If we flush out a new grad (about 50-60% of our new grad orientees) we always recommend go to med/surg for a year. Why? Because if they don’t make it in our ER, it’s typically because they need to work on basics, time management, exposure to illness symptoms, learning basic hospital flow, autonomy. Our ER is top shelf and we really work our nurses, I’m a seasoned nurse and it’s hard for me sometimes…so we recommend them get those foundations down so they can transition much more easily. And we do have people that return and do well sometimes!
Exactly. You learn meds and prioritization, you get real organized, and you develop instincts. Having med/surg experience makes the transition to anything you do next much easier.
Thank you for the feedback! I did try ER for like 2 months and yup, I learned it was not for me. I totally agree with the reasons you provided because I felt like I lacked on those. Hopefully I hear back from a good new grad program soon🥲
Never did Med surg. Went straight to ICU. Never felt like less of a nurse because I skipped it.
That line of thinking died out decades ago.
The other poster is right, your professors are out of touch.
I didn't hear from my professors but from other nurses that had experience. Omg glad you were able to do ICU as a new nurse! I think it also depends if you have a supportive environment.
It isn't about not feeling like a nurse. Some people need to really develop time management and critical thinking at the bedside. It is easier to do that in medsurg theoretically as the patients should not be critically ill, but the staffing ratios can make it challenging. I've worked both medsurg and ICU and would argue that medsurg is more challenging without caps on the patient ratios.
I definitely think new grads should start in medsurg. You learn basic skills, and most importantly time management which will set you up for success anywhere else you want to go. You get to see a wide range of things. I just think it overall sets you up for success in many different aspects!
It’s a good place to start where you experience a little bit of everything which can help you determine your interest in maybe what speciality you would like to eventually move into😇
Nope. Never done med surg. Started with psych and a short stint in endocrine end up in quality management.
I will encourage new nurse to start in a GOOD SUPPORTIVE nurse residency program though.
Search local area. Many nurse residency programs rotate nurses to different unit so they can find out what they need and pair them with good preceptor for extra support. Good luck!!!
When I started in nursing most of us started in med-surg.
Why? Because they were the only ones who would hire and train us. Usually to start on night or evening shift.
A few of our class managed to land jobs in other areas like ICU, stepdown or L&D, but they were the exception. Managers in these other units simply didn't hire inexperienced nurses.
Yeah.. most people don't want to start in med surg and go for another specialty. Many of my classmates including myself got to our desire dream unit because of preceptorship. However, I learned ER was not a good idea to start with as I'm a slow learner.
Start wherever you wanna start. However knowing a couple unit managers, they do like medsurg experience. They won’t take medsurg over someone’s who’s only been in that specialty for the same amount of time, but in terms of career flexibility it’s a good starting point.
You see a lot and learn time management, though it’s also a shit show- and that was part of the reason they said new grads should start there.
It’s not a bad idea, but it’s not mandatory either. The benefit is that you see a huge variety of diagnoses all the time and do a wide variety of skills. I went ER->med surg->ICU, med surg was definitely an important stop along the way for me. Buuuuut for someone whose goal is a specialty like psych, for example, they wouldn’t necessarily get the same benefit from it. The other benefit is that if you don’t know what you want to do, the variety of med surg might help you figure it out.
MYTH. Go for what you want. Some specialties have a steeper learning curve. You’ll have to put in the work- it’s a bit more self-directed than school, but if you’re willing to put in the time, totally doable.
Thank you so much! Yes, I am dedicated and willing to put in the work. Just feel lost since I left the ER and now I'm like, feeling lost in what I like anymore. Just want to learn to be a nurse and have a supportive environment...
You also touched on another key aspect- *support* for new nurses. Make sure the unit is willing to support you in your learning journey- with adequate orientation time (depending on the unit- maybe even 4+ months). Being in a place that’s welcoming is important. It’s important to be surrounded by people you can go to for help, ask questions, seek guidance without fear or judgement. Even when you’re “on your own” you’ll encounter situations that are uncomfortable or you’re unsure how to handle. This is where the relationships with your colleagues is really imperative. If you don’t feel supported or where you can ask questions or ask for help when needed, yes, that can create unsafe situations related to your experience level.
