Are you ready to succeed as a new med-surg nurse?
As one of the largest nursing specialties, medical-surgical nursing, or “med-surg,” is often considered the starting point for many nurses.
While not all nurses need to start in med-surg, it does provide an excellent opportunity to develop skills, grow, and establish a strong foundation for a successful nursing career.
Remember, even experienced med-surg nurses were once new grads in this specific field.
Tips for New Grad Med Surg Nurses
1. Make Sure You Have a Good Preceptor
Many experienced nurses may not agree, but I cannot stress enough the value of a good nursing preceptor.
Your preceptor as a new graduate nurse will significantly impact your career in med surg and your overall nursing career.
Your preceptor will advise you on what to do or not do in various situations and should be someone you can rely on for advice even after your orientation ends.
They are instrumental in helping you establish your foundations in nursing. Unfortunately, not all preceptors are equally helpful.
If you notice signs that your preceptor is not supporting your success, it may be time to discuss the issue with your manager.
2. Learn the Mechanics of Starting an IV
I used to struggle with starting IVs. While I’m still not the best, I’ve improved a lot over the years. There are two main reasons for this.
First, it’s all about repetition. Even if you’re not great at starting IVs, don’t pass it off to someone else right away. Give it a try first, because practice will make you better over time.
Second, I’ve learned a lot by watching other nurses start IVs and asking them a lot of questions.
It’s important to get better at this because you can’t always rely on other nurses to do it for you.
If another nurse isn’t available to start an IV for you, it will only slow down your work.
3. Make Sure You Have a Teachable Mentality
Above, I mentioned the importance of having a good preceptor. However, having a good preceptor is only half the battle.
The other half is you. If you come to work as an arrogant know-it-all and are not open to being taught, then you will have a hard time succeeding.
Instead, approach your work with an open mind and be willing to learn from your preceptor and other experienced nurses.
4. Learn About Common Med Surg Nursing Practices and Terminology
In medical-surgical nursing, you’ll come across specialized terminology that you may not encounter elsewhere.
Many medical-surgical floors cater to a wide variety of patients with different illnesses and conditions.
You don’t have to be an expert on everything, but it’s important to familiarize yourself with common occurrences in this field.
There are plenty of free resources available online, so you don’t necessarily need to spend money.
However, if you prefer having all the information in one place, here are some helpful books you can purchase:
- MedSurg Notes: Nurse’s Clinical Pocket Guide
- Lippincott Pocket Drug Guide for Nurses (I personally prefer using a drug app on my phone, but some people still prefer physical books.)
- RNotes: Nurse’s Clinical Pocket Guide
- Myers RN BSN, Ehren (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 254 Pages – 06/26/2018 (Publication Date) – F.A. Davis Company (Publisher)
If you decide to get any of these books, feel free to share your thoughts in the
5. Ask Questions
Don’t show up to work with a know-it-all attitude. Don’t act like you know everything. Because you don’t.
As a new grad nurse, other nurses are going to expect you to ask questions. Honestly, it would be weird if you didn’t.
You won’t look dumb. The opposite will happen. Your fellow nurses will think you’re smart if you ask questions.
Part of that is because you’re seeking wisdom and advice from those who know it. The other reason is that people, in general, are flattered when other people are asking them for advice.
6. Get Your Routine Going
It’s important to establish a rhythm and routine to make your time in med surg easier. Consider the following:
- What will you do before taking your shift report?
- Which tasks will you focus on after getting a report on your patients?
- When will you chart on your patients?
If you need help establishing a routine, ask your preceptor or one of the more experienced nurses about their routines and the reasons behind them.
7. Learn How to Prioritize
You will likely be assigned a large number of patients, which may be overwhelming.
Consequently, you will have a lot of tasks to manage. Some patients will be more demanding than others.
Despite this, it is important to learn to prioritize and stay focused.
Everything needs to be completed, and it will be done in time. However, some tasks are more critical than others.
