What can you expect when you work medical-surgical (med/surg) nursing jobs? Here’s everything nurses should know, including what to expect, how to qualify, what you'll earn, what the future holds, and lots more.
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Medical-Surgical Nursing Jobs: Trends & Outlook
Why is medical-surgical nursing a good career choice? For starters, it employs more nurses than any other specialty in the U.S.A. So, at a time when demand for RNs is growing faster than the average job, the need for med/surg nurses may be growing even faster.
And it’s not hard to understand why. Med/surg nurses provide care to a huge variety of patients — not just those needing medical or surgical procedures, but "any patient who is medically compromised,” as one nurse leader puts it.
Where are med/surg nurse jobs located?
And that means med/surg nurses work in almost every setting there is. In addition to hospital medical/surgical units, they work in units dedicated to oncology, orthopedics, infectious disease, and others. Jobs can also be found in facilities like clinics, outpatient acute care and surgical centers, private practices, and more.
That gives med/surg nurses many places to work, and makes for a promising job outlook — especially if you're willing to travel! At HealthTrust, med/surg nursing jobs are among our most in-demand travel assignments. You can learn more about traveling or search openings here.
How much do med/surg nursing jobs pay?
According to the National Nursing Workforce Survey, med/surg nurses make about $80,000 per year on average — although that changes depending on where you work, and how much experience, education, or certifications you have.
In addition, travel nurses can earn considerably more than full-time employees. For instance, many of the travel med/surg assignments on the HealthTrust jobsite pay more than $2,000 per week — or more than $100,000 per year — when housing and travel stipends are factored in.
Why should you work a medical-surgical nursing job?
On top of the job security of a specialty that’s always in demand, med/surg nursing jobs offer tons of practical experience, making them great choices for new grads, or any nurse interested in working in different specialties.
Med/surg jobs are also ideal if you want to work in resource pools, which offer more flexibility for those who want to take control of their work/life balance. Read about the benefits of resource pools here.
What to Expect from Med/Surg Nursing Jobs
So, what do med/surg nurses do? Whether you work a travel, per diem, or staff med/surg nursing job, you can expect to treat a wide range of patients as they move through different stages of illness or surgical care.
Specifically, you'll be monitoring vitals, administering medication, prepping for surgery, and helping with certain procedures. You'll also help coordinate care, create treatment plans, and provide education, helping patients and families understand recovery, safety, infection prevention, and more.
Are you qualified to work medical-surgical nursing jobs?
Although some med/surg nursing jobs are open to licensed nurses (LPNs and LVNs), most are for registered nurses (RNs). And because they include treating so many different types of conditions, med/surg jobs require a great deal of knowledge and skills, especially — but not only — surgical care.
One way to get that experience is with travel jobs, where you can work shorter assignments in a variety of settings. Another way is by earning continuing education (CE) credits.
Because demand is so high, some employers may also be willing to hire nurses with limited experience and train them in the aspects of care they need. Search med/surg job listings to see what's available.
What are the best certifications for med/surg nurse jobs?
You can also boost your chances of landing a med/surg job by validating your skills, knowledge, and abilities with certifications. The main certifications for med/surg nurses are both valid for 5 years, and require an active RN license and 2,000 hours of med/surg experience in the past 3 years:
- Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification (MEDSURG-BC™) from the ANCC also requires 2 years of full-time RN experience and 30 hours of med/surg CE in the past 3 years.
- Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse (CMSRN) from the AMSN also recommends (but doesn't require) 2 years of full-time med/surg experience.
You'll also need Basic Life Support (BLS) from the AHA for most med/surg RN jobs, and you may want to consider others, too — you can learn more here.
What soft skills do you need for med/surg nursing jobs?
Because you may be called upon to do so many different things, you should be versatile, good at critical thinking, and quick on your feet to work med/surg nursing jobs. You should also be good at communicating with patients, families, and other healthcare professionals, and have teamwork skills, too.
- Pro tip: Learn more about the top soft skills for nurses.
How to prepare for a med/surg nursing job interview
Finally, don't forget to update your resume and prep for the interview. You can find a template to build a great RN resume here, some nurse interview tips here, and answers to the most commonly asked nursing interview questions here.
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