Observation Of Med Nursing

OR/PACU Observation Experience

Med Surg vs PACU/OR Environment

Medical Surgical nursing and PACU/OR nursing are two very different environments with the same goal of taking care of their patients with the utmost care. Med surgical nursing is defined as the diagnosis and treatment of human responses of individuals and groups to actual or potential health problems.The goal of Med surgical nursing is to assist the the individual or group in restoring and maintaining optimal health, bringing the body back to homeostasis ( Minority Nurse). Med surgical nurses work in a variety of settings such as the hospital, the home and clinics.

Med surgical nurses have a variety of skills, they educate their patients , caregivers and other health professionals.

While on the floor with the Med surg nurse I observed many different aspects of the nurse. Med surgical nurses are the primary care provider when actually caring for their patient. They have the most interaction with the patients and orient care based on the patient's specific needs. Before the end of shift med surg nurses perform what is called a hand off from the night to day shift or vice versa on the patient and any pertinent information a nurse may need while caring for their patients. The nurse is responsible to educate and advocate for their patient if they feel something should be changed or adjusted. Med Surgical nurses also pull and administer medication, and educate the patient and their families. According to the Academy of Medical Surgical Nurses in 2012 , the role of a Med surg nurse is to be a caregiver, care coordinator, client educator, case manager, counselor, client advocate, consultant, researcher, administrator/manager, staff educator, and expert

Promoting safety in the OR is done by keeping the OR a sterile environment, all personnel scrub thoroughly, wear sterile gowns, gloves and masks and all staff members are kept 12 inches away from the patient if non sterile. Additional ways to keep the patient safe include what is known as a time out. A time out is what happens before surgery, it requires all members of the surgical team to verify the surgical site, the surgeon's initials, relevant medical history, allergies , administration of the right medication and DVT prophylaxis (ACGOG, 2014). Other safety includes careful monitoring of the patient, all equipment coming into the sterile field must be sterile, smoke evacuators are used to minimize exposure to smoke particles when laser procedures are being done. The joint commision has a placed national patient safety goals to assist healthcare providers in addressing patient safety concerns. The universal protocol is placed by World Health Organization in 2008 ( Lewis et al., 2013,