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What is a medical surgical staff nurse and how to become one
A medical surgical staff nurse is an individual who works in a hospital or healthcare facility and is responsible for providing care to patients. They are trained to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate patient care, which includes administering medications and monitoring vital signs. They work alongside other healthcare professionals such as doctors and therapists.. They also educate patients and their families about their condition and treatment options. A medical surgical staff nurse must have excellent communication skills, be able to work in a fast-paced environment, and have a strong attention to detail.
What general advice would you give to a medical surgical staff nurse?
Lisa Rebeschi Ph.D.
Associate Dean of the School of Nursing Professor of Nursing, Quinnipiac University
Avg. Salary $67,649
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 6%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.44%
Asian 8.90%
Black or African American 11.81%
Hispanic or Latino 8.98%
Unknown 4.26%
White 65.61%
Genderfemale 90.44%
male 9.56%
Age - 43American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 43Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is good
6.4 - fair
What are the pros and cons of being a medical surgical staff nurse?
Pros
Ability to gain a wide range of clinical skills and knowledge
Opportunities for career advancement and specialization
High demand for medical surgical nurses, leading to job security
Competitive salary and benefits packages
Chance to make a meaningful impact on patients' lives
Cons
Physically demanding work with long hours on your feet
Emotionally taxing due to dealing with patients in critical conditions
High stress environment with a heavy workload
Exposure to infectious diseases and hazardous materials
Limited autonomy due to following physician orders and hospital policies
Medical surgical staff nurse career paths
Key steps to become a medical surgical staff nurse
Explore medical surgical staff nurse education requirements
Start to develop specific medical surgical staff nurse skills
Skills Percentages Patients 33.98% CPR 10.48% Acute Care 7.38% Acls 4.58% Direct Patient Care 4.29% Complete relevant medical surgical staff nurse training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New medical surgical staff nurses learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a medical surgical staff nurse based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real medical surgical staff nurse resumes.Obtain the necessary licensing
Becoming a licensed medical surgical staff nurse usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed medical surgical staff nurse in most of states. 43 states require medical surgical staff nurses to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.State Education Exam License url Alabama Degree required State exam required Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Alaska Degree required Third-party exam required Nurse, Licensed Practical Arkansas Degree required Third-party exam required Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) California Degree required Third-party exam required Licensed Vocational Nurse Colorado Degree required Third-party exam required Licensed Practical Nurse Gain additional medical surgical staff nurse certifications
More About CertificationsMedical surgical staff nurse certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific medical surgical staff nurse certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.
The most common certifications for medical surgical staff nurses include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC).
Research medical surgical staff nurse duties and responsibilities
- Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
- Provide comprehensive nursing care to a variety of in-patient medical, surgical and telemetry patients.
- Coordinate and provide direct patient care for cardiac/telemetry, surgical, orthopedic, respiratory, geriatric and pain management patients.
- Obtain CPR certification for the first time.
Prepare your medical surgical staff nurse resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your medical surgical staff nurse resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a medical surgical staff nurse resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable medical surgical staff nurse resume templates
Build a professional medical surgical staff nurse resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your medical surgical staff nurse resume.
Apply for medical surgical staff nurse jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a medical surgical staff nurse job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first medical surgical staff nurse job
Are you a medical surgical staff nurse?
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Average medical surgical staff nurse salary
The average medical surgical staff nurse salary in the United States is $67,649 per year or $33 per hour. Medical surgical staff nurse salaries range between $39,000 and $115,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do medical surgical staff nurses rate their job?
Medical surgical staff nurse reviews
What is there not to like? It's such a rewarding job!
Caring for patients
Staffing ratios, unfairness, constant expectations. Healthcare is a business but doesn’t treat nurses like business employees
helping people and saving lives
the pay is not good not enough for the lifestyle I would like to live
Updated January 8, 2025
