Medical-Surgical Travel Nursing Career Guide

There are many benefits to being a medical surgical travel nurse, ranging from the dynamic work environment to the consistently high need, which helps guarantee job security. Some of the top reasons RNs indicate they enjoy being med surg travel nurse include: direct interaction with patients, a collaborative work environment, and a wide array of patients and procedures.

As with any specialty, there are some elements of med surg travel nursing that some RNs would consider drawbacks. It’s a fast-paced environment, which may cause significant stress. There are sometime competing priorities and variable nurse-to-patient ratios (typically between 5-8 patients/nurse, but it varies from hospital to hospital).

• Robust experience managing patients with a wide variety of conditions
• Strong time management, critical thinking, clinical judgment and problem-solving skills
• Exemplary communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work well in a team environment
• Experience with specific electronic medical record (EMR) systems

Medical surgical travel nurses are licensed professionals who travel to provide care to people with various acute medical conditions or people who are preparing for or recovering from a surgical procedure or operation. A Patient Care Assistant is an unlicensed personnel staff member, an essential part of the care team that medical surgical travel nurses work alongside. They can be delegated various patient care tasks by the medical surgical nurse, if they have demonstrated competence and the task is within their scope of responsibility. Some examples of these tasks include: taking vital signs, obtaining blood glucose, feeding, ambulating, cleaning patients, and assisting with their activities of daily living.

The typical length of time for travel nurse jobs is 13 weeks, although it depends on the facility. Additionally, there are frequent opportunities to extend contracts.

Medical Surgical Travel Nurses consistently remain in high demand. Medical Surgical Nursing is an exciting specialty because of the wide range of patient’s conditions.

There are many benefits to being a Medical Surgical Travel Nurse, ranging from the dynamic work environment to the consistently high need, which helps guarantee job security. Some of the top reasons RNs indicate they enjoy being Med Surg Nurses include:

• Direct interaction with patients
• Collaborative work environment; work with a team of clinicians assigned to the patient
• Dynamic work environment
• Often a wide array of patients and procedures
• Every day is different, no monotony
• Rewarding to see the recovery of patients after surgery
• Develop close relationships with patients and their families

As with any specialty, there are some elements of Med Surg nursing that some RNs would consider drawbacks; these include:

• Fast paced environment, which may cause stress for some
• Competing priorities
• Variable nurse-to-patient ratios (typically between 5-7 patients/nurse)

• Robust experience managing patients with a wide variety of conditions
• Strong time management, critical thinking, clinical judgment and problem-solving skills
• Exemplary communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work well in a team environment
• Experience with specific electronic medical record (EMR) systems

There are a number of systems in which there are specific illnesses and/or conditions that cause patients to be admitted into Medical Surgical units.

• Neurological - Delirium, Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementia, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury, Seizures, Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis
• Ear, Nose, Throat - Vertigo, Laryngitis, Epistaxis
• Respiratory - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Pneumonia, Pneumothorax, Pulmonary Embolism
• Cardiac - Congestive Heart Failure, Atrial Fibrillation, Coronary Artery Disease, Heart Attack, Cardiomyopathy, Pericarditis
• Gastrointestinal - Colitis, Diverticulitis, Appendectomy, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, Pancreatitis, Cholititiasis
• Genitourinary / Renal - Urinary tract infection (UTI), Pyelonephritis, Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), Acute Renal Failure, Chronic Kidney Disease, End Stage Renal Disease
• Endocrine - Diabetes Mellitus, Hypo/hyperthyroidism, Cushings’ disease
• Peripheral Vascular - Peripheral Vascular Disease, Peripheral Neuropathy
• Integumentary - Pressure injuries, Cellulitis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome
• Musculoskeletal / Orthopedic - Hip/knee fractures, dislocations, replacement surgery, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Spinal Fusion,
• Psychosocial - Alcohol / drug withdrawal, Suicide/Homocidal Ideation, Depression, Anxiety,
• Other common reasons for Med/Surg hospitalization - Prostatectomy, Bariatric surgery, Sepsis, Dehydration, Electrolyte Imbalance, Falls

The typical shift for a Medical Surgical Travel Nurse is anywhere from eight to 12 hours.

Medical Surgical Nurses are licensed professionals who provide care to people with various acute medical conditions or people who are preparing for or recovering from a surgical procedure or operation. A Patient Care Assistant is an unlicensed personnel staff member, an essential part of the care team that Medical Surgical nurses work alongside. They can be delegated various patient care tasks by the Medical Surgical nurse, if they have demonstrated competence and the task is within their scope of responsibility. Some examples of these tasks include: taking vital signs, obtaining blood glucose, feeding, ambulating, cleaning patients and assisting with their activities of daily living.

Medical Surgical Travel Nurses can work in a variety of settings. While hospitals are the most common, Medical Surgical Nurses may also work at inpatient or outpatient clinics, home care facilities, or nursing homes, among others.