What's a day like on a strictly "medical" floor?

Bill E. Rubin · Jul 24, 2010

It varies from unit to unit even within the same institution... But generally speaking, from a clinical perspective, you get non-icu-level cardiac stuff, renal and liver failure, infections of all types, people being ruled out for stuff (ie coming to the ED with some symptoms, being stabilized then admitted to a medical unit for a workup of some kind or another.

Failed suicide attempts, drug overdoses and detox of all kinds. We do get some pts s/p surgery, but these pts' medical issues trump their surgical issues, we get them.

felineRN · Jul 24, 2010

It varies from unit to unit even within the same institution... But generally speaking, from a clinical perspective, you get non-icu-level cardiac stuff, renal and liver failure, infections of all types, people being ruled out for stuff (ie coming to the ED with some symptoms, being stabilized then admitted to a medical unit for a workup of some kind or another.
Failed suicide attempts, drug overdoses and detox of all kinds. We do get some pts s/p surgery, but these pts' medical issues trump their surgical issues, we get them.

Thanks for the reply! I just want to make sure I won't get stuck on a "observation" unit and will get a chance to exercise and perfect some fundamental nursing skills.

guest2210 · Jul 24, 2010

Strictly medical usually consists of alot of nursing home residents with pneumonia, FUO, sepsis, UTI, post ops, abdominal pain, COPD exacerbation. It may also have patients whose diagnoses don't fall into specific specialty units.

felineRN · Jul 24, 2010

Hmmm. I know the population is aging, but I'm not too keen on working primarily with the elderly. Let's hope there are enough aides on said floor :/ (Don't get me wrong, nursing is nursing, but I got out of LTC for a reason)

Bill E. Rubin · Jul 24, 2010

As I said, it varies from unit to unit. Our medical unit is known to be one of the most acute in the hospital, and ours is a major urban medical center. Of course, most of your patients will be elderly, but that's true of all units outside of pedi or L&D/Postpartum. The detox and overdose pts tend to be younger, but you do see your share of elderly folks with UTIs, PNA or other infections. There's also a lot of CHF pts (all adult ages, but mostly older.... some younger folks who mucked up their hearts with drugs).

I'll take the elderly UTI's over the med-seeking drug addicts any day.

Anyway, it's never boring. If you're new-ish to nursing, it would give you a lot of great experience.

wowza · Jul 24, 2010

Common med complaints:

UTI, PNA, asthma, COPD, R/o MI, MI, ACS, ARF, diverticulitis (non surg), acute hepatitis, pancreatitis, GI bleed, cellulitis, osteomyelitis, meningitis.

sadie252 · Jul 25, 2010

My first nursing job was on a "medical" floor at a hospital. It was like taking the sickest nursing home patients and putting them on one floor. We had 36 beds and one or two aides. I would say our average age patient was about 70 or 75.

Caffeine_IV · Jul 25, 2010

I work on a general medical floor.

My patient load from one night this week

1. AMS-altered mental status

2. GI bleed

3. UTI

4.CHF

5. small bowel obstruction/htn

6. CVA

We do see alot of patients from the nursing home especially in the winter season.

ETA: I do foleys, ng tubes, IV, chemo, PCA pumps, wound care...so you will get good experience on medical.

Our patients are not on monitors so we don't get MIs, chest pain, etc until they are stabilized/ruled out.

Alot of our patients are elderly but there's hardly any way around that. I've floated to telemetry, ICU stepdown, surgery and ortho units and they have the same patients we do...we often get transfers from those floors.

What's elderly? I consider people over 60 as elderly...