Why do you like medical vs surgical nursing or vice versa? 2. And patients that are post-op from knee replacements will go to the ortho floor. Oh, and Heparin, you give a lot of it. If anyone has experience on both a post-surg floor and an oncology floor, I sure would appreciate to hear your thought on it as well. but thank you all for your insights about med and surg nursing! Nursing - Check labs and orders while pharmacy restocks the omnicell between 7:30 & 8:00. - Discharge rounds with the MDs/NPs, home care, PT, pharmacy, and social work, where you update them on patient progress, figure out who needs consults where, and approximate discharge date. For example, a medical diagnosis of Cerebrovascular Attack (CVA or Stroke) provides information about the patient’s pathology. My wound care skills are pretty awesome at this point. I've worked both. After scrubbing in, surgical techs assist the surgeon by handing them tools and instruments. Has 5 years experience. Every nurse knows that they get interrupted, and ICU nurses are no exception. You have to know which medication increases blood pressure, which lowers it and what settings are going to manifest that in your patient. I'm kind of late to this thread. For starters, learning how to operate the ventilator could take up an entire nursing school class. On a med-surg floor, you may have IV pumps, sequential compression devices, telemetry boxes, continuous motion machines and other more or less standard equipment of the nursing profession. I would choose a surgical floor over medical any day. Has 2 years experience. Nurses often wonder if the grass is greener on the other side. Just weighing up whether to do medical or surgical! You will see patients with diabetes, CHF, COPD, cellulitis, renal failure, UTI's, pneumonia, GI bleeds, dementia, etc. For instance, a surgeon needs to insert a femoral line under sterile conditions. Unfortunately, it was more than I could handle. :) We do a lot of surgical wound assessments making sure everything is where it should be, no profuse bleeding, neuros intact etc. - Quickly go into each room and introduce yourself, check pain levels, and make sure your patient is breathing Let them know you'll be in soon to see them. However, I always wanted to work intensive care. There are two certification exams offered in the specialty of medical-surgical nursing. Sometimes, a surgeon will ask the surgical tech to assist with simple tasks durin… Some floors have a mix so you can end up with pts with medical probs and pts who are post op. In her work, she took care of patients post operatively from open heart surgery, immediately post-operatively from gastric bypass, gastric banding surgery and post abdominal surgery. I don't even know if it's possible but I want it! Throughout the years, it has become a specialized science and an exceptional field in that it hones nurses that have high critical thinking skills, ability to work well under pressure, and excellent management skills. - Get there a little early and check 6am vital signs and patient summary. Before an operation, surgical techs prepare the operating room supplies and equipment. I have gotten a few patients who went to the ED for whatever reason and ended up finding out they have a mass and/or cancer and they are admitted to our floor until an onc bed opens up (again..over the weekend). If someone can shed some light on this, what is the typical orientation period on surgical units? We hardly ever see medical patients and when we do they get transferred pretty quickly since the docs are lazy and hate coming to another floor to check on the pt! If they had their gall bladder taken out, is there a bile leak?). GHGoonette, BSN, RN. I've also been in float pool, and all our specialty floors that focus on specific surgical interventions also take general medical conditions if the beds are available or the need for overflow occurs, but they will prioritize beds for the specialty floor and move patients based on need for beds. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: Verify here. Aug 17, 2019 - Explore Julie Fogarty's board "Medical Surgical Nursing", followed by 304 people on Pinterest. Read this book using Google Play Books app on your PC, android, iOS devices. Hopefully someone else can come on here and give you a medical nursing perspective -- I'll get the occasional stage IV bedsore overflow onto my floor, but it's rare. I too work on a surgical floor but we also get neuro and trauma so not strictly post-op. I think I will choose post-surg, based on your descriptions. I work on a transplant med/surg unit. Unfortunately, even many overextended med-surg nurses don’t always have this perk where they work. Medical-Surgical Nursing Made Incredibly Easy is the practical, best