What is it about Med-Surg?

free_by_grace · Apr 24, 2005

I started reading this thread b/c I was frustrated trying to find a job as a L&D nurse. I was wondering if I should start looking more toward positions that welcome new grads (which happens to be med-surg and step-down). I was afraid I was going to miss an opportunity, but I really argee with Duckgirl. I was bored in my ICU rotations. The nurses on the med-surge floors never stop running! If someone throws a L&D job at me, I'll gladly take, but I'm encouraged in knowing that I won't miss out on anything, and will even gain some, if my first job is on a med-surg floor. Thank you!! :)

jbanana · Apr 24, 2005

Personally, as a future new grad, not wanting to go to med/surg has absolutely nothing to do with the amount of work that it involves and everything to do with the last 2 years that I have spent on that unit as an NA. I have a lot of respect for some of the med/surg nurses I know and I have been very observant over the years. Honestly, what I have seen is some very dedicated men and women who get screwed. The things that I hear the most complaints about are the staffing problems, unsafe nurse-patient ratios and the fact that the nurses are so overburdened that they have almost no time to spend with their patients. Changing shifts throughout the week is a complain too.
I think that it would be unfair and unjustified if med/surg nurses were getting a bad rap, but the fact that med/surg is not very appealing has nothing to do with the nurses rather the BS that goes along with staffing those units.
Gator

Amen to that! I loved working med-surg but as the problems that you mentioned increased, my satisfaction decreased. Working in NICU now gives me a better satisfaction:aggravation ratio. I feel tremendous respect for anyone who can stand med-surg for more than 5 years.

NurseKate · Apr 25, 2005

Like quite a few students, med-surg scared me and I had no interest in it after I graduated. After graduation I worked on a Surgical/Trauma unit at a Level I trauma center and absolutely hated it! I learned a lot and got some great experience in the short time I was there, but I started feeling like the unit was not right for me (or I was not right for the unit). I ended up moving out of state and went on to work on a small community hospital unit that consists of patients who are med/surg, pedi, and/or medical behavioral (it was the only unit that was hiring and would consider me with my minimal experience). I was hesitant at first, but I tried to keep an open mind and I feel as though I have finally found my niche! I have learned so much on the unit and feel like it's the right fit for me.

Overall, I have done internships in a birthing center, worked in my critical care setting, now work med-surg/psych...and I haven't found a unit that I mesh well with as much as med/surg. I feel as though all nursing areas work hard, so it's not fair to say that med/surg nurses work any harder than OB or OR or Tele, etc. Each area has its own challenges and obviously everyone has their own tastes. Med/surg is definitely not for everyone, but I don't think people should knock it without actually trying it or at least being open-minded to it. I feel as though med-surg does can be a great experience for those who work it and widens a new grad's (or even an old grad's) knowledge base. I learn something new every day and experienced nurses on the unit state they are constantly learning as well. (I am sure that is also true for other units.) Yes, some days are extrememly challenging, but it's like that in any unit.

I guess where I am going with this is try not to make up your mind about med-surg just because it seems hard. I was one of those who didn't have an open-mind about it until I was faced with seeking employment for a second time. Now that I have been working on this unit, I wish I had considered it from the beginning because I am enjoying both its challenges and rewards. :) Maybe it will be the right fit for you, maybe not...but at least you tried it to find out.

nursing04 · Apr 28, 2005

Like quite a few students, med-surg scared me and I had no interest in it after I graduated.
I guess where I am going with this is try not to make up your mind about med-surg just because it seems hard. I was one of those who didn't have an open-mind about it until I was faced with seeking employment for a second time. Now that I have been working on this unit, I wish I had considered it from the beginning because I am enjoying both its challenges and rewards. :) Maybe it will be the right fit for you, maybe not...but at least you tried it to find out.

Well said. I work in the city on a medical floor. I chose this because I knew I would get a lot of experience I wouldn't get on a specialized floor or in the suburbs. I have all kinds of patients. Patients with trachs, feeding tubes, isolations, ureter catheters, ng tubes, chest tubes etc.. I've also learned to do periotineal dialysis. We take care of everyone, asthma pts, renal failure, transplant, oncology, COPD, etc.. It is very stressful most of the time but I am learning a lot. I don't plan on staying on this type of unit for much more then a year or two though. I think I would get burned out and my back can't take it.

Question for everyone out there...by the time we get the majority of our patients they are actively dying, how do you all deal with that? Recently I have been taking care of a pt for the last 2 weeks who is terminal- prognosis 6mths to live max, 40 yo, 2 young kids. It breaks my heart, I find myself tearing up in front of him when we talk about it, and then crying on the way home. How do you cope??

cherokeesummer · May 7, 2005

I am doing med surg clinicals now and while it is definately fast paced (which I like!) I don't think I want to do it because I am more interested in addictions nursing, psych nursing, but that is because my undergrad degree is in psych.

On the other hand, I don't necessarily want to work in a hospital forever, I'm hopign to become an NP in the OB/GYN field eventually.

So my two preferences right now are OBGYN and Addictions.

It has nothing to do with workload, I'm not afraid of or trying to avoid the work on med surg, I Just believe in going with something you enjoy and I think when you find that field or topic that interests you, you will know it. It will just hit ya! :):):):)

JaimeeG · May 7, 2005

When I started nursing school, I just knew I would never be a med-surg nurse. I just graduated and am taking my boards Monday. Guess where I will be working? You got it...med-surg! I ended up really liking med-surg during fourth semester. Up until then, I was externing in the OR and L&D and figured I would end up in one of those two spots.

