tjgriz

Let me say I’ve worked in many specialties. I was a medic for 7 years before RN. I started as an RN in an ER, then to MICU and SICU, then Med/Surg tele, then to Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, OR-Assist, now I’m an Ortho Clinic. Thru all of it I would have to say I learned all of my fundamental Nursing skills, time management, and prioritizing in Med/Surg, among many other things. You build confidence and good work ethic. It it probly the most Labor intensive with the highest ratio. In every specialty I’ve been in- I relied on those skills and used them daily. Everyone knows and learns their specialty but the groundwork and basics of nursing are the framework for you future as a RN. Never think you are less than any other RN- we are all in this for the same purpose- to care for our patients. Learn from the experienced, ask questions, inquire with others, observe the “good ones” and ask for input from the mentors who love to teach. Ignore the ones who think they’re “all that” or “better” somehow bc they work in a more or less critical setting- Usually those people would never make it in Med/Surg and they’d why they can’t stand to float there. Trust me, it’s not a waste of time and you will see that down the road. They are correct it is the absolute BEST place to start for all you basic nursing skills which are the building blocks and foundation to everything else you will learn in your career. My advice is to take constructive criticism positively, don’t ever pretend you ever know it all, there is always something else to know or learn, use the advance practice RNs to learn more, but never let another nurse ever make you feel that your any less than them! I ran into that in my first year in Med/Surg and by the end of that year the same “know it all” RN was learning things from me. Good luck in your career.