear back to a more med surg type floor where I could get my nursing "sea legs" first. I found the ICU nurses had a bit more respect for those with a few years of med/surg experience, or just any time of nursing at all, behind their belt.

JMO. Others go into the ICU's right out of school and do fine. I'm a slower, more methodical learner, so I needed a lesser acuity and to get organizational skills down first.

"Organizational skills" are big in your first year. It's about learning to call the doc FIRST, then go pull your meds while you wait for the doc to call back; Gather up all your supplies needed while you walk past the supply room on your way to pt's 1, 2, 3; Practice your daily schedule and figure how to get your charting done, etc, etc. It's a LOT to juggle at first -- but if you're in an ICU, you're juggling and learning but also have very critical patients you have to worry about, and learning all those ICU skills as well -- It's a LOT of stress for your first year.

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Specializes in Tele.

i work with pediatrics so I get 4 patients and on a bad night it could go up to six

but what I love about peds med/surg, is that they usually go only for one problem, as opposed to adults- there can be multiple problems, and most of the times you work with the elderly patients.

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I actually wanted Med/Surg for several reasons after graduating: 1) I thought it would be a good area to learn the basics of nursing organization skills, get good at interpreting heart monitoring/rhythms since I am on a telemetry floor, 2) I like being able to talk to my patients and families, 3) I like the elderly population and many are found on Med/Surg floors, 4) on my floor, while all patients may be hooked up to the heart monitor, each one may have a different diagnosis. This provides many learning opportunities for new grads. The last time I worked, I had one patient who had an esophagectomy, one with neck stabbings, one with possible GI bleed, and one in ESRD with hypotension. And, in the 13 weeks that I have been on this floor, I have never had more than 5 patients. I think, in the end, you need to figure out what interests you, and go with that. I wouldn't necessarily worry about "needing" to do Med/Surg first. Many nurses choose other routes. Do what interests you.:nurse:[/quote']

That's a wide variety of patients. It seems like you will learn a lot that way. You should never get bored...

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My personal reason for not wanting to work in Med Surge is the huge pt to nurse ratios. I know myself and I could not take care of 7 or 8 pts and give good quality care. I would be afraid I would miss subtle changes in the patients status. I dont even know if I could handle an 8 pt med pass with out making a mistake or forgetting something.

I have always heard spend a few years in Med Surge before you go specialty--well I spent 4 years as a CNA on med surge and still feel like 7 or 8 pts is too much to take one.

In the ICU I have 3 patients max, and even though I give complete care from baths to walks to med admin I feel like I am giving holistic care.I belive I am learning more in an ICU setting than I would if I worked on Med Surg.

Hats off to the Med Surg nurses:bowingpur I couldnt do it, not now anyways.

Is that pretty much the standard on a med/surg floor, 7 or 8 patients at a time? That seems overwhelming to me. I can't imagine that as a new grad.

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i work with pediatrics so I get 4 patients and on a bad night it could go up to six

but what I love about peds med/surg, is that they usually go only for one problem, as opposed to adults- there can be multiple problems, and most of the times you work with the elderly patients.

Is not difficult having to work with sick kids? Just the thought of it makes me sad.

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Psych.

i am a new grad about 2 weeks off orientation. the norm for us seems to be 5 (med/surge/oncology floor). on a bad night, it could be 6. i haven't had 6 yet. 4 works great for me; 5 gets tricky. i can't imagine 6. this is on the 3-11:30 pm shift.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Progressive Care, Tele.
What is it about med surg floors that make people want to avoid them? I have just started looking into nursing recently and have been reading books and the posts on this site, and there always seems to be a ongoing debate. People ask when they graduate if they should serve time on a med surg floor first, or go straight into a specialty. People talk about med surg like it's the plague. I was just as to what that's about. Thanks!

Med surg is STRESSFUL! To be honest, my 8 months on med surg, the only thing I got out of it was time management skills, which I guess is a lot, but I feel like I never really learned how to properly "critically" think. I recently started my 2nd RN job on a stepdown tele floor and I absolutely love it. I've learned so much in the past month I've been there than I ever did on med surg. 6 patients on days and running around like a wild woman was not my ideal nursing job. Maybe it was my unit... maybe I'm just not cut out for med surg.. I don't know! I don't believe its necessary to start out on med surg. Just make sure if you start specialty as a new grad they are willing to give you a good long orientation!

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Psych.

I feel the same way as the above poster although I have only been off orientation 2 1/2 weeks. I haven't done a bit of critical thinking. Even w/5 pts, admissions and discharges, I barely have time to look up labs after giving all meds. My preceptor gave me a nice schedule to try to follow, but for me, sometimes it doesn't work. I do feel my time management skills are improving, but I don't feel like I have a good idea of what is going on with the patient. It is rush, rush, rush for the most part. Then I want to look things up on my off time, but I am so tired...

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Specializes in Urgent Care.

I have been on my own for 3 weeks now on med surg. Here we call it the " trenches". It's alot. Alot of patients, alot of new orders, alot of tests, labs, surgeries, hanging blood, and most people have many health problems, nit just what they are in for- just alot. Everyone is in for something different. My hospital aims for a 5 to 1 ratio, but I had 6 with an admission my last shift and no LPN to help pass meds. It's extremely busy but I do have to agree that I am learning tons. I do however doubt that I will stray in med/surg, just not my niche.

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