Why do they want new grads in med/surg?

[WannaBCRNA]

Why is it that most hospitals want to hire Nurses that have experience in meg/surg? Which would mean that there is a high demand for new grads in med/surg, and why is that?

Are new nurses able to learn better, faster maybe, in MS? I have read a lot on these forums of new nurses that go to other floors right after graduation and they feel overwhelmed and like they don't know a thing, many say they have to go home and study.

Is MS a place where a new grad can "catch" on faster? How many new grads still go home and study, if they work in MS?

I have also heard that MS is horrible, why does it have that stigma?

Thanks everyone!

[deeDawntee, RN]

Those are extremely good questions...

I beg to differ with this "consensus" however, I think where a new grad should start is a telemetry unit. (especially if your intention is to be a CRNA). Usually, you will have one less patient on telemetry, so I do think it is a bit easier to manage, for the most part...IMHO.

I think that it really depends on the individual and where your gut tells you that you belong. I never have worked in a strictly medsurg unit and what I have missed out on is extensive experience with GI issues. Now that I work in an ICU, I am making up for it, but it isn't that hard, however I am very grateful for my background in telemetry, I think it is the essential skills to build upon in the ICU. (also IMHO).

About the studying part... I think it really depends on how well you have retained information. Where I work, we all still will look up obscure disease and issues on the internet...and that is a never-ending quest. It is OK not to remember and not to know, all you have to do is look it up. The more experience you get and the more patients you have with different pathologies the easier it will be for you to remember them.

[st4wb3rr33sh0rtc4k3]

Where I was from they didn't hire new grads or new nurses in a hospital, so I had to leave the state to get experience. So if there is an opportunity somewhere in the hospital I would grab it. I became stuck in LTC, because this was the only place that would hire me.