After doing my clinicals on a great neuro step-down unit and precepting on a surgical floor, I found that I would only be short-changing myself if I didn't get a few years of solid med-surg experience.

The great thing about nursing is that there is somewhere for everyone, regardless of what you like or don't like!

Jaimee

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · May 7, 2005

Gator, do you think that staffing problems, unsafe nurse-patient ratios and feeling overburdened are issues unique to med-surg? Uh uh. They are NURSING issues, period. Why is it that you are willing to work there for 2 years as a nursing assistant, but not as a nurse? Aren't the assistants just as overburdened and understaffed as the licensed staff? If I felt that I was being screwed I certainly would of left a long time ago for "greener pastures".

While it is very easy to look for 'greener pastures' as a nurse, keep in mind that as a tech/NA it is not always so. Many hospital's pay ranges for these types of jobs can vary widely, and so can the job duties. Although I work for a great hospital now, if I had to leave, I would have a heck of a time finding a hospital that could even match my pay, and the work may be the same or even worse.

What do Med-surg nurses have against new grads going right into the ICU?? Is is because the nursing shortage allows people to go right into these areas without 'paying their dues' in Med-surg?

JennLynn2006 · May 7, 2005

I must say I go along with the other nursing students that say they WILL NOT work in med/surg after graduation. I just finished my second semester of med/surg clinicals, and I currently work on a med/surg unit at the largest hospital in Indiana, and I HATE IT with a passion. I can't put my finger on the exact reason why I don't like the clinical portion of it, I think because of the lack of variety mostly. The unit I work on is a completely different story as to why I will not work on it as an RN. However, my interest in nursing has always been the Emergency Room. Med/surg is a completely different world depending on where you work, who you work with, the patients, etc.

JaimeeG · May 7, 2005

What do Med-surg nurses have against new grads going right into the ICU?? Is is because the nursing shortage allows people to go right into these areas without 'paying their dues' in Med-surg?

Where I work, the med-surg nurses don't seem to care where the new grads end up. I have several friends who are RNs, and they pretty much split evenly when it comes to opinions on where new grads should start. Half say that they think all new grads need that initial med-surg experience, and the other half say to go where you want to be and forget med-surg if it isn't your cup of tea.

I can say without doubt that I will learn MUCH more on the med-surg floor as a new grad than I could ever dream to learn in the OR or L&D or any other specialty unit. I considered a critical care training program where I work, but I wasn't willing to sign a two-year contract and I also didn't think it was the best place for me to start.

To each his/her own though!! :specs:

Jaimee

JaimeeG · May 7, 2005

I just finished my second semester of med/surg clinicals, and I currently work on a med/surg unit at the largest hospital in Indiana, and I HATE IT with a passion. I can't put my finger on the exact reason why I don't like the clinical portion of it, I think because of the lack of variety mostly.

Is the med-surg floor you are on a real specialty area?? I ask because I am of the opinion that med-surg provides lots of variety, at least on the floors I have worked. In any given day, I can have fresh postop patients, bowel obstructions, COPD, CHF and many other ailments/conditions..no name it! I have yet to have a day on med-surg that left me bored or wishing I had something to do.

When I first started med-surg clinicals, I felt like I was nothing more than a pill passer. Once my skills advanced and I become more in tune to what I was doing and feeling more confident with my position, I realized that I was doing so much more than passing pills.

Jaimee

JennLynn2006 · May 7, 2005

Is the med-surg floor you are on a real specialty area?? I ask because I am of the opinion that med-surg provides lots of variety, at least on the floors I have worked. In any given day, I can have fresh postop patients, bowel obstructions, COPD, CHF and many other ailments/conditions..no name it! I have yet to have a day on med-surg that left me bored or wishing I had something to do.
When I first started med-surg clinicals, I felt like I was nothing more than a pill passer. Once my skills advanced and I become more in tune to what I was doing and feeling more confident with my position, I realized that I was doing so much more than passing pills.
Jaimee

Well... a few things I must comment on...

The hospital I WORK at is a respiratory unit, with a lot of very sick patients. I love the patients to be honest with you. If it weren't for the patients I probably wouldn't still be on that unit. What really bothers me is the lazy nurses and the lack of them that I deal with every time I go there. Plus, they love to abuse me, being a student. I work many 8 hour shifts without any sort of break. I actually get a break when I work 12s.

Regarding my clinicals, they have primarily been at either a total joint floor or a neuro/uro floor. I think its just a totally different experience as a student. It didn't help that the hospital I did clinicals at is a completely different world then my job, mainly because it is way smaller, and I am doing more actual nursing oriented care.

I must say I have been told by most nurses that I need to spend a couple years after I graduate on a med/surg unit, primarily for the experience I will get and what I will learn. And I am sure I will end up doing so, but that doesn't mean I want to. I think it depends a lot on the hospital size, and the people you work with. At my job, I love working evenings, and I hate days, primarily because of the people that I have to work with on days.

jkk463 · May 7, 2005

In my clinical group, I am the only one that would even consider working a med/surg unit. Others in my clinical group want to work in same day surgery, their statements are that it's the right amount of patient contact. In M/S, your elbow deep in 4 to 6 patients' 'stuff' for 8 or more hours, when your not doing that your bombarded by doctors and supervisors that say that you need to be doing more and punching out on time. :nono: I guess it's all how much contact you want with your patients. To all those who like and work in ORs, Thank YOU!! :thankya: Because that is someplace I could never work on a regular basis, and I'm glad that there are people like you that will do it...