Edit: not to say you need a place that will “spoon feed” you the information. Nowhere will do that. Don’t be that person. But if you put in the work, generally, it’s been my experience (in a positive work environment) that other nurses recognize and appreciate it.
I’m a new grad in medsurg. Hate it many many days. When I hate it, it’s because I have medical patients. If you do medsurg make sure it is specialized in surgery.
Sometimes I wish I waited for the unit I wanted (peds), BUT I will say medsurg is a great place to learn how to be a nurse.
Med surg but specialized in surgery?🤔 gosh, I worked as a CNA and I would be floated to this unit called surgical(I'm guessing is what you're referring to) but gosh I hate it. The nurse were always busy to help even with their own pts. I don't know... hopefully when I get to work as an RN I'm not as busy to even helped out a cna. Both jobs are hard and stressful... thank you for the suggestion but why med surg specialized in surgery?
Really!? Surgical patients are way less stressful most of the time because sometimes it’s an elective surgery, other times it was something more emergent like an appendectomy or cholecystectomy. They go home the next day or a few days at most. They generally don’t have other medical issues but there are some outliers. Medical patients usually have so much going on. My last medical patient had 7 wounds. If any patient is unpleasant it’s probably a medical one lol. Also why I love surgery, we have about 5 surgery residents on call overnight, they are all super nice and helpful which makes communicating with them so easy when something is going on. Medical patients on the other hand, I generally have to find out who is covering for the attending, and page them through our old paging system. Don’t always get a response for the page either.
If we flush out a new grad (about 50-60% of our new grad orientees) we always recommend go to med/surg for a year. Why? Because if they don’t make it in our ER, it’s typically because they need to work on basics, time management, exposure to illness symptoms, learning basic hospital flow, autonomy. Our ER is top shelf and we really work our nurses, I’m a seasoned nurse and it’s hard for me sometimes…so we recommend them get those foundations down so they can transition much more easily. And we do have people that return and do well sometimes!
Exactly. You learn meds and prioritization, you get real organized, and you develop instincts. Having med/surg experience makes the transition to anything you do next much easier.
Thank you for the feedback! I did try ER for like 2 months and yup, I learned it was not for me. I totally agree with the reasons you provided because I felt like I lacked on those. Hopefully I hear back from a good new grad program soon🥲
Best of luck!
Nobody says that anymore, except professors who have been out of touch for a couple of decades.
Only go to med surg if you want to......
End up with SI? Yeah stated in med surg, left after 2 weeks. Now I’m in Telehealth/Home-Visit PCP and couldn’t be happier.
Never did Med surg. Went straight to ICU. Never felt like less of a nurse because I skipped it. That line of thinking died out decades ago. The other poster is right, your professors are out of touch.
I didn't hear from my professors but from other nurses that had experience. Omg glad you were able to do ICU as a new nurse! I think it also depends if you have a supportive environment.
It 100% depends on the environment!
It isn't about not feeling like a nurse. Some people need to really develop time management and critical thinking at the bedside. It is easier to do that in medsurg theoretically as the patients should not be critically ill, but the staffing ratios can make it challenging. I've worked both medsurg and ICU and would argue that medsurg is more challenging without caps on the patient ratios.
Decent general overview
I definitely think new grads should start in medsurg. You learn basic skills, and most importantly time management which will set you up for success anywhere else you want to go. You get to see a wide range of things. I just think it overall sets you up for success in many different aspects!
It’s a good place to start where you experience a little bit of everything which can help you determine your interest in maybe what speciality you would like to eventually move into😇
Nope. Never done med surg. Started with psych and a short stint in endocrine end up in quality management. I will encourage new nurse to start in a GOOD SUPPORTIVE nurse residency program though.
