What is it about Med-Surg?

oraibi · Jun 2, 2003

posted by LaVorneRN

Many hospitals require some experience in med/surg. After working on a med/onc unit for some years as an aide and throughout nsg. school and going through many students, it makes such sense to me personally to get a foundation there.

hi,

yep, the recruiters at all the hospitals around here

tell new grads flat out that they will usually start on

m/s floors and then when other positions open up

they are generally filled from within . . .

im a new grad working m/s and feel it is a great extension

of nursing school . . . i learn something new every day.

i work in a small rural hospital with a family like atmosphere

and a good sense of teamwork . . . everybody chips in

to help make things go smoothly and more experienced

nurses and many docs are generous in sharing info

with new nurses . . .

to me m/s seems like a great place to develop skills

and continue with the learning curve

~oraibi

janleb · Jun 2, 2003

I have been a practicing RN for about 9 months now. Still just a baby. I went Med-Surg to get the most experience and get a wide variety of patients as possible. I am very fortunate to work on a floor where many nurses have 10 yrs plus experience. Prior to working as a nurse I worked as an Tech on that same floor. So I know everyone I work for. They realize that I am a hard worker and will help them whenever I can. I appreciate their experience and expertise. I have learned so much practical experience. And getting some experience that I can pull from finally. My next step is to get ACLS certified within this next year. Yes it can be hectic, some days better than others. But I am still learning probably always will be I hope. Where I work I feel very supported by the others I work with. Couldn't be in a better environment.

nursebucky · Jun 9, 2003

Disablednurse....you have no idea how your comments have blessed me.

Thank you.

nursing04 · Jul 20, 2004

Hi everyone! I have been reading your posts about your careers in Med-surg. Very interesting stuff. I do have some general questions. I am graduating in September (god-willing) and enjoyed my med-surg clinicals a lot. What characteristics do you think someone needs to be successful at it? I know I get bored easily and I'm good w/ teaching, communication, and working w/ others but these are all needed for any nursing unit. I just don't want to end up somewhere, quit, and have to look for another job. I'm definitely going to ask to shadow the unit and talk to the staff. Anyone else have any other advice??

hospicemom · Jul 20, 2004

I have been on med surg for 2 years. I have dabbled in hospice and home health....done the outside staffing agency thing....all of this. Med surg is by far the most difficult I have worked in. Dont get me wrong, there are many different levels of difficulty in all areas of nursing. Nursing alone is difficult. I am talking about the politics....I am talking about the working short to save a buck....I am talking about having to know a little bit about everything because that is what you see on med surg. Now, I DO believe that every new RN or LPN should have a year experience at least in med surg, even though it has been a tough road with many nights spent crying on my way home...I wouldnt trade the experience for anything. I can say that as a new RN I wouldnt have been comfortable working in ER or any other specialty without having med surg experience...and many places wont even look at your application if you dont have med surg......I enjoy the different DX and the new meds I learn...new procedures and so on....however med surg isnt for everyone........so, new grads.....stick it out for a while...you will never regret the experience..it will make you a better nurse.

hospicemom · Jul 20, 2004

Hi everyone! I have been reading your posts about your careers in Med-surg. Very interesting stuff. I do have some general questions. I am graduating in September (god-willing) and enjoyed my med-surg clinicals a lot. What characteristics do you think someone needs to be successful at it? I know I get bored easily and I'm good w/ teaching, communication, and working w/ others but these are all needed for any nursing unit. I just don't want to end up somewhere, quit, and have to look for another job. I'm definitely going to ask to shadow the unit and talk to the staff. Anyone else have any other advice??

shaddow the unit...yes...talk to the staff...I dont know. I think you need to make the judgement for yourself, which unfortunaltly isnt going to happen just shaddowing the unit. Qualities needed for med surg? be flexible.....you wont get out of work on time. Be patient...the doctors need that. BE PREPARED.....the doctors require that. Be open minded and AVOID the grapevine like the plague. You will have more whining and complaining on med surg that will eventually harden you to the profession like has happened to many other nurses.....remember everyday why you are a nurse....med surg as an RN is nothing like med surg as a tech or a student,,,,it is a hard transition and has a high level of responsibility. be prepared to be one of the only RNs on the floor bc they fill the other areas with LPNs which means YOU are the only one who can take care of fresh surgicals, admissions, IV pushes,central lines and so on...it is deffinatly nothing like working as a student in clinical...you will be charge nurse....with a load of patients yourself which are at a higher acuity than others....why? bc YOU are the RN.......just.....remember everyday adn remind yourself throughout the day why you are an RN.......THAT will get you through all of it.

nursingstudent113 · Mar 1, 2005

Hi, I am a first semester nursing student and I have to do a project on med/surg nursing. Can you tell me exactly what it is and any websites to view or books I can get about med/surg nursing? I would really appreciate any information you can give me.

