What Is Medical-Surgical Nursing?

Charmaine Robinson, MSN-Ed, RN
By
Updated on July 14, 2025
Edited by
Medical-surgical nursing is one of the most popular nursing specialties. Learn more about this career path and what it takes to get started.

Key Takeaways

  • Med-surg nurses care for patients who are ill or undergoing or have undergone surgery across various clinical settings.
  • Certification requires RN licensure, 2,000 hours of experience.
  • The average salary for med-surg is about $117,000; job demand is strong, but the role can be taxing.

Medical-surgical or med-surg nursing is a specialty that requires immense expertise and dedication. Nurses in this field must have knowledge of a variety of health conditions and surgeries and excellent communication skills, as they frequently report to surgeons and other providers.

Learn more about this dynamic field and how to become a med-surg registered nurse (RN) in this guide.

How Long to Become

2-4 Years

Degree Required

RN Diploma, ADN, or BSN

Average Annual Salary

$117,050

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What Is Med-Surg Nursing?

Medical-surgical nursing is a specialty that focuses on the care of children and adults with general health conditions and those who are preparing for or have had surgeries and other medical procedures. Some conditions include respiratory illnesses, wound infections, abdominal surgeries, and joint replacements. Although patients on med-surg units require high-level medical care, they do not need critical monitoring as do patients in intensive care units (ICUs).

Per the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses, the med-surg specialty includes elements of patient safety, infection prevention, and medication management. The goal of med-surg nursing is to keep patients medically stable after an illness or surgery and assist them throughout their healing journey.

Key Responsibilities

  • Creating and managing nursing care plans
  • Performing health assessments
  • Administering medications
  • Performing bedside skills, such as changing bandages
  • Teaching patients about their medications and conditions

Career Traits

  • Teamwork and collaboration skills
  • Critical-thinking skills
  • Strong attention to detail
  • Ability to handle stressful situations
  • Organizational and prioritization skills

Where Do Med-Surg Nurses Work?

Because of their special skill set, med-surg nurses primarily work in post-surgical environments where patient monitoring is vital. While most are employed in hospitals, they can also work in the community in surgical centers, clinics, and provider offices.

Medical and Surgical Hospitals

In hospitals, med-surg nurses help patients recover from illnesses and emergency surgeries and procedures. Because patients in hospitals often stay for several days, nurses in this setting perform frequent monitoring and medication administration until patients are stable enough to be released home.

Outpatient Surgical Centers

Med-surg nurses in outpatient surgical centers work as plastic surgery nurses and perioperative nurses, providing care to patients undergoing non-emergent, elective surgical procedures. They also perform frequent patient monitoring, but must ensure patients are stable enough to be released home the day of surgery or the next.

Community Clinics and Provider Offices

Med-surg nurses in community clinics and provider offices provide basic and preventive care to patients with a variety of health conditions, including those who have had recent surgery. These nurses generally do not perform frequent patient monitoring, but they assist surgeons and providers with dressing changes and minor procedures, while providing post-surgical education to patients.

Med-Surg Nursing: Training, Licensure, and Certification

Becoming a medical-surgical nurse starts with earning a nursing degree. While licensed practical/vocational nurses can work as med-surg nurses, the vast majority are RNs. Pathways to becoming an RN include an associate degree in nursing (ADN) or a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN). All programs provide core classroom and clinical training in medical-surgical nursing.

After earning a nursing degree and passing the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), graduates can obtain an RN license through their state’s nursing board and immediately begin work as medical-surgical nurses. After two years of med-surg experience, RNs can receive national recognition as certified medical-surgical nurses through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN). Specialty certification proves a nurse is competent in a particular area of expertise, increasing their earning potential and marketability to employers.

ANCC certification requirements include:

  • Minimum two years of full-time experience as an RN
  • Minimum 2,000 hours of med-surg nursing experience
  • Minimum 30 hours of continuing education in med-surg nursing within the past three years

AMSN certification requires two years of medical-surgical nursing experience and at least 2,000 hours of experience within the past three years.

Pros and Cons of Med-Surg Nursing

The pros and cons of any nursing specialty depend on each nurse’s personality, lifestyle, and goals. For example, some nurses may thrive in stressful environments while others may find this unsustainable. Other nurses may enjoy changing dressings and assisting with procedures, which others might find distressing. Consider these pros and cons of med-surg nursing.

Pros

  • checkCare for patients with a wide variety of health conditions
  • checkAccess to multiple job opportunities
  • checkBenefit from job stability and high earning potential

Cons

  • xPhysically demanding shifts
  • xCare plans can be complex and lengthy
  • xPotential exposure to infectious diseases

How Much Do Med-Surg Nurses Make?

According to the National Nursing Workforce Survey, med-surg nurses made an annual median salary of $80,000 in 2024. However, RN salaries can vary based on years of experience, work location and setting, degree, and certification. For example, certified medical-surgical registered nurses (CMSRNs) make an average annual salary of $89,000 or $40 an hour, based on Payscale data from April 2025.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that the lowest 10% of RNs earn a median annual salary of $66,030, and the highest 10% earn $135,320. The BLS also projects RN jobs will grow 6% between 2023 and 2033, faster than the average for all occupations. However, demand may be considerably higher in certain areas of the country, such as rural communities.

Frequently Asked Questions

Medical-surgical nursing is a specialty that focuses on the care of patients with general health conditions or those who have had recent surgery. Nurses in this specialty aim to keep patients infection-free, safe from injury, and medically stable after an illness or procedure.