Is Med/Surg attracting new grads?

Specialties Med-Surg

Published

Hello All,

I am about to start my clinical consolidation with a preceptor on a med/surg floor. This is my main interest in nursing and why I chose to do my entire consolidation there. My fellow students , however seem to be more interested in the specialty areas mostly PICU, Emerg, Psych and ICU. My question is do staff nurses see their med/surg floor getting and keeping their share of new grads or are they looking for a different type of employment?

Thanks

Mito

I have worked med/surg, step down and ICU. Of the three step down was the most "different." You MUST learn cardiac period.

When I worked the unit...the saying among the nurses...was we were "doing Med/surg with a vent" because that IS what it is in many cases.

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Even though I am still in the waiting stage of finding out if I will get into nursing school this fall, I have at times said to myself that I will not do med-surg when I finish. But I'm finding myself rethinking that. Part of it rests with the fact that it will give me a strong foundation in nursing. One of the areas that I would like to go into is Post-partum, but I realize from reading a lot of these posts, I realize how valuable a med-surg rotation will help me in post-partum, particularly for mom's that are dealing with special circumstances.

So, all I can say is that med-surg is now a distinct possibility instead of an absolute no.

Kris

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In my class I was only one who went to a med-surg floor. I am still there and working on my BSN now.

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I can honestly say that the only reason I don't work med/surg today is the crummy nursing ratios. 8-15:1 is NOT a fair assignment, but boy do you learn ALOT.

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I am a new graduate in med/surg. Only 2 members of my class went to med/surg. As soon as my committment is up I am leaving for a unit position. The reason I started m/s was to develop good prioritization skills and to develop good clinical skills.

I love the patients, love most of the staff, and truly enjoy the hustle and bustle. The problem lies in the fact that I can not do it all. Even though I am new, I can see that so much is left undone because the RN's are spending half the day on ADL's and other activities that IMHO I believe the instituation should provide NA's for. NA's are a vital part of the health care staff in m/s IMHO.

Many times the RN's cannot properly review labs, and previous orders, and properly follow the plan of care for the patient. I have already seen mistakes made on medications and treatments. When I see that something is wrong, I need a minute to review the chart and past orders to communicate with the doctor and fix it. This puts me behind and I get no support for this, because the next shift is unhappy because some bed or baths were not done. I also would like time to talk with my patients and plan for their future care.

So, I love it, but will leave it as soon as I can.

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i would like to make a comment on new grads and m/s. when i graduated in 1987 you could really only get hired[in buffalo,ny] onto m/s in the hospital. the rationale was that assessment skills weren't inheriant, but aquired through practice, and what better place to get broad spectrum of practice? they wouldn't even allow a new nurse to work nights for 6 months as it was felt the grad,new nurse needed exposure to daytime activities before being thrown into a night situation where there was limited mentors etc...

the comment i would like to make IMHO is that when i was working a medical floor last year we would have icu,er nurses floated to us that were unable to organize, prioritize, or manage the frequent order changes that are common place on m/s units. they weren't bad nurses, they were knowledgeable, but most had something in common: they went from nursing school into a specialty area and missed the ever so important part of learning to juggle multiple tasks with multiple patients at the same time.

this comment in no way is to put down er/icu nurses. i know excellent ones. i work in er now and i thank God that I aquired the skills i have by working years of med/surg.;) ;) ;)

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amk1964, they might be that way because it was a long time since they worked in that area. I work OB and someone who worked there 20 years ago as a new grad is useless. It's not that they never acquired the skills necessary to work there, it's just that they are very rusty.

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yes fergy. i see your point. but i still say med/surg skills are important for new nurses to be exposed to.:p

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Hello,

Can you please tell me what excatly does a med/surg nurse do?

I have about 2 years to go before I enter into nursing school

I am just curious. Thanks

Carmen

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in general you care for pts with various illnesses at the same time.examples: uncontrolled diabetes, copd, chf; or someone undergoing general surgery like an appendectomy. acuity can range vastly . most hospitals i've worked at attach a subspecialty like oncology or neuro. nowadays you can expect just about anything.

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I have been told this is the best place to start, as a new grad, to gain experience.

Our nursing club president said most jobs require at least a year of experience in this area before being considered for anything else.

Is this true?

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Specializes in Neurology and Med Surg.

i wanted sooooooooooooooooo bad to go into a speciality LD/PP. but the hospitals here dont offer new grads the option, only in PP.

my problem is when i relocate, how marketable will i be as a PP nurse?

i think i will be headed for the MEDSURG doors. i am trying not to be so excited about it... but nursing can be all what you make it to be...

Right now i have to prioritize

GOAL NUMBER !.

PASSING BOARDS.. and getting off this computer LOL

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