Medical-surgical nursing is a

nursing Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...

specialty area concerned with the care of adult patients in a broad range of settings. The

Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses The Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) is a professional association for medical-surgical nurses in the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a ...

(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. 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, HMO’s, administration, out patient surgical centers, home health care, humanitarian relief work,

ambulatory The ambulatory ( la, ambulatorium, ‘walking place’) is the covered passage around a cloister or the processional way around the east end of a cathedral or large church and behind the high altar. The first ambulatory was in France in the 11th ...

surgical care, and skilled

nursing homes A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms have slightly different meanings to in ...

. Some military medical-surgical nurses serve on battlefields.

Registered nurses A registered nurse (RN) is a nurse who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized licensing body to o ...

can become certified medical-surgical nurses through the

American Nurses Credentialing Center The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association (ANA), is a certification body for nursing board certification and the largest certification body for advanced practice registered nurses in the U ...

. and also through the Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board's (MSNCB) (msncb.org) Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse (CMSRN) credential.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Medical-Surgical Nursing Hospital nursing

See also

References