8. Remember the Difference Between Textbook and Real Life
I’ve noticed that many new nurses are surprised by the differences between working as a nurse and the NCLEX world.
In the NCLEX environment, patients usually only have one illness without any additional health issues. F
or instance, you’re unlikely to receive a patient with only diabetes.
The NCLEX also doesn’t consider your workload or any other administrative challenges. Real life is different.
Your patients come with many illnesses and comorbidities, and things that you should be doing that you actually want to do may have administrative roadblocks.
Just know with time you’ll learn how to deal with those issues.
9. Find a Good Mentor
If you have an excellent preceptor, then you might already have this taken care of.
However, even if your preceptor is a good mentor, there’s still a good chance that there will be plenty of shifts where you won’t be working with them.
This means that it’s important to seek out other experienced nurses who can be good mentors for you and whom you can turn to for your questions.
If you need help with this, consider asking your preceptor for the names of nurses who have been there for a while and are great resources.
10. Be Helpful to Other Nurses
When you’re not very busy and your patients are stable, take a moment to see who else needs help.
If you notice some of your nurse co-workers struggling and you can assist them, please do.
There will come a time when you’ll need help yourself, and if you didn’t offer assistance when you could have, you might not receive the support you need than.
11. Beware of Nurse Burnout
Nursing is a very stressful job, especially for new graduate med surg nurses.
The stress level can be high from various sources such as being new, patients, doctors, nurse co-workers, and administration.
Managing this stress is crucial. We have written an article about nurse burnout, which is a great resource for learning to manage stress.
12. Do Not Overwork Yourself
When you’re a new nurse, you might feel the urge to work extra hours. The potential for higher income and overtime pay can be very tempting.
I’m not advising against working extra hours, but we want to emphasize the importance of being mindful of how many hours you work, especially during your first couple of years.
Overworking yourself can accelerate the process of nurse burnout, so it’s crucial to find a healthy balance.
13. Take Care of Your Nurse Aides
I see many nurses mistreating their techs, and it’s just sad.
Just because you’re a registered nurse (RN) or a licensed practical nurse (LPN) doesn’t mean you can’t help with basic patient care tasks like turning patients, taking out food trays, or cleaning up.
If there’s something more urgent that needs to be done, then definitely prioritize that.
However, if there isn’t, don’t stand around doing nothing and leave all the work to your tech. They are just as overworked as you are.
A good tech can make your life so much easier. So, make an effort to keep the good ones around.
14. Learn to Prioritize
It’s important to remember that while everything in nursing is important and needs to be done, it doesn’t mean that everything needs to be done right this very second.
Prioritization is the key to a successful nursing career, especially as a med surg nurse.
For example, a patient pressing the call light because they want their pillow fluffed doesn’t take precedence over a decompensating patient or a post-op patient.
It’s crucial to seek the wisdom and guidance of more seasoned nurses in this area, as they can be very beneficial to your professional growth.
An experienced nurse can help show you how to prioritize tasks effectively.
And in case you were wondering, yes, we do know that “prioritization” is mentioned twice in this text. It’s that important.
15. Make Sure to Document
Don’t skip your documentation.
Even if you feel like breezing through it, resist the urge. Remember what they said in nursing school: if it’s not charted, it didn’t happen.
Make sure to give yourself credit for what you did.
16. Be Your Own Advocate
You must advocate for yourself.
If you don’t take care of yourself, no one else will. Always look out for your best interest.
And lastly…
17. Breath
It’s okay to cry. It really is, but probably not in front of your patients.
You’re going to be overwhelmed, and some days are going to be tough. But you know what?
You’re going to make it through, and you’re going to be a successful med-surg nurse.
Take it one day at a time, and remember to stop every now and then and take a deep breath.
New Med Surg Nurse Resources
Being a new nurse is hard. The first few months will be your hardest. Just know that you can do it.
Hang in there. It does get better with time.
If you’re wanting some more resources to help you on your journey as a med-surg nurse. Feel free to check out some of these resources.