informative book. Specializes in Medical-Surgial, Cardiac, Pediatrics. In the ICU, both patients need q2h assessments and charting immediately after they are done. You will give a lot of narcotics, pain is usually the biggest issue post-op. (I am graduating in August, so I don't have much experience of my own on which to base my choice). - ALWAYS check your patients pain levels, but be sure to do it around 6:00 pm so they're okay during change of shift. They learn to “scrub in,” which is a skill set that is meant to maintain sterility and a safe operating room environment. RN Nursing > Advanced Medical Surgical Nursing. Specializes in Pediatric Cardiology. Get a leg up in your medical-surgical nursing class and on the NCLEX examination with this essential study guide. It doesn’t do to only perform a focused assessment, either. You'll have admissions and discharges throughout the day because surgical patients usually don't stay long unless it's a major surgery or there are complications. This is because of the constantly shifting nature of the ICU patient. These types of nurses can be found around operating tables all across the word, assisting surgeons with both elective and life-saving procedures. They must hold either a bachelor of science in nursing degree from a traditional, four-year college or university, an associate degree in nursing from an accredited program at a two-year community college, or a nursing diploma from a teaching hospital. Care of Preoperative and Intraoperative Surgical Patients 5. Specializes in Trauma-Surgical, Case Management, Clinic. I spent a day in the OR with a surgeon when I first started and he told me "you work on a sophisticated units. ), but if for instance we have someone with cholelithiasis come from the ER, they'll go to the general surgery floor first. Other equipment includes bedside dialysis, aortic balloon pumps and banks of IV pumps. Specializes in Medical-Surgical / Palliative/ Hospice. The earning potential for both is also higher than the national average, which was $36,200 in 2015. Starting out on a medical-surgical nursing unit is an excellent opportunity to get real experience working with patients dealing with a broad cross section of ailments. Instead of taking the patient to the OR, the surgeon will insert the line at the bedside, using the assigned nurse to assist with the intricacies of the procedure. Medical patients typically have chronic conditions, unlike the acute surgical patients, which means you will be giving them a LOT more medications. in Medical-Surgical Nursing . The downside? Good luck! LOTS of urology and GI. Medical-surgical nursing isn’t just a stepping stone for new nurses anymore. Becoming a Medical-Surgical Nurse. This essential text focuses on nursing roles, settings, trends, body systems and their disorders, and emergency and disaster management. We don't do purely medical unless there's a good chance they'll end up surgical. And why? But for the most part, you help get your patients recovered and ready to go home, while monitoring for any potential post-op complications (Is there an infection? I don't see a lot of trachs. Sort by. We see everything from end stage liver disease (lactulose enemas abound!) Written in the award-winning Incredibly Easy! See Educator Profile. However, due to severe cuts in nursing staff and hospitals focusing on profit rather than patient care and safety, you often see the two combined. Thanks for your feedback! M.Sc. Gain the knowledge and skills you need to effectively care for adult patients. Medical-surgical nursing has a very long history. The book provides nurse and nursing student to informative knowledge to provide optimal patient care. https://www.ausmed.com/cpd/articles/medical-surgical-nursing-and-icu Medical Surgical Nursing – II Notes/book for BSC Nursing Third Year, INC and RGUHS.. Medical surgical nursing notes/book is written in simple language and available in PDF. I work evening shift which is busybusy because lots of postops are coming up. I much prefer surgical, since like past posters have pointed out, they come in and generally leave well but I probably would have chosen a medical floor if given the chance just because I didn't have experience in anything else. Did you do clinicals on either type of floor, what kind of pt did you like then? Medical-surgical nursing may be a broader field than other subsets of nursing, but it’s just as important. In some cases, med-surg nurses encounter patients that need q2h assessments. By using the site you agree to our Privacy, Cookies, and Terms of Service Policies. The department specializes in supervision of care of patients who get admitted with specialized medical and surgical conditions in their 5 wards including bronchoscopy room