What is it about Med-Surg that you don't like?

[RazorbackRN]

I have read so many posts where nurses are complaining or expressing dissatisfaction with their jobs in the med-surg areas. What exactly is it that is so bad?

I'm asking this because I will graduate in May and everyone keeps telling me I should get a med-surg background before specializing in anything.

[grinnurse, RN]

I have been a nurse on Med/Surge for 7 months now and I guess that I am weird too b/c I love it (hated it in clinicals). Some days are better than others but I have learned so much since I have been here that I know I will be able to be a knowledgeable nurse if and when I change units!!

Love the variety and the pace.

The dislikes for me are related to how we are given patients by the charge nurses sometimes. They are not looked at by acuity but rather by location and that can be a deadly combination to say the least for the nurses. On more than a couple of occasions I have had 7 patients (day shift) where 4 are total care-and I mean TOTAL care with the one of the other R/O MI, and a guy with uncontrolled hypoglycemia whose BS dropped to 32 and the MI patients was having chest pains which later showed to have been an MI. I don't understand why these type of patients make it to the floor rather than ICU!!! That's the worst day that I ever had. Some of the patients get less quality care b/c the nurses and aides are overwhelmed. Not to mention the fact that we have to have 14 patients b/f we even get an aide!! Wouldn't trade it for the world though!!

[General E. Speaking, RN, RN]

the other tasks that got dumped on the nurses, like data entry, housekeeping, food service, and even billing, because other departments couldn't be bothered. There was ALWAYS too much to do, and much of it had nothing whatsoever to do with nursing.

amen, sister!

[grimmy, RN]

i'm not interested in m/s primarily because of poor staffing issues. i feel like i cannot possibly do a great job because i wouldn't have the time to do it right. there's also a limited technical aspect to the job which i would miss. i crave technical stuff, gadgets, hands-on, etc. there's a certain amount of pacing that i enjoy, too. this is why the or suits me so well. most days i have the right amount of time to spend with the pt and their family, there's plenty of variety in type of pt, different staff, surgeons, specialty, etc. i also have two jobs in one: scrubbing and circulating, and i really like both. i'll also confess to loving the dramatic nature of surgery. i have a short-attention span, and waiting for things to happen is stressful for me.

[ginerva]

I worked ten yrs on Med-Surg before transferring to OB. I have to agree with most that it is generally the poor staffing that makes med-surg difficult. Things have changed some since I worked med-surg full time. I worked nites and it was not unusual to come in and have 12 -13 pts., no tech, no ward-clerk, and many times a charge nurse that wouldn't leave the desk. Now it seems (at my facility) that they seldom have over 6-8 pts with a tech, and still they complain. Overall, I wouldn't take anything for my med-surg experience and I do believe everyone should have to spend at least a year on med-surg before going to a specialty area.

[TiffyRN, BSN, PhD]

I worked telemetry (which was pretty much med/surg) and floated VERY often to med/surg. I liked most of it though I didn't love surgical patients (probably just wasn't as experienced with them). Anyway, once more my complaint is staffing. I would have stayed if I could have been limited to 4 patients or so (I was used to taking 6-7 telemetry patients, more when in M/S). That was with little support staff (might have one tech for 25-28 patients). Being telemetry, our turnover was very fast, our patients often on cardiac drips and often we served as the admit unit in the hospital as the M/S units would be full so we would get the overflow until we filled up. And even in my 9 yr career in that area I could see the patients being sicker and sicker on the floor.

Now when I work our feeder/grower area of NICU (the most stable least needy in the NICU) I get 4 patients max, all my patients area within 20 feet of each other and each infant has a supply cart right beside them with all the usual supplies and linens one would typically need. Are there frustrations in this area? Sure, but I would be so so sad if I had to go back to med/surg/telemetry.