Blair

Every day is different in med/surg. We have a full range of patient ages from weeks old to over 100. Anything from kidney stones to snake bites to thoracotomys. Downside -we are rarely staffed well enough, but good side- the shift goes by really fast!
If you are lucky enough to have a great team of nurses to work alongside of, it makes for a very rewarding day.

brigaily2000 · Mar 1, 2005

I worked med/surg 2 years right out of nursing school. Best experience I ever had in that I learned and saw everything. No monitors or machines to tell us what was going on with the pt, but had to nurse with our wits. Tremendous experience. Problems were too many patients to too few nurses. I literally ran for 8 hours straight trying to get everything right. Med errors were common and the work load was horrific. Had no time to talk to or get to know the pts. We just ran around putting out fires. This is not right. The nurse to pt ratios are awful.

DUCKGIRL · Apr 12, 2005

I'll tell you what it is about med-surg that turns off new grads...it's HARD!

I started working in the ICU after graduation which was a breeze compared to my current job. I made the switch to a med-surg unit to work in a hospital much closer to my home. I certainly never thought that I would be "taking a step down" by moving from critical care to the floor. The floor is very difficult and takes a special type of nurse...and a lot of nursing students figure this out. In critical care you have lots of monitors, computers and support staff to help you with your patients. On the floor you are often short staffed, have to do the job of CNA's and do not have any technical monitoring systems to help you figure out what the heck is going on! Many new graduates are comfortable with technology and prefer to work in an environment that utilizes these tools.

I definitely got attitude from nurses when I said I wanted to work in the ICU after graduation. They were like "oh you are one of those who think it will be so cool like what is on TV" NO....I just was not sure that I had the skills to run around like a chicken with my head cut off and give safe nursing care! Luckily I have had very experienced, patient nurses to orient me to my new job....and I do like it...but I think there are many areas that can serve as a training ground (with the proper orientation) for new graduates.

lady_jezebel · Apr 15, 2005

I have read quite a few posts from students complaining about how much they hate med-surg and wouldn't dream of working there after graduation.
What is it about med-surg that turns so many people off exactly? I'm a med-surg nurse and believe me I know how frustrating it can be, but what area of nursing isn't these days?
It makes me sad to think that med-surg is receiving such a bad rap.

I had good & bad med-surg rotations during school. Good= low RN to pt ratio, supportive management, amiable RN/MD relationships, NA help. Bad= high acuity patients with too few nurses, poor RN to pt ratios, no ancillary staff (therefore RNs constantly in the weeds), poor staff communication, ineffective management, scary pt outcomes. Unfortunately, there are a lot of "bad" floors out there! I was one of those students that said "I'll never work in med-surg!", but I ended up working on an ortho floor for my first job. I would have never chosen ortho, but the hospital is excellent & all of the "good" features (mentioned above) were present!

lady_jezebel · Apr 15, 2005

I'll tell you what it is about med-surg that turns off new grads...it's HARD!
I started working in the ICU after graduation which was a breeze compared to my current job. I made the switch to a med-surg unit to work in a hospital much closer to my home. I certainly never thought that I would be "taking a step down" by moving from critical care to the floor. The floor is very difficult and takes a special type of nurse...and a lot of nursing students figure this out. In critical care you have lots of monitors, computers and support staff to help you with your patients. On the floor you are often short staffed, have to do the job of CNA's and do not have any technical monitoring systems to help you figure out what the heck is going on! Many new graduates are comfortable with technology and prefer to work in an environment that utilizes these tools.
I definitely got attitude from nurses when I said I wanted to work in the ICU after graduation. They were like "oh you are one of those who think it will be so cool like what is on TV" NO....I just was not sure that I had the skills to run around like a chicken with my head cut off and give safe nursing care! Luckily I have had very experienced, patient nurses to orient me to my new job....and I do like it...but I think there are many areas that can serve as a training ground (with the proper orientation) for new graduates.

all very true.

nursemelly · Apr 22, 2005

Im a new grad and i work in a med surg ward and I love it. Sure it can be stressful and overwhelming but you can learn so much. Ive been able to utilize a lot of the skills that are learned in school. You just always have to expect the unexpected. :)