Surgical floor for New Grad

[cicf2005]

I will be graduating this year and have several interviews set up. I am just wondering, would a surgical floor be a good place for a new grad to start? Or, is this too limiting? Would a medical floor be better?

I wanted a general med/surg floor but all the floors seem so specialized. The other interview I have set up is for a med/surg oncology floor.

Thank you all in advance for any advice!!

[meownsmile, BSN, RN]

It depends on the size of the facility. A large facility will have things more separated although you may get some medical patients on a surgical floor. Smaller hospitals merge more of their patients so there are medical and surgicals on the same floors.

[suzanne4, RN]

A surgical unit is just perfect. Remember that most patients that require surgery have other medical issues as well. And many procedures are now done as outpatients, so the ones that are in-house usually have other problems going on.

It will be an excellent learning experience for you...............

[barefootlady, ADN, RN]

I think a surgical floor could be a good choice for a new grad. It will require good time management skills early in orientation, a keen eye for complications and develop your skill with assessing and reporting problems with doctors who can be less than cordial when disturbed in the middle of the night. Go for it, I think you will enjoy it.

[rnmi2004]

The hospital I'm orienting at has the medical & surgical floors separated. However, if the med floor is full, a new med admit or transfer is sent to the surg floor, & vice versa. I just finished my month on the surg floor & cared for quite a few medical pts. Also, I agree with suzanne's comment about the surgical pt's medical issues. I learned so much on the surgical floor & I'm sure you will too!

[PamRNC]

A surgical floor will give you plenty of good to great opportunities to learn all sorts of things, from different procedures and the care required for the patients who've had them, to the different medical needs of those patients. Most hospital patients are old enough to have a few medical problems along with whatever they're having surgery for. Some problems may affect your care of the patient and others may not.

I recently have come across some interesting medical comorbities recently like Marfan's syndrome, Behcet's disease, and gegenholt (all on different pts). Plus you will have medicine boarders, and probably even some specialty service boarders. You especially have to be aware of medications for specialty pts on neuro or HIV/ID services - new drugs all the time. The only patients who may not have anything in the way of a medical history will be your young (20yr olds) ortho/trauma patients, but keep an eye out for social problems.

You also need to look at the why behind their need for surgery - a recent pt was having a 4th eye surgery r/t diabetic retinopathy. Medical problems cause surgical needs too. The reverse is also true: surgical interventions can cause or reveal medical problems. Pts come in for one thing, and the pre-op exams, reveal another problem, or the post-op period doesn't go as smoothly (pneumonia, pressure injuries, UTI).

Never fear, you will learn plenty, just keep your mind open, and your handy dandy references close by (I recommend in a PDA, but that's another thread).

[nursenatalie, ADN, RN]

I absolutely recommend a surgical floor for a new grad, as was said earlier you will get the medical aspect anywhere because patients always have co-existing medical problems. I think you will have the opportunity to use all basic nursing skills as well as learning the specialty of surgery. I love the pace, excitement and learn something more every day, or at least every week now after two years!