Please explain hospital departments

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Mar 26, 2015

MUCH faster than everyone typing, lol, is to have you go to the Specialties tab in the yellow banner at the top of the page, and scroll down a VERY comprehensive listing of all the specialties you can think of. And probably some you haven't thought of :)

Take a look around at each, and you'll get an idea.

The first several listings are for degrees/practices of nursing, followed by the departmental specialties. It's two separate tabs combined and when that happened, the alphabetical order didn't combine the two....oops.

Good luck!

mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN · Mar 26, 2015

Peds, NICU MICU PICU CICU ortho, ortho/spiine, ortho/joints, neuro, urology, plastics, ENT, onc (we have 2 dept heme and other) OR Pre-op/PACU L&D mother/baby dialysis. These are the units we have at my hospital. I have probably left some off

brownbook · Mar 26, 2015

For any unit in the hospital the nursing ratios will vary per local, state, and federal regulations.

Telemetry units have relatively stable patients that need cardiac monitoring. The monitors can be wall mounted unit at their bed side, or on the monitors at the nurses station. These patients are not on IV drips for blood pressure, heart arrhythmias, blood thinners, etc.

Med/surg is a combined medical surgical unit. Some hospitals separate their medical units and surgical units so it would be only medical or only surgical patients.

Medical units have patients with, "organ' problems....liver failure, kidney problems, thyroid, lung (asthma/ pneumonia), some kind of GI problem...chrons, ulcerative colitis, lupus, seizure disorders, infections, geeze the list could go on and on. Again they are all relatively stable in their disease condition, but need monitoring.

Surgical units care for patients after surgery, (some admit patients a day prior to surgery.)

Orthopedic units care for patients after orthopedic surgery.

In a smaller hospital a medical/surgical/orthopedic unit could all be combined into one unit.

Step down units are for patients who no longer need to be closely monitored as in an Intensive Care Unit, but are not stable enough to be on a busy, (less closely monitored) medical/surgical unit. Usually the ratio is 4 patients, 1 nurse.

In all the units the nurse/CNA/LVN is taking vitals every 4 hours, giving PO and IV meds, assist with bed baths, bring and remove food trays, monitor PO and IV fluids, geeze the list of what a bed side nurse does can take 40 pages!

And yes there is wiping of butts. (Sorry, reference to other posts on Allnurses.)

AspiringNurseMW · Mar 26, 2015

For any unit in the hospital the nursing ratios will vary per local, state, and federal regulations.
Telemetry units have relatively stable patients that need cardiac monitoring. The monitors can be wall mounted unit at their bed side, or on the monitors at the nurses station. These patients are not on IV drips for blood pressure, heart arrhythmias, blood thinners, etc.
Med/surg is a combined medical surgical unit. Some hospitals separate their medical units and surgical units so it would be only medical or only surgical patients.
Medical units have patients with, "organ' problems....liver failure, kidney problems, thyroid, lung (asthma/ pneumonia), some kind of GI problem...chrons, ulcerative colitis, lupus, seizure disorders, infections, geeze the list could go on and on. Again they are all relatively stable in their disease condition, but need monitoring.
Surgical units care for patients after surgery, (some admit patients a day prior to surgery.)
Orthopedic units care for patients after orthopedic surgery.
In a smaller hospital a medical/surgical/orthopedic unit could all be combined into one unit.
Step down units are for patients who no longer need to be closely monitored as in an Intensive Care Unit, but are not stable enough to be on a busy, (less closely monitored) medical/surgical unit. Usually the ratio is 4 patients, 1 nurse.
In all the units the nurse/CNA/LVN is taking vitals every 4 hours, giving PO and IV meds, assist with bed baths, bring and remove food trays, monitor PO and IV fluids, geeze the list of what a bed side nurse does can take 40 pages!
And yes there is wiping of butts. (Sorry, reference to other posts on Allnurses.)

Thanks that's exactly the clarification I was looking for! I got some ideas from the forums but it's usually experienced nurses & nursing students talking to each other in language that I do not yet understand, lol.

AZBlueBell · Mar 26, 2015

Good post! I find myself asking these same questions when I browse job postings as well (glad I'm not the only one who does this hehe)

brownbook · Mar 26, 2015

BIG PS....this is all very general....you will find patients on a medical unit with arrhythmicas and or blood pressure IV drips. Never say never in the world of hospitals.....the patient theoretically is stable and should not need their drip or vital signs closely monitored. You will even find VENT patients on a med/surg floor.