Medical-surgical nursing

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Medical-surgical nursing is a nursing specialty area concerned with the care of adult patients in a
broad range of settings. The Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) is a specialty nursing
organization dedicated to nurturing medical-surgical nurses as they advance their careers.
Traditionally, medical-surgical nursing was an entry-level position that most nurses viewed as a
stepping stone to specialty areas. Medical-surgical nursing is the largest group of professionals in
the field of nursing. Advances in medicine and nursing have resulted in medical-surgical nursing
evolving into its own specialty.
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Many years ago a majority of hospital nurses worked on wards, and everyone was a medical-
surgical nurse. Today licensed medical-surgical nurses work in a variety of positions, inpatient
clinics, emergency departments, HMOs, administration, out patient surgical centers, home health
care, humanitarian relief work, ambulatory surgical care, and skilled nursing homes. Some military
medical-surgical nurses serve on battlefields.
Registered Nurses can become certified Medical-Surgical Nurses through the American Nurses
Credentialing Center.
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