What med surg skills do med surg nurses do about 80% of the time?

[Sara-Allison]

I am a new med surg nurse. I am looking to master the med surg skills that night med surg nurses perform about 80% of the time. ("night med surg nurse:)

1. Get med administration times

2. Get out of range labs

3. Give PO meds

4. Give IV meds

5. Give pain meds: assess before, give med, assess after,document 1 after po, 1/2 after iv

6. document assessments 1 x day

document pain, IV every 4 hours

7. Check chart checks at beginning of shift

8. Initialize care plan at beginning of ****

9. Check chart at end of shift

10. admin - be able to admit patient in 30 minutes

11. discharge - be able to prepare discharge paperwork and discharge patient

What are the most basic skills that a new night med surg nurse must know. I have not included time management, as that is a big issue, but must be addressed separately with a great brain sheet.

Also, if you know of any place a new nurse can get those essential skills please let me know.

Thank you again for any info.

[ahorton75]

A lot really just depends on your unit. I have a lot of admissions/discharges/education. I also give a good bit of blood products. There are definitely days where I have pretty gnarly, and time consuming dressing changes. Tracheostomy care. Ostomy care. IV starts. Phlebotomy.

Then there are days where it just feels like a c-diff pooper scooper kinda' day.

Hospice care until hospice is brought on board and families agree on a dnr code status.

[melizerd, ASN, RN]

Yeah get the skills by doing them. Repetition.

I work an odd med/surg/oncology unit. It's also the icu step down and we do a lot of hospice/comfort care.

I give a lot of pain meds, lots of blood/plts, a lot of teaching. We admit and discharge a lot of people daily as well. No two days are ever the same for me. I can go weeks without doing something and then suddenly have three or four of the same thing in a row (trachs for example, I went months without a patient with one, I have suddenly had three in the last two weeks).