In healthcare, medical surgical (med-surg) nurses need dedication, skills and compassion to care for patients. Ochsner Health med-Surg nurses manage a range of medical conditions. But what does it take to become a med-surg nursing leader, and what does their career path look like? We ask Director of Nursing Kayla Rogers questions about her career journey through med-surg.

Meet Kayla Rogers

I am Director of Nursing Kayla Rogers over telemetry, med-surg, oncology and in-house float pool at Ochsner Medical Center- Baton Rouge. I have been with Ochsner for 14 years and started my career as a summer nurse tech in June of 2009. Once the program ended at the end of the summer, I became a certified nursing assistant (CNA) in the same med-surg department I now oversee. Since then, I have been given the opportunity to learn and grow over the years that has allowed me to transition from CNA to RN, from a preceptor to a relief charge nurse, and from operational coordinator to director over all my wonderful departments, including med-surg. Med-surg in Baton Rouge offers an extremely broad scope of practice allowing our new graduate nurses to learn and adapt their performance to develop a solid foundation for years to come.

1. What can med-surg teach nurses about patient care?

“One of the best things I have learned on med-surg is how to treat the whole patient. We do not just treat symptoms; we compassionately treat the entire patient, mind and body, when providing care for the patient.”

2. What type of patients end up in med-surg?

“There are a wide range of conditions treated in med-surg. Almost every patient who needs to stay in the hospital spends time in our med-surg unit in Baton Rouge with a med-surg & telemetry nurse. As a nurse, you learn to care for and communicate with a truly varied patient population. Including but certainly not limited to CHF, Diabetes, Stroke, Oncology, and various surgical patients (ortho, neuro, abdominal, Colo-Rectal, GYN, etc.)”

3. How will med-surg support nurses in their future careers?

“Going into a specialty, too early is not the best choice for a new nurse, in my opinion. The broad experience that med-surg/telemetry offers will help nurses develop a wide knowledge foundation for the rest of their career. In addition to expanding knowledge on disease processes, you learn valuable skills like time management and communication with patients and peers. Experiencing a wide variety of skills and disease processes early in their careers will expose new nurses to ideas and options for potential specialties to pursue later in their career. They might not get the exposure to other specialties without working in med-surg.”

4. What kind of soft skills do nurses develop?

“Med-surg also helps nurses grow their soft skills, such as communication, time management, and critical-thinking skills. Our nurses learn how to speak to varied patients and many other healthcare team members. Working together as a team with effective communication provides better care for patients. Plus, a med-surg nurse quickly becomes a master of time-management while learning to meet the needs of your patients and the family members. We also work to continue to build the foundation of critical- thinking through real life situations and didactic education and peer review sessions in our yearlong nurse residency program for new graduates.”

5. What kind of technology does a med-surg nurse utilize?

“Med-surg nurses use very sophisticated technology. Ochsner med-surg/tele units utilize advanced systems such as telesitter, telemetry monitoring, telepsych, dynamaps integrated with EPIC (our charting system) and telestroke. Advanced behind-the-scenes technology allows med-surg nurses to take care of advancing acute conditions and effectively manage their time with patients. Technology also assists in monitoring any decline in patients so nurses can be notified and intervene sooner rather than later.

Sophisticated technology helps patients stay with nurses they are familiar with, which reduces stress. We do not need patients to be sectioned off and shuffled around to other departments. In med-surg, we spend a longer time with our patients. It’s amazing what we can accomplish with the technology resources available to us.”

6. How often does med-surg work with other departments?

“Med-Surg is not sectioned off from other departments like other specialties. A med-surg unit is a perfect place to meet a wide range of healthcare professionals from other departments as our patients daily are having to go for various procedures, treatments, or studies with other departments.”

7. Why do med-surg nurses choose to stay in med-surg units?

“I am extremely fortunate to have many of the same nurses that trained me or that I have trained still on the unit today, some still at the bedside and some now leadership. When asked why they choose to stay many times they reference the team that we have been able to build, we have been very blessed to build a strong cohesive team that can support each member's strengths and build on each other’s opportunities. Med-surg has huge potential for career growth, and nurses don’t need to leave med-surg/telemetry to grow in their careers. I started as a med-surg CNA, and now I am the nursing director of med-surg and oncology.

Med-Surg nurses thrive while managing the complexities of individual patient needs. Many people call med-surg nurses the “swiss-army-knives of nursing”. They are compassionate healers who make a difference every single day. A med-surg/telemetry nurses’ career is a remarkable journey of lifelong learning, adaptability, and dedication to patient care.

If you are a med-surg/telemetry nurse or a nurse interested in starting a career in med-surg/telemetry, explore opportunities and incentives at Ochsner Health.