Question about Med/Surg...

rplf29 · Apr 17, 2009

no one replied. argh!.*im just a student too*

RNpandoraRN · Apr 17, 2009

I work a Med/Surg unit. We are medical and surgical combined. I would assume if it's written as "med/surg" on a job listing, then it is a combined unit as well.

NeoNurseTX, RN · Apr 17, 2009

It's a huge variety of patients..you get those that don't have sx as well as those that will/have.

texasnurse22 · Apr 17, 2009

Med-Surg is Med-surg. You will get the general medical patients(pneumonia,diverticulitis,etc.) and surgical patients(appys,choly's). In hospitals where they TRY to separate the Medical from the Surgical(rarely works) the surgical floor will usually serve as overflow for the medical patients b/c there will more likely be more medical than surgical patients. All the patients that come through the ER usually go to med/surg or medical. They will go to surgical if the main medical floor is full.

LauraLiz · Apr 17, 2009

Ahh, I see. Thanks. So I guess our hospital "tries" to seperate them..lol In that case...which one, med or surg, would be a better new RN position if I can't get into OB right away?

Katnip, RN · Apr 17, 2009

I would say the one that interests you the most. You'll learn a lot in both types of unites. If you go to a med/surge unit, you'll likely get both types at some point, anyway.

texasnurse22 · Apr 17, 2009

I would say Medical would be better to learn due to the fact that the surgical patients these days have alot of comorbidities that affect treatment. You will see these in the medical unit. You will also restart all your patients IV's(like everyday)drop NG tubes, chest tube care, ostomy care, etc in the "medical unit". But like I said before the two units cross over...

Drysolong · Apr 17, 2009

In the hospital that I work in, our department is termed med-surg. One floor is dedicated to medical patients, while the other is dedicated to post-surgical patients. There is no Telemetry monitoring on the "surgical" floor, so post op pts needing Tele go to the "medical floor". Overflow is handled both ways. Nurses' main assignments are either on one or the other, but we routinely and frequently get floated between floors.

VICEDRN, BSN, RN · Apr 18, 2009

Gosh. Where I have done clinicals, it looks more like this:

Hall A: ortho post surg

Hall B: nuero (post back surg, stroke, ALZ)

Hall C: Cancer post op

Hall D: cardiac step down/tele

Med patients are assigned according to their primary issue. Ostomy patients in cancer post op. Meningitis and lithium toxicity to nuero to neuro floor.

Its crazy organized. The patients are put in beds so that they can be grouped in 4 or 5 and assigned to nurses with an appropriate mix of acuities. Thus, you can get one fresh post op back surgery who ambulates, one ALZ, and one seriously sick stroke patient, etc. in four adjacent rooms and one nurse to work that group.

Med/surg is a requirement for graduation, I think. Lots of different stuff, lots of experience. Every other patient it seems is hypertensive, diabetic, with some type of vascular issue. Its crazy. It makes you rethink some of your er...lifestyle choices. :twocents:

LittleWing21, RN · Apr 18, 2009

Even though my floor is technically "neuro/medicine"..I still call it med/surg because we get anything and everything, including surgical pts!!!!!!! It's a dumping ground of sorts since we're a monitored unit (so they can't always go to the floor they should if that floor doesn't have monitors).