For example, you will need to learn about adult health and pediatric care. You will cover all the major body systems, including the cardiovascular system, the gastrointestinal system, wound care, and even the importance of balancing electrolytes. Here are some frequently asked questions related to passing medical-surgical nursing class in nursing school. The more you take care of patients with different medications, the more meds you’ll learn.
That’s the BEST way to learn them is to actually care for patients who are on them. Now as you know, nursing school is ALL about critical thinking. But the problem is that no one tells you exactly what that means. That always really bugged me, because I would always second guess myself and make it way more complicated than it should have been. Lippincott’s Review for Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification. This Lippincott Med Surg study guide is another good option for your exam review.

Most students who choose to pursue an ADN degree do so understanding that they may have to back to school for a BSN. Med/surg nurses care for patients who are, for the most part, clinically stable. Med/surg units are not equipped with monitoring equipment and so certain medications are not given. Med/surg nurses do not titrate drips and usually will not perform tasks that require advanced certification such as stroke assessments or administering chemotherapy.

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There are different roles for nurses in med-surg depending on the nurses’ educational background and experience. Hannah Schlake graduated from nursing school in 2018 and worked on a surgical floor for three years. In 2021 she began working in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at a Magnet designated, level-one trauma center in downtown Chicago. Hannah enjoys working with surgical patients because with high-quality nursing care, patients can make huge strides toward recovery in just a matter of days. She is passionate about helping new nurses develop confidence and positive self-talk, keen critical thinking skills, and sustainable work-life balance.
The ANCC awards the Registered Nurse-Board Certified (RN-BC) credential; the MSNCB awards the Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse (CMSRN®) credential. Here’s a brief review of what the criteria are for sitting for each exam. They must also work with medical equipment and perform surgical operations, such as knee replacements, to improve patient outcomes.

Med surg is a specialty in which RNs provide comprehensive care for patients and their families. Some nurses might choose to pursue additional certifications or advanced degrees in areas such as critical care, wound care, and emergency nursing to expand their knowledge base and gain more expertise in the field. Additionally, you can increase your earning potential by getting a certified medical-surgical registered nurse (CMSRN) or a medical-surgical nursing certification. Med-surg nursing encompasses every body system and all people who require medical or surgical management.
This program allows nurses to take the certification exam more than once and only charges facilities once each nurse passes the exam. The FailSafe Certification Program™ is an excellent alternative that benefits both facilities and nurses. The ANCC offers the Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification (MEDSURG-BC™), which is accredited by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification. The credential is valid for five years as long as nurses maintain their nursing licenses and can be renewed after that time.

Tips for studying Med-Surg in nursing school

This credential demonstrates an RN’s knowledge of patient-centered assessment and care planning. It was created in collaboration with the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing. New applications for the certification are currently on hold as the board of directors evaluates the program.

You can record the lectures if your professor allows you to keep your recording equipment in the front of the room to get clear audio. Looking for the best study guides, study notes and summaries about Med Surg? I ask my coworkers if they need any help before I take a break. Five minutes later the charge nurse comes in and looks worried.
Most nurses will inevitably work in the Med-Surg setting at some point in their careers since it is the largest nursing specialty and, therefore, the area that needs nurses the most. Spending time in Med-Surg, especially at the beginning of a nursing career, is truly a blessing because no other area will offer new nurses a wider range of learning opportunities. Medical-surgical nurses work in a variety of care settings.
Whether you’re actively seeking out your professor during office hours, hiring a senior student as a tutor, or turning to other classmates, there are plenty of options to help you pass med-surg. Medical-Surgical nursing is a bedside nursing position that requires proficient knowledge in lab values, drugs, and a wide array of medical conditions. The nice part is that many of your patients will likely have the same or similar medications. So you will be able to learn them all faster this way by writing it all out for each patient.
Don’t compare yourself to other students or some version of yourself you made up in your own mind. As long as you’re working hard and doing the best you can, that’s all you can do. Your employment options increase when your resume includes credentialing beyond a nursing degree.

If you begin to struggle early on, get help before it’s too late from the fine tutors in the CAS. To give a different spin on the material, I made weekly appointments with my favorite tutor in the CAS for reviewing the material and working on practice test questions. Cramming the information a day before the test is overwhelming and will only hurt you – spread out your studying over a few days. Every point counts – aside from the exams, turn in all assignments on time and be prepared for quizzes.

With a 100% money-back guarantee, you have nothing to lose but stress. Each question is designed to evaluate your competence in medical-surgical nursing, including the application of theoretical knowledge in real-life situations. The Medical-Surgical Nursing Board Certification exam consists of 150 computer-delivered questions. Twenty-five questions are not scored, but you will not be able to identify the scored and not scored questions.
Med/surg nursing is a tough job and it isn’t for everyone, but it provides a solid foundation and experience that will serve you the rest of your career. Med/surg nursing comes with the highest patient-to-nurse ratios in an acute care setting. This is why med/surg requires nurses to have solid time management and prioritization skills.
If you passed, you can immediately start using the credential, RN-BC. In about four weeks, your official score is sent to you by U.S. To register for the exam, you must first complete an application to test.
You’re a jack-of-all-trades, flexible, quick on your feet, able to take on a bit of everything (and often asked to do just that). Perhaps because the scope of work in this specialty is broader than most, a certification in Med/Surg is not as commonplace as in other areas of practice. In fact, the majority of RNs do not possess a Med-Surg certification. A med-surg unit is the area of the hospital in which the med-surg patients (see definition above) receive care from med-surg nurses.
Medical-Surgical Nursing, commonly referred to as “MedSurg,” is a two-session class with a clinical component. The course breaks down the body into systems, such as cardiovascular or gastrointestinal, and reviews disease processes and health conditions that apply. Besides understanding the pathophysiology of the disease or condition, the information is further broken down to diagnostic testing, treatments and nursing interventions. Kate has been Mometrix’s Nursing and Medical Editor for over four years. She has a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Vanderbilt University, a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Marymount University, and a master’s degree in Education from Johns Hopkins.
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Depending on what sort of degree is chosen, it can take anywhere from 2-4 years to become a medical-surgical nurse. There are 150 multiple-choice questions on the Medical-Surgical Nurse test. The paper-and-pencil format also contains 25 experimental questions with an additional hour of testing time. Yes, all 150 questions on the Medical-Surgical Nurse exam are multiple-choice. When your application is approved, ANCC notifies you by email.
In the US, the national average salary for a med-surg RN is $76,492, with significant variation depending on which state they are located in. Whereas nurses who are not bachelor’s degree prepared or are new graduates will tend to have lower salaries. The Medical-Surgical Certification exam is scored on a scale of 100 to 500, with 350 the minimum passing score. If you did not pass, your report will include information on each domain to help you focus your study efforts. Before you begin your test, you have the chance to take a short tutorial.
So I wanted to give it to you so that you can use it, too, and help take some of the stress out of nursing school and learning how to critically think. It includes 106 lessons, 50 videos, 350 flashcards, and over 900 practice questions. The material will prepare you for either the AMSN or the ANCC certification. This is the best and easiest way to prepare for your Medical-Surgical Nurse Certification exam. Med-Surg travel assignments are the most commonly available type of position, and there are always openings in this practice area, nationwide.