What is it like working on med surg?

THELIVINGWORST, ASN, RN · Nov 23, 2015

Well I am usually out on time and I take my breaks pretty much everyday.

I am usually busy in the beginning of my shift and then I kinda slow down towards the middle of the night. I thought I was going to hate it but I actually don't mind it, keeps me busy.

IMOKAY, BSN · Nov 26, 2015

I work days and it feels like a constant race against the clock to complete assessments, meds, accuchecks on time. After lunch it does slow down unless you are slammed with discharges. I actually thrive on the go, go, go. The shift flies by. Some days I do have time to chat with patients, research dz process/ treatments, and give education on a wide variety of topics which is one of my favorite things about Med Surg.

NamasteN · Nov 29, 2015

there are no "always" and "alls" in life or in Med/Surg. Sometimes I get out out on time which means 730 and many new grads go to med/surg but not all. what is it like? crazy, busy, never ending, varied, hectic, frustrating, enjoyable, interesting and more. and all in the same day! an average day : My alarm goes off at 0445, I leave my house at 0600 and arrive at the parking lot at 0645. I get on a shuttle bus that takes me to the hospital. 0700-0730 (or so) get report. 0730-0900 vital signs, introductions, assessments, insulin for diabetics, troubleshoot IV's, talk to doctors, case managers and make plans for admits, discharges and operations/tests like echos etc. for the day. 0900-1100 med pass, focused assessments, round with the docs if I can catch them, and keep doing all of the above. In addition, work with the aides if they need help with bathing etc. 11-1200 insulin again, charting, assess and keep doing everything as above. first pts are coming back from OR and new ones are going. admits and discharges. troubleshoot. 1200- 1400 or so there is usually a little lull where I run and wolf down some cheese and crackers or oatmeal and if I'm very lucky go grab a cup of coffee. Not a real break per se, but a quickie. 1400-1700. chart, pts coming back from the OR, dressing changes, insulin again and assessments. usually around 1700 when I think, "I got this" all hell breaks loose and someone goes downhill, a doctor freaks out over something, someone falls, or IV's go bad. always admits and discharges, family members want explanations, people puke, bleed and poop themselves. the fun never ends! In between I help my colleagues who might be having a worse day than me. 1700-1900 assess, vital signs, chart and try to be ready for report to the oncoming shift. If I am very lucky I may go grab a bottle of water and a snack to bring to the desk to eat while I chart. If this sounds hectic, it doesn't even begin to explain reality. It's non stop all day, 12 hours mostly on my feet, mostly putting out "fires" and troubleshooting. This is a normal day with no real tragedies. 1900 start giving report and hopefully be done by 1930 but almost never does that happen. I usually leave by 2000 (8PM) take a shuttle to my car and am home by 9 PM. asleep by 945 PM .

BumbleBuddy · Nov 29, 2015

It sucks. No. Sometimes. No. There are my answers. My opinion may be skewed by the fact that I work at a large hospital in the city that takes the most acute patients in the area. Most of the patients I get are chronically ill and don't follow medical advice leading to frequent readmits. The others are extremely old with no quality of life and are being forced to live by family members who are never present. It's tough and thankless, but you get a lot of exposure to all kinds of diseases. It's a great unit to start in because of that exposure and the amount of time you'll have to practice your nursing skills. Most people at my job don't make a career out of med/surg and end up moving on to less yellow pastures once they get enough experience.