Bad Rep for Med Surg

Specialties Med-Surg

Published

Any med surg nurses out there have any ideas or input about why med surg has such a bad reputation and what could possibly be done about it? We see so many new nurses and experienced come and go (before completing orientation). We see new nurses doing everything possible to avoid that "year of med surg." I know there's short staffing woes, but that can only be fixed if we get some good nurses to stay. I know there's the eat your young thing - but isn't the buffet open on all units in some way? Why are we so bad? I love it. I try to show why and what I love about it, but nobody works with me hardly unless they are eagerly watching for the chance to jump ship to another dept! We hear on our floor that we need to learn to work as a team better - I said, that would be easier if the players didn't change so fast.

How do we make med surg less of a nightmare and help nurses choose this field?

Med/surg is a great specialty for those who like breadth and variety. Your focus is spread wide and there is always something new on the radar. Critical care, by contrast, is more suited to people who prefer depth. The focus is much narrower (fewer patients) and the things that pop up on the radar tend to require you to dig the same spot deeper.

From that standpoint, med/surg was not a good fit for me. I felt scattered when I wanted to concentrate. From what I know about critical care, that would have been a much better match, and if I were just starting my nursing career, that is where I'd head.

For every square peg trying to jam herself into a round hole, there is a square hole going empty and a round peg looking for a home.

I think I agree with you. I'm more of an introvert (not extremely so, just energize with quiet and solitude and need to recouperate from lots of interaction) and prefer to be able to concentrate in depth on a few things rather than just a little on a lot of things. So I relate to your description of feeling scattered. I enjoyed critical care more as a student but we had just one short rotation in it and instructors were pushing hard that med/surg was THE place to start.

The saying is that if you can make it in med-surg, you can make it anywhere. It may be true, but what if you CAN'T make in med-surg? Does that mean that you can't make it in nursing at all? I hope not!! We need to nurses too badly in so many different capacities to toss out all of those who find today's med-surg environment overwhelming and/or dissatisfying.

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Specializes in ED/trauma.
The saying is that if you can make it in med-surg, you can make it anywhere. It may be true, but what if you CAN'T make in med-surg? Does that mean that you can't make it in nursing at all? I hope not!! We need to nurses too badly in so many different capacities to toss out all of those who find today's med-surg environment overwhelming and/or dissatisfying.

I don't think it's one of those hard and fast laws of nature, no. I do not believe the old saying. I think some people in m/s could never make it in ICU. But the opposite is also true. M/S may be demanding and cover a broad base of nursing skill, but it doesn't mean that skill is applicable to every other area of nursing. If I go to ICU, I still have to learn ALL the equipment they use that's NEVER used in M/S. But an ICU nurse would have to take a step back & spend time passing tons of meds & giving teaching, etc. etc. for 6-10 pts. There are so many differences. Yes, they're all fruit, but some are apples, oranges, bananas / some art tropical, some are prickly... Yeah, they all contain fructose, but they're still all different. Or something like that :D

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Specializes in LTC, Sub-Acute, Med-Surg.
I don't think it's one of those hard and fast laws of nature, no. I do not believe the old saying. I think some people in m/s could never make it in ICU. But the opposite is also true. M/S may be demanding and cover a broad base of nursing skill, but it doesn't mean that skill is applicable to every other area of nursing. If I go to ICU, I still have to learn ALL the equipment they use that's NEVER used in M/S. But an ICU nurse would have to take a step back & spend time passing tons of meds & giving teaching, etc. etc. for 6-10 pts. There are so many differences. Yes, they're all fruit, but some are apples, oranges, bananas / some art tropical, some are prickly... Yeah, they all contain fructose, but they're still all different. Or something like that :D

I agree nursing is nursing no specialty better than the other, some different than the other, but when it all boils down to it, it is still nursing at the end of the day.

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Specializes in Med-Surg/Pedi/ICU/Tele/Onc.

I agree with several of the above posts including: the ratios are too high, med-surg IS a specialty in itself!

We are also in a crunch with our nurses on med-surg. They want to get that experience and move on. I started off on surgical-pedi went to Neuro ICU and then back to medical oncology. I don't need the daily stress at work that ICU provides. My motto is "let's get them upstairs before they crash!" It is hard work and the patient's attitudes sometimes don't help at all. However, you get the one's that are super sweet and make you so glad you are in nursing.

ADN's can take the cert exam-so do it and show your support of your specialty!!:yeah:

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Specializes in Certified Wound Care Nurse.
I am a new nurse on a busy med surg floor. I've been there for 5 months and everyday I go to work, I want to quit. I just figured it out why. I thought nursing was spending time with pt and getting to know the emotional and spiritual needs as well as the physically needs. This is what we were taught in school and I loved it. The real world is far from this. I only have time to find out (after spending a hour or so trying to find the chart) what I need to know about the pt to get through the day. When they are trying to talk to me about their personal life, Im thinking to myself about the other 4 pt, charting, labs etc. I can not seem to get a handle on this and feel like I am drowning all the time, everyday. It is a horrible feeling and I feel sorry for the patients. We spend so much time with paper work that it's unbelievable. I am thinking about my next move because I do not want to work under these conditions.