and burns unit. I've worked on all kinds of med/surg floors and my fav are floors that are strictly surgical. In some ways, medical-surgical nurses are the backbone of our entire profession. Although it seems rather obvious that the patients in the intensive care unit require more intense care, it isn’t until you’ve actually experienced that intensity that you realise how stressful it can be. And maaaan do I believe him now haha. A vast set of skills – knowledgeable in all areas of adult health with excellent skills in assessment, organizational, technical, and prioritization. Medical-surgical nurses have advanced organizational, prioritization, assessment and communication … Act as a patient advocate – consider patient safety as the top priority by supporting patients in knowing what is in their best interests. We covered 10 to 15 years old questions and answers. Medical pts tend to have a lot of comorbidities with a lot of meds and treatments. I lasted exactly three months. United States; United Kingdom; Global; Sign In; Contact Us; Bookbag; Advanced Medical Surgical Nursing. Surgical tends to be divided into a few different specialty areas, depending on the hospital. Medical-surgical nursing is a specialty with a distinct body of knowledge, skills, and abilities that are validated by CMSRN certification. This is just not so in the ICU. Yes, the ICU nurse has two patients – sometimes three – but those patients take up so much time that you are running from the start of the shift to the end. in Medical-Surgical Nursing is a postgraduate nursing programme that deals with training healthcare professional in taking care of families, individuals or a community to maintain or attain optimal health.The duration of this programme is of two years. And which do you prefer? Has 7 years experience. You become a master of multitasking as a surgical nurse. Download this table as a PDF * Happy Holidays Everyone! Make sure lines are patent by flushing, check your dressings, wounds, and drains. . About M.Sc. These q2h assessments are usually head to toe. Navigate by topic area or search to refine. But also do plastics, trauma, vascular, etc. Content pulls from across all AMSN properties including our online library, publications, member community (the Hub) and podcasts. The problem is catching up with those q2h assessments, giving all IV push medications, adjusting feeding tubes, watching the vent and drawing blood from a central line. Medical nursing focuses on caring for those with illness and disease. Understanding Medical Surgical Nursing - Ebook written by Linda S Williams, Paula D Hopper. Education. I am a medical-surgical nurse who is more comfortable with medical patients. While it is true that much of the information is now electronically charted automatically, it still can’t measure the reflexes, the pupil dilation, and other data that only a registered nurse can assess. Many floor nurses understand the intensity and stress of a code, but that doesn’t match the constant stress of the ICU. For medical-surgical nurses who are used to having five to eight patients per shift, the idea of “only” having two patients can make them swoon in jealousy. Do you have a whole range of different surgeries rather than a common one? Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read Understanding Medical Surgical Nursing. Nov 27, 2010. It may also surprise floor nurses to know that many surgical procedures are done at the bedside and require the nurse’s participation. Sometimes one patient will have all of these problems at the same time. In some hospitals, respiratory therapists take care of the bulk of vent maintenance, but the RN still needs to know what everything means. Specializes in PACU, OR. The History of Medical-Surgical Nursing. Inevitably, at some point, a nurse has to wonder what else they could be doing. In some hospitals, med-surg nurses can call on technicians to handle many problems. Dealing with gods--I mean, surgeons. & end stage renal disease listed for transplant to post liver and kidney transplants (both live and deceased donors), donor hepatecomy and nephrectomy, Whipple procedure for pancreatic cancer, colorectal medical patients (crohns and colitis flares) and colorectal surgical patients (new ostomies, etc), gen surg patients (appys, choles, thyroidectomies) to a smattering of standard medical patients (pneumonia, uti etc). Medical-Surgical Nursing, 7th Edition covers both medical-surgical and psychiatric mental health conditions and disorders while building on the fundamentals of nursing. For instance, some facilities have IV nurses who can assist with pumps and rounding respiratory therapists who can give breathing treatments. No matter which program of study you choose in pursuing your RN, your