Why does everyone recommend med-surg?

HU_nurse · Mar 15, 2005

Well I am just a nursing student like you and I am sure that alot of "Seasoned" nurses will disagree but I say just skip the med-surg and go straight into your specialty. May people have told me to start at M/S so that I can get the exposure and to get my skills sharp but I feel that I can do all of that in my specialty so why waste my time? I am graduating in 2 months and will be working in the PICU and when I tell other nurses that, they all say "OH my God, start on the floor first or you will DIE!!!!" Ummmmm, I think I'll just take my chances...

perfectbluebuildings, BSN, RN · Mar 15, 2005

I think you should pick something you maybe HAVEN'T been exposed to if possible- school is a good time to get experience in lots of different areas of nursing. But it's up to you and med-surg would offer a lot of variety!

begalli · Mar 15, 2005

I think a lot of people recommend med/surg first because they claim that the new grad will have an opportunity to gain organizational and assessment skills of a variety of different patients.

I also think that if you know you don't want to work med/surg then there is absolutely no reason to do so. I went straight into ICU. The assessment and organization needed to work in the ICU is much different than what's needed in med surg. It's also much different than what you'll need in pedi or L&D.

I don't believe med/surg is universal to the rest of nursing, it's a specialty of nursing all it's own.

Nursing school is a good place to learn about and get exposure to all areas of nursing, but it's also alright to focus your exposure on something that you are interested in. It's kinda like a foot in the door as well when the time comes to look for a job. Hospitals will remember you...may even offer you something during your preceptorship. The more you know about the specialty and the more familiar you are with the way things are done, the better.

I chose my preceptorship in ICU. That's what I got. They offered me a job at the end. I turned down this job and went somewhere else, but I truely believe that having the experience, along with additional classes on critical care and ACLS that I did on my own, helped me....well at least it looked good on my resume.

allnurses Guide · Mar 15, 2005

I completely agree with Begalli - great post . .. . go where your heart is. Some of my fellow students went to ICU, one went to the NICU.

steph

jeepgirl, LPN, NP · Mar 15, 2005

med surg is hard. but you learn a LOT that you can apply when you go into a specialty area. also, you can beef up on your organization skills, critical thinking, etc.

but you can do that in other areas also. just that med surg is a great way for you to get exposed to a lot of different areas of medicine that you might enjoy.

*PICURN* · Mar 15, 2005

med surg is good if you don't have a specialty picked out (or in mind at all)

if however you have an area you are VERY interested in, then choose that for your preceptorship.

SmilingBluEyes · Mar 15, 2005

I don't recommend med-surg to anyone. I followed my dream to go into OB, and I would not advise anyone else to do differently.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Mar 15, 2005

I agree with Deb, if you have your sites set on a particular area, there is no need to go to med-surg.

I would recommend med-surg to those who are a bit unsure, or just want to hone their skills on a wide variety of patients. That's what I like about med-surg is the variety.

Good luck!

pmchap · Mar 15, 2005

The challange with specialising without general experience is - what happens if in two or three years time you decide you don't really enjoy your specialty? getting a grounding in a variaty/wide number of experiences med/surg/ed - whatever it is means that if you decide to move to other areas it is potentially not as difficult. Mind you if you have your heart set - then hey specialise - some individuals find their true calling the first time they set foot into an area and then stay there for their entire career. I have done my share of hopping around so I find value in being a good generalist - rather than a specialist - which by virtue of volume of work usually means med/surg/aged care.

Good luck with your choice.

Peter

Gompers, BSN, RN · Mar 15, 2005

I agree that you should try out another area if it interests you - your preceptorship is a chance to get exposure to something you missed out on in nursing school (like specialized ICUs). Or if there was something you DID do in nursing school (like OB or psych) and really liked, it's a chance to really immerse yourself in that area to make sure it's a good fit for you. You can always get a job in med-surg after graduation if you want. But if you spend your preceptorship someplace else, you'll at least have an idea what it's like in case you decide to work there after graduation or later on in your career.

My preceptorship was the best part of nursing school. We didn't do any ICU clinicals - just floated to various ICUs during clinicals, and only got to observe for those days. Many of us chose ICU, OR, ER, etc. Not only did we get to spend more time in areas that interested us - it was also the first time we got "normal" nursing assignments instead of the unrealistic ones we had during nursing school clinicals. Many times, your preceptorship is almost exactly like what orientation to that unit is like. I should know - I did 160+ hours in the NICU, and a few months later, I got hired onto that same unit. Orientation was a breeze because it was like a refresher course for me.

Just choose something that fascinates you and apply for that. You can always get med-surg experience after school is over.

prmenrs, RN · Mar 15, 2005

I agree w/Begalli's post. For RNs who want to go to NICU, I heartily recommend skipping M/S because it takes longer to unlearn it and replace it w/new info.