Medical-surgical nursing is the single largest nursing specialty in the United States and beyond. It is a nursing specialty that provides care to adults with a variety of medical issues or who are preparing for/recovering from surgery. Medical-surgical nurses have a broad knowledge base and are experts in their practice. They have advanced organizational, prioritization, assessment, and communication skills and are leaders in coordinating care among the interprofessional health care team.

Med-surg nursing is typically offered in two semesters, depending on the nursing program, and focuses on the different body systems and disease processes, signs and symptoms testing, treatments, and nursing interventions. It is often the foundation of a nurse’s career and where many start to lay the initial groundwork. Med-surg nursing comes as a challenge to most nursing students, even for those intending to become medical-surgical nurses.

Med-surg nurses work in the general units, known as med-surg units, in hospitals. They monitor and care for patients recovering from surgery, and they provide care to adults with a variety of medical issues. Med-surg nursing is a fast-paced and demanding specialty, and nurses in this role often don’t know what to expect from one shift to another. Med-surg nurses often work in a more fast-paced environment than other types of nurses, due to the high volume of patients and intense work that revolves around surgical operations.

In summary, medical-surgical nursing is a nursing specialty that provides care to adults with a variety of medical issues or who are preparing for/recovering from surgery. It is the single largest nursing specialty in the United States and beyond, and med-surg nurses have advanced organizational, prioritization, assessment, and communication skills and are leaders in coordinating care among the interprofessional health care team. Med-surg nursing is often the foundation of a nurse’s career and where many start to lay the initial groundwork. It is a fast-paced and demanding specialty, and nurses in this role often don’t know what to expect from one shift to another.