coursework will leave you well prepared for a career in medical-surgical nursing, and your experience as a medical-surgical nurse will allow you to pursue a career in a more acute setting, such as in an emergency department or intensive care unit, or allow you to gain the experience necessary to apply for a masters or doctoral program of … lots of us surgeons would rather send our sickest patients to your unit than to the ICU." Hang new bags of fluids for night shift so they don't hate you. : Director, Medical Surgical Nursing 553011082 Department: Nursing Administration Reports To: Vice President…: Full Time JOB SUMMARY The Director, Medical Surgical Nursing Services is a Registered Professional Nurse who is accountable for assuring the validity of the care administered to patients on assigned clinical areas… In the past six years, 10,000 nurses have qualified for the designation CMSRN, granted by AMSN. I am so sick of drawing that stuff up! A lot of our surgeons prefer the ability to just be on one or two floor for their given focus, rather than running around the entire hospital all day. Medical-surgical nurses typically work in hospital units providing this care. - Lunch insulin coverage. As integral parts of healthcare, both nursing and medicine are projected to grow faster than the national average, which the BLS reports as 7 percent. Medical/surgical nursing. Critical Thinking and the Nursing Process Unit II: Medical-Surgical Patient Care Problems 3. I have a special place in my heart for geriatric and pulmonary patients, so medical nursing is a great place for me. The Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board (MSNCB), a partner organization with the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN), is the credentialing board for Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurses (CMSRN) certification. Care of Postoperative Surgical Patients 6. Brunner and Suddarth’s Textbook of Medical Surgical Nursing book is designed to assist nurses in preparing for their roles and responsibilities in the medical-surgical setting and for success on the NCLEX.. With surgical pts you are mainly concerned with pain management and wound/surgical site assessment. I agree with the points the previous poster pointed out. A medical diagnosis deals with disease or medical condition. Which certification is right for me? Notes/book is prepared for bsc, gnm, P.b or P.c. I decided to transfer to our medical ICU to fulfil my dream and see what it was all about. I have a special place in my heart for geriatric and pulmonary patients, so medical nursing is a great place for me. 1-612-816-8773. Specializes in Geriatrics, Transplant, Education. Nurses Are at the Forefront of Patient Care. It’s this time nurses spend with patients – monitoring … Ideally, these two areas would be separate in a hospital setting. What orientation periods have you personally had? to assistance getting up to the chair/to the bathroom/etc. Do blood sugar coverage as needed for breakfast. I occasionally get people with DVTs who need a heparin drip. It was very different from telemetry. We specialize in urology and GI for the most part. Although this is certainly not true of all hospitals, med-surg nurses get help on occasion due to high ratios. (actually tbh, they're pretty good at my hospital--especially the residents). I don't work on a ward, I'm a PACU RN, so my observations are just that-observations! We range from lap appys to bladder augmentations to fempop bypasses, masectomies, prostates, bladder slings, hernias, amps etcetc. I worked a med-surg acute care floor directly out of nursing school. 3. Medical/surgical, or med-surg, is basically general nursing - some of everything (adult), from post-operative patients to stroke patients to pneumonia to cancer… Today, you will mostly find med-surg floors/units in smaller community hospitals. All of the metrics that are supplied have particular meaning and the settings are vitally important to how your patient fares. Review labs, orders. Specializes in Surgical/Stepdown, Home Care. A surgical nurse is a nursing professional that is trained to be able to assist during both routine and difficult surgical procedures. Surgical nurses are registered nurses. From heart to lung, from correctional to preventative, there are almost as many types of patients as there are types of surgeries. Nursing vs. Medicine: Salary and growth. I work a specialty surg floor but we do get medical overflow pt (if a pt needs a bed and we have one, we get it regardless of their dx.). Evenings are VERY busy because like Jw1724 stated that's when everyone is coming out of the PACU. Surgical nursing focuses on preparation and recovery from surgery. Caring for Medical-Surgical Patients 2. I enjoy surgical