Med Surg Nursing Salary, Job Description, Duties

Essential information on Medical-Surgical nurse job descriptions, education requirements, and certification

"Medical-surgical nursing is the foundation of all nursing practice," according to the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN).

If you are seeking a nursing career where you'll provide healthcare support to adults in a wide variety of settings, taking on a Med-Surg (MS) travel nursing job is an excellent choice. The diverse opportunities available to Med/Surg nurses have historically contributed to this field’s higher percentage of specialization among all actively-practicing nurses, as compared to other inpatient and outpatient nursing specialties.

You may, as a Med-Surg travel nurse, work in diverse healthcare settings – including hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and outpatient surgical centers. You may also treat patients with a wide variety of needs, illnesses, and injuries. In an outpatient setting such as a clinic or group medical practice, Med-Surg nurses often conduct patient intakes or routine physical exams, which can allow for a longer-duration relationship to grow between the specific clinician and patient. In a hospital or Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF), nurses work collaboratively with other clinicians to treat patients with complex diagnoses that often require app-linked monitoring and management. The diverse opportunities available to med-surg nurses have contributed to this field’s high desirability and expansive growth. As the largest nursing specialty, Med-Surg nurses come from virtually every demographic.

The tasks involved in med-surg nurse jobs depend largely on the setting. In general, Medical Surgical nurses provide care and treatment to ill, injured, and recovering adults. The M/S nurse must know how to assess patient condition, administer medications, change dressings, monitor vital signs, maintain records, and provide patients with support and education. Such support can include the provision of telehealth care and education to patients. Some MS nurses choose to become more specialized within the broad field of medical-surgical nursing -- pursuing MS subspecialties such as orthopedics, neurology, wound care, and oncology. Although MS nursing has traditionally been associated with providing bedside care, each position is different. MS travel nurses will benefit from being creative, quick-thinking, fast learners, and good communicators.

Salary rates for medical-surgical nurses are reflective of the healthcare facility and typically depend on the facility's geographic location and staffing needs. According to salary.com's data as of 2024, the average nationwide pay for Med-Surg nurses holding staff positions is approximately $108,000 annually. Due to the ongoing nursing shortage, hospital travel nurses’ pay can be even double that of permanent hospital Registered Nurses. However, keep in mind that in addition to your salary, compensation packages paid to travel nurses include various reimbursements and tax incentives which tend to further increase the total compensation.

The Med Surg nurse salary is very similar to that of the nursing profession overall. As such, expect to earn more in major metropolitan centers and in locations that have above-average pay rates for RNs, like California and Alaska. such as Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse (CMSRN®) will also improve your access to higher-paying positions.

According to Indeed.com the average pay for travel nursing is approximately $2,032 per week as of 2024. As Med-Surg nursing is the most common nursing specialty, average travel nurse weekly pay and overtime pay are also likely to represent overall that of Med-Surg travel nurse rates. The pay rates noted may or may not include benefits such as housing, license and travel reimbursement, or any tax advantages for which travelers may be eligible.

Medical-surgical travel nurses often ask how to get started. You can become a med surg nurse once you are certified as an RN. To achieve this certification, you will need to complete a two-year Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) degree, a two-year Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), or a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. BSN degrees are preferred by many hospitals and other healthcare employers. Following your university education, you must pass the NCLEX-RN exam administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). RNs may opt to earn their formal medical-surgical certification through the American Nurses Credentialing Center through the Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board. To become a Med/Surg traveler, most healthcare employers will want you to have at least one year of experience in a setting similar to the assignment they are seeking to fill.

The normal workday for a Med-Surg travel nurse is dependent upon the healthcare setting. However, the majority of Med-Surg travel nurses work in inpatient settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, and inpatient rehab centers. Therefore, bedside nursing (or “hands-on” nursing care) is typically a crucial aspect. Med-Surg RNs in nursing homes and inpatient rehab centers also can supervise Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) at those facilities, but -- if you are a Med-Surg travel nurse rather than a permanently-employed RN at that facility – a specialized Med-Surg nursing certificate may be required for a supervisory role and/or nursing role in which greater independent activities (such as providing tele-nursing to home-based patients requiring ongoing patient monitoring) is a role component.

As a Med Surg nurse you may administer meds, monitor vital signs, monitor lines, drains and tubes, clean and dress wounds, review labs, assist with admissions and discharges, chart procedures and routine checks, assist with patient ambulation, consult with nurse managers, physicians, and other members of the care team. You will review previous shifts' notes and charting, and perform scheduled checks on the patients on your unit. You may also have scheduled meal breaks and other brief personal breaks. As a traveler you may be asked to float to other units in which you are qualified, be sure to clarify with your recruiter whether or not you are willing to float.

Besides online resources available from the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (the only professional nursing association for Med-Surg nurses), other online resources include nursing flash-cards (including normal lab value ranges), guidance summaries for educating newly-diagnosed chronic disease patients, and online educational videos. Especially relevant to recent advances related to Med-Surg nursing are journal articles in the International Journal of Medical Surgical Nursing, MEDSURG Nursing, and American Nurse.