I'm in an esoteric frame of mind today. :bugeyes:

I've been working in Tele/Med-Surg for six months now. I've encountered a lot - both from patients and staff (rudeness and disrespect). I don't want to leave the floor - I intend (to the best of my ability) to hang in for a year. Most of the nurses on this site have said that things don't really begin to "fit" until about a year (sometimes two) on the floor.

The reality is that - nursing is much more that what you learned in school. What was taught in school is the 'idealistic version' of nursing. There's a compendium of factors that influence everyday life on the floor - the conglomeration of staff with each person's culture, history and work ethic... the patients' illnesses, coping mechanisms and family hx... the hospital culture itself - all of these combined can be a source of harmony or chaos - depending on the factors of any given moment. What a way to learn how to detach and live in the moment... Hm...

I struggle with it every day - sometimes it wears me down the point where the worst of me is revealed - those are the days when I want to quit - when there is more of my "shadow" side than there is of my "compassionate" side. That's not the way I want to live my life. I prefer to live my life in a way that brings joy and encouragement to others. My 'job' is to try to maintain the compassionate side when the chaos strikes and I am worn to a frazzle - getting grumpy, cranky and "dark".

I have had to re-learn what it is to "care" for patients. Yes, I'd prefer to get to know the patients on deeper levels - and still think that, holistically, that would contribute to their healing processes, but right now, it doesn't always work that way... so - I have to focus on the priority of this environment - the labs, the charts, the physicians, the staff, the paperwork... It seems that in my environment, the priority is at the physical layer of the person - ensuring their physical healing, ensuring the outer wounds are healed, the medications are distributed... taking care of the body in hopes of reaching the spirit.

Take care,

Shawna

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Why teach an overly idealistic version of nursing, though? You can teach the ideals along with the realities. It's an ideal to view the patient holistically and to address psychological as well as physical needs. The reality is that nurses have several competing demands, limited time and energy, and will have to prioritize. That often means not being able to be as holistic or to have to let another issue wait while addressing a more immediate need. I think schools could do a better job of preparing nurses for the realities.

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Specializes in Certified Wound Care Nurse.
Why teach an overly idealistic version of nursing, though? You can teach the ideals along with the realities. It's an ideal to view the patient holistically and to address psychological as well as physical needs. The reality is that nurses have several competing demands, limited time and energy, and will have to prioritize. That often means not being able to be as holistic or to have to let another issue wait while addressing a more immediate need. I think schools could do a better job of preparing nurses for the realities.

I agree with the above posed question - in fact - I've been wrestling with that since I began my job/career. We did have a role transition class - but it wasn't in depth and didn't present the reality of nursing to a mid life career changer with no experience with hospital environments.

But - I am indeed digressing from topic. Perhaps this is a discussion for another forum? Seeing the understaffed floor I'm on, I can only assume it's like this in other environments as well - and makes the topic of schools/teaching especially pertinent.

Thanks,

Shawna

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slang... I feel your pain as I too felt that way when I was a new grad. Oner e thing I can say is.. after over a yr I felt confident and competent in a lot of stuff but still didn't like my job for all the reasons you mentioned. Maybe med surg is not for you. I don't agree about new grads having to start on a med/surg floor if that is not what they feel passionate about. this only makes new nurses hate nursing in general and leave the nursing proffesion for good. If you feel passionate about anything else in nursing go for it. Why live misarable. you just worked your butt off in nursing school to not like your job? think about it. There are many other things in nursing you can do and LOVE!. Good luck:nurse:

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Specializes in LTC, Sub-Acute, Med-Surg.

Can't wait too..got a few more months before I am eligible to sit for my CMSN...can't wait. My hospital actually gives a bonus to nurses who become certified in their specialy..was $500/year now going up to $1,000/year and they pay for the test.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, ICU.
:yeah: I have to agree that the main draw-back for Med-Surg is the work load. I have been working it for two-years....I LOVE my patients and the majority of physicians but....most of the time I feel so unable to "be a nurse".....My hospital is so focused on the bottom dollar it is absolutely ridiculous!!!! We spend more money on surveys on what needs to be done than actually listening to the employees! So aggravating! I have learned so much on my floor, but I am currently looking to go somewhere else simply because of the work load!
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I think patient ratios are highest on our med/surg floors. Personally, I love med/surg and can't imagine doing anything else. I'm so glad to see your signature include 'yes, med/surg is a specialty'!

I would rather have five med/surg patient and a CNA, rather then three PCU patients on my own if any of them require feeding/bathing/ass wiping.

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Specializes in Cardiac, Hospice, Float pool, Med/Peds.

I have done a lot of nursing from float to hospice and I find that there are so many specialties that we forget how to do the typical med/surg... I am now on a med/ peds with telemetry and love it. The variety is great. I have good staff and we all help out as needed, which I find helps. I think that any specialty could be tough and hard to do...

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