See everything

[al3x117, RN, EMT-B]

Is there a nursing floor/unit where you can see everything? Taking care of cardiac, onc, trauma, surgical, respiratory, GI, etc. Not to demote anything but what is the grunt floor of the hospital where majority of patients go to. I like medical patients because they are more fun to manage. I am currently in my junior year of nursing school and just finished up my psych rotation. It was pretty wild.

[seaofclouds21, BSN, RN]

It really depends on the hospital. Med/surg units eventually get just about everything, but not until they are stable. Many large hospitals have individual units for different areas, such as separate medical ICU's and surgical ICUs, general med/surg floors or ones dedicated to ortho specifically. Smaller hospitals are less likely to have as many specialized units, but may not be able to handle some of the really critical patients and may have to transfer them to larger facilities. Pay close attention to how the units in your local hospitals are set up during clinicals. Ask the nurses about what types of patients they care for.

[al3x117, RN, EMT-B]

It really depends on the hospital. Med/surg units eventually get just about everything, but not until they are stable. Many large hospitals have individual units for different areas, such as separate medical ICU's and surgical ICUs, general med/surg floors or ones dedicated to ortho specifically. Smaller hospitals are less likely to have as many specialized units, but may not be able to handle some of the really critical patients and may have to transfer them to larger facilities. Pay close attention to how the units in your local hospitals are set up during clinicals. Ask the nurses about what types of patients they care for.

Thanks for the advice. I will make sure to ask the nurses about the different types of patients that they care for.

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

There is a thing named "long term acute care". When it is really "acute", the spectrum is really wide.

Alternatives are ER or "critical access" rural acute care.

[nursej22, MSN, RN]

Progressive care. Not only will you see everything cardiac: MIs, open heart patients, stable LVADs, arrhythmias, but every other med/surg patient who is not quite sick enough for ICU, but needs to "watched a little closer." CVAs, craniotomys, joint replacements, pregnant and newly delivered moms, CIWA and opiate withdrawal, psych, ?sepsis, oncology, trauma, TB, influenza like illnesses, c.diff, dehisced abd wounds.

On my old unit the only thing we couldn't take people under the age of 18.

[al3x117, RN, EMT-B]

Progressive care. Not only will you see everything cardiac: MIs, open heart patients, stable LVADs, arrhythmias, but every other med/surg patient who is not quite sick enough for ICU, but needs to "watched a little closer." CVAs, craniotomys, joint replacements, pregnant and newly delivered moms, CIWA and opiate withdrawal, psych, ?sepsis, oncology, trauma, TB, influenza like illnesses, c.diff, dehisced abd wounds.

On my old unit the only thing we couldn't take people under the age of 18.

WOW that sounds incredible! That is an incredibly diverse unit. Thanks for the input. Really appreciate it!

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

Our hospital closed down some beds to "save money" and so now every floor sees everything. You can find med surge patients, ortho neuro, and hemoc patients on each other floors. It makes for a crazy wild ride and the specialty floors are none to pleased about it (understandably). I even had a few peds cases mixed in because they had "adult like surgeries" aka the peds floor didn't have enough staff so they dumped those poor kids on adult floors.

I've learned a ton from this environment, but it is not great for patient safety.

[al3x117, RN, EMT-B]

Our hospital closed down some beds to "save money" and so now every floor sees everything. You can find med surge patients, ortho neuro, and hemoc patients on each other floors. It makes for a crazy wild ride and the specialty floors are none to pleased about it (understandably). I even had a few peds cases mixed in because they had "adult like surgeries" aka the peds floor didn't have enough staff so they dumped those poor kids on adult floors.

I've learned a ton from this environment, but it is not great for patient safety.

Great info. Thank you so much. That sounds like a super tough challenge especially having so much variation. I understand that it can be stressful however for patients.