patients for the reasons the other posters listed (I can't tell you a lot about ortho, though). For instance, doctors are almost always available on the unit. related to cancer diagnosis), vascular surgery, bariatrics, and every other surgery is lumped into General Surgery. I work on a surgical specialty floor. Currently, med-surg nurses work in a variety of positions both on the hospital floor and beyond. I can provide some input into surgical nursing. What's the main differences between medical and surgical nursing in terms of a typical day and duties? Buy; Abstract In Brief. The specialty is proudly highlighted right in the credential — Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse. In addition to this, you'll be juggling patients on the call bell needing everything from pain medications (after surgery, patients HURT!) A lot of patients will be very anxious and need more education/reassurance. Our mission is to Empower, Unite, and Advance every nurse, student, and educator. allnurses is a Nursing Career, Support, and News Site. Nursing2002: June 2002 - Volume 32 - Issue 6 - p 52-54. As the backbone of the nursing profession,Medical-Surgical nurses make up the largest group of nurses. - Assess your patients and do your morning med pass. According to the Academy of Medical Surgical Nurses (AMSN), Medical-Surgical nursing is “the foundation of all nursing practice”. In the end, intense things happen in the ICU, and the nurse has to be ready for them. :). She graduated with an Associates degree in Nursing from Mercyhurst College Northeast in 2007 and lives in Erie, Pennsylvania in the United States. I have been invited for an interview on a surgical oncology floor, and I intend on asking my interviewers about orientation for new RN graduates (I'm a new grad). It isn’t quite like that. 1. As a surgical nurse, you might act as a scrub nurse , which involves selecting medical instruments and supplies, as well as passing them to the surgeon. I had a nice mixture of both telemetry and other general patients, and I learned a lot in my three and a half years working on this floor. A nursing diagnosis deals with human response to actual or potential health problems and life processes. I was just offered a choice between a post-surg unit and an oncology unit, and I have been agonizing over trying to make up my mind. Give me surgical pts anyday. PreK–12 Education; Higher Education; Industry & Professional; Covid-19 Resources; About Us; United States. Med passes aren't terrible unless a patient also has high blood pressure/blood sugar issues (usually just lovenox/heparin, protonix, colace, and pain meds). Medical-surgical nurses provide care to adults with a variety of medical issues or who are preparing for/recovering from surgery. Our hospital has two surgical floors so our floor sees neurosurg, ENT, urology, and gyn while their floor sees vascular, bariatrics, and general surg. Has 17 years experience. bsc and Msc nursing courses. Our specialty floors like general surgery will still take medical patients (pneumonia, electrolytes, dehydration, etc. © 2020 Ausmed Education Pty Ltd (ABN: 33 107 354 441). A surgical technologist (commonly called O.R. Welcome diversity – can function in diverse health care settings, from hospitals, clinics, MD offices to home care facilities; willingly accept changes and … Always changing and ALWAYS interesting. How about a Heparin pill, can that please be invented. in Medical-Surgical Nursing degree become skilled … I actually started on a general surgical floor, though it took medical patients by nature of the need for overflow. . Have you worked in both? I have no real experience in oncology. Thank you! Tech, or Surgical Technician) assists the surgical team before, during, and after an operation. Again, the nurse has to know how to work all of these machines without the help of others. Medical patients typically have chronic conditions, unlike the acute surgical patients, which means you will be giving them a LOT more medications. Of course our surgical pts have medical issues but they are chronic, not acute. Running to an emergency is just as vital as it is anywhere in the hospital, probably more so for ICU nurses. I'm so curious!! Since 1997, allnurses is trusted by nurses around the globe. When nursing was a younger profession, the majority of nurses worked in wards performing bedside care, and most were classified as medical-surgical nurses. Ha ha. Has 3 years experience. I enjoy surgical patients for the reasons the other posters listed (I can't tell you a lot about ortho, though). Time for a refresher: Brush up on your med/surg nursing skills by taking this quiz. Ours has general surgery (cholecystectomy, appendectomy, bowel resections, urology, nephrology), ortho (knee/hip