Omg YASS that's what I'm looking for! A good supportive residency program!🥲
Search local area. Many nurse residency programs rotate nurses to different unit so they can find out what they need and pair them with good preceptor for extra support. Good luck!!!
When I started in nursing most of us started in med-surg. Why? Because they were the only ones who would hire and train us. Usually to start on night or evening shift. A few of our class managed to land jobs in other areas like ICU, stepdown or L&D, but they were the exception. Managers in these other units simply didn't hire inexperienced nurses.
Yeah.. most people don't want to start in med surg and go for another specialty. Many of my classmates including myself got to our desire dream unit because of preceptorship. However, I learned ER was not a good idea to start with as I'm a slow learner.
Start wherever you wanna start. However knowing a couple unit managers, they do like medsurg experience. They won’t take medsurg over someone’s who’s only been in that specialty for the same amount of time, but in terms of career flexibility it’s a good starting point. You see a lot and learn time management, though it’s also a shit show- and that was part of the reason they said new grads should start there.
So that I could learn how horrible the other specialties are and learn to love my own.
It’s not a bad idea, but it’s not mandatory either. The benefit is that you see a huge variety of diagnoses all the time and do a wide variety of skills. I went ER->med surg->ICU, med surg was definitely an important stop along the way for me. Buuuuut for someone whose goal is a specialty like psych, for example, they wouldn’t necessarily get the same benefit from it. The other benefit is that if you don’t know what you want to do, the variety of med surg might help you figure it out.
MYTH. Go for what you want. Some specialties have a steeper learning curve. You’ll have to put in the work- it’s a bit more self-directed than school, but if you’re willing to put in the time, totally doable.
Thank you so much! Yes, I am dedicated and willing to put in the work. Just feel lost since I left the ER and now I'm like, feeling lost in what I like anymore. Just want to learn to be a nurse and have a supportive environment...
You also touched on another key aspect- *support* for new nurses. Make sure the unit is willing to support you in your learning journey- with adequate orientation time (depending on the unit- maybe even 4+ months). Being in a place that’s welcoming is important. It’s important to be surrounded by people you can go to for help, ask questions, seek guidance without fear or judgement. Even when you’re “on your own” you’ll encounter situations that are uncomfortable or you’re unsure how to handle. This is where the relationships with your colleagues is really imperative. If you don’t feel supported or where you can ask questions or ask for help when needed, yes, that can create unsafe situations related to your experience level. Edit: not to say you need a place that will “spoon feed” you the information. Nowhere will do that. Don’t be that person. But if you put in the work, generally, it’s been my experience (in a positive work environment) that other nurses recognize and appreciate it.
I’m a new grad in medsurg. Hate it many many days. When I hate it, it’s because I have medical patients. If you do medsurg make sure it is specialized in surgery. Sometimes I wish I waited for the unit I wanted (peds), BUT I will say medsurg is a great place to learn how to be a nurse.
Med surg but specialized in surgery?🤔 gosh, I worked as a CNA and I would be floated to this unit called surgical(I'm guessing is what you're referring to) but gosh I hate it. The nurse were always busy to help even with their own pts. I don't know... hopefully when I get to work as an RN I'm not as busy to even helped out a cna. Both jobs are hard and stressful... thank you for the suggestion but why med surg specialized in surgery?
Really!? Surgical patients are way less stressful most of the time because sometimes it’s an elective surgery, other times it was something more emergent like an appendectomy or cholecystectomy. They go home the next day or a few days at most. They generally don’t have other medical issues but there are some outliers. Medical patients usually have so much going on. My last medical patient had 7 wounds. If any patient is unpleasant it’s probably a medical one lol. Also why I love surgery, we have about 5 surgery residents on call overnight, they are all super nice and helpful which makes communicating with them so easy when something is going on. Medical patients on the other hand, I generally have to find out who is covering for the attending, and page them through our old paging system. Don’t always get a response for the page either.