subject: Medical Surgical Nursing: A Specialty Of Many Specialties [print this page] When it comes to the Top 10 rewarding careers, nursing most certainly makes that list. With better than average pay and tons of intangible rewards that comes from helping people, there are few other professions considered as noble as this one.
Medical surgical nursing can capitalize on many of the benefits of the nursing profession.
Medical surgical nursing is a bit more specialized than many other areas in the profession. These nurses tend to require a little more training, whether in school, on-the-job or both. Those who choose to go this route should make sure they have a few necessary characteristics, however.
These include:
Endurance. Things don't always go the way you thought they might in a hospital setting. As a medical surgical nurse your attention may need to be in several places at once, this is where good prioritization skills come into play.
The ability to handle stress. While not every shift may turn into a disaster, you never know when it will. This places a high amount of stress on those in medical surgical nursing. Sometimes you don't get a second chance to handle a situation right the first time.
Willingness to follow orders. More than most other nursing areas in the hospital, those in medical surgical nursing spend more time dealing with doctors face to face. Your ability to interact with the different personalities and challenges faced when interacting with physicians can help you tremendously.
Ability to stomach blood. All areas of nursing come along with some sights, sounds and smells that are not very pleasant, but medical surgical nursing professionals tend to see it all - all the time. If a nurse is the slightest bit queasy, this might not be the specialty for them.
Willingness to learn. Med surg nursing is a specialty, just like any other specialty in nursing. And having the ability and the drive to learn more to become certified means higher pay, and understanding your job better.
For those that really enjoy making a difference in their patients lives, medical surgical nursing provides this. But just like anything else, its not for everybody. So spend some time researching your nursing profession of choice before taking the plunge, you'll be glad you did.