replacements), neuro (spinal), cardiac (CABG, stents, vascular), and oncology. My experiences are indicative of the hospital I worked in, but if you’ve ever wondered what the difference is between Medical-Surgical Nursing and ICU, here are a few points I personally experienced that you may not have considered. Unit I: Medical-Surgical Nursing Settings 1. I also see a lot of potential problems that could escalate into surgeries (ie: partial bowel obstruction). She also dealt with patient populations that experienced active chest pain, congestive heart failure, end stage renal disease, uncontrolled diabetes and a variety of other chronic, mental and surgical conditions. Here's a good course. Good luck with your choice :). Two patients can be just as stressful as eight on a med-surg floor. Other procedures are also done at the bedside, including opening up a CABG patient’s sternal incision on the spot to save a life. I just enjoy it more. Medical-surgical nursing is the single largest nursing specialty in the United States and beyond. Have you been offered both jobs, if so can you shadow, see the kinds of patients they take care of? They have a broad knowledge base and are experts in their practice. 2. It usually isn’t a case of calling a doctor so much as walking up to one and asking for an order. Medical-Surgical nursing is a board certified speciality. Has 12 years experience. Main focus of my pts is pain control, pain control, pain control. allnurses.com, INC, 7900 International Drive #300, Bloomington MN 55425 Usually, medical-surgical nurses wonder this, especially if they haven’t tried any other specialties since they graduated from nursing school. Lynda is a registered nurse with three years experience on a busy surgical floor in a city hospital. I dread weekends as our surgeons don't do any over the weekend so our census is low and we get the medical patients. ICU nurses often have to do everything, too, and at a much more stressful level. Time to refresh? Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac. See more ideas about medical surgical nursing, nurse, surgical nursing. style -perfect for those entering or needing a refresher in medical-surgical nursing. Our members represent more than 60 professional nursing specialties. Students who complete their M.Sc. They are not superior in any way, but experience an entirely different world than med-surg nurses. The majority of my patients fall into four categories: Surgical/Oncology (ie: masectomies, ostomies, thoracotomies, etc. In a large hospital you will find more specialized medical and surgical floors, but in smaller hospitals there is more of a mix depending on what units have beds available! Oncology takes a lot of general medical conditions, mostly it seems because if a patient has a current chemo regime at home but are there for a medical condition to be treated like pneumonia or PEG tube replacement, they will go to oncology even if it isn't for the cancer treatment specifically, because the nurses there are infusion-certified and the floor is usually better equipped to handle specific precautions geared towards cancer patients. You manage a lot of chest tubes, NG tubes, and drains of various types. 0 Likes. It's a great floor to work on and always exciting. I am glad I wasn't given a choice though because I think I would have hated it, haha. Just a quick question! Surgical nursing, sometimes called perioperative nursing, is a nursing specialty that involves assisting surgeons in the operating room (OR). There was just something about the patients, the equipment and the prestige that always interested me. Any RN who passes the exam becomes a CMSRN. Specializes in ICU, ER, International Disaster Response, PACU. For many nurses, medical-surgical nursing is a career choice and a source of personal and professional fulfillment. Fluid, Electrolytes, Acid-Base Balance, and Intravenous Therapy 4. It is complex, temperamental and absolutely necessary to know how to work correctly. But we do also take traumas with chest tubes. If they are not present, extenders usually are, such as CRNPs and PAs. Medical-surgical nurses, according to the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN), are registered nurses (RNs) that provide care for adult patients who are acutely ill dealing with medical issues and diseases or who are recovering from surgeries. To be exact, it was telemetry, which was considered a non-critical discipline in my hospital. The Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board (MSNCB) provides this table of comparisons between the two certification programs to help you make an informed choice of which one is right for you.

medical nursing vs surgical nursing

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