Med-Surg Nurse Job Description Template
Medical-surgical nursing, also known as med-surg nursing, is the most common specialty for nurses — especially among new graduates. Med-surg nurses care for patients who are preparing or recovering from surgery. While the exact conditions a med-surg unit handles vary by hospital, this specialty requires one of the broadest range of nursing duties. Thus, writing a thorough med-surg nurse job description is an important first step to finding a candidate who is equipped with the diverse skill set needed for this role.
This template will outline the components needed to write a strong medical surgical job description when you’re ready to post your job opening and attract the right candidates for this role. Customize this template and couple it with thoughtful interview questions to find highly qualified professionals for your healthcare team.
Want more ideas for what to include in your job description? Take a look at med-surg nursing jobs posted by other facilities to see how they are reaching out to candidates.
Medical Surgical Nurse
Tips: A med-surg nurse job description should start with a concise overview of the role and your organization. Include one or two sentences summarizing the position and the essential qualifications that you’re looking for. Keep in mind that med-surg is a popular first specialty for nurses, so welcoming new graduates to apply can help attract a wider pool of applicants.
This is also the first place to sell yourself to potential candidates by highlighting your facility’s work culture, values, or any other special distinctions. Consider ways to make yourself stand out from other facilities.
Template:
[Facility name] is seeking a new graduate or experienced RN/LPN to join our medical-surgical unit. The ideal candidate thrives in fast-paced environments, has a strong willingness to learn, and understands how to deliver safe and effective clinical care alongside a team.
Working at [facility name] means joining a thriving and diverse organization renowned to have the best nurses, doctors, and allied health professionals in the state. By working at our organization, you’ll gain experience with cutting-edge medical technology and encounter unique opportunities to develop your clinical career.
Benefits
Tips: This section will help reinforce the hook of your introduction by promoting all the notable benefits that you have to offer. Describe your benefits package as accurately and precisely as possible so that candidates don’t feel misled down the line. If your facility has any unique career development opportunities for clinical nurses, this is the place to highlight those as well.
Template:
- 401(k) matching
- Health insurance, including dental and vision
- Paid time off and paid holidays
- Loan repayment program
- Employee assistance program
- Clinical career ladder program
- Flexible, self-scheduling system
Duties and Responsibilities
Tips: This section of the med-surg nurse job description should list the most relevant duties and medical surgical nursing responsibilities that candidates will be expected to carry out each day. While this specialty requires a broad range of medical-surgical nurse skills, avoid making your list overly detailed. A wordy job description may look overwhelming and draw potential applicants away.
Since med-surg units are structured differently from hospital to hospital, we recommend that you adjust the template below to reflect any of your unit-specific expectations.
Template:
- Applies the nursing process of assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation to care for patients with a range of medical and surgical conditions
- Collaborates with the healthcare team and documents the nursing process
- Administers routine medications, including IV therapy and intramuscular injections
- Delegates duties and responsibilities of other nursing and ancillary staff members
- Maintains confidentiality in matters related to patients and their families
- Practices in accordance with established standards under the Nurse Practice Act
Compensation and Schedule
Tips: This section will provide a breakdown of how much the role will pay and the anticipated schedule. Be as transparent as possible to prevent any confusion further along the hiring process. Also, add any additional details that allow applicants to get a sense of what types of shifts they’ll be working.
Template:
- Full-time (36 hours/week)
- Day/night rotating shifts
- LPN range: $25-$45/hour
- RN range: $35-$55/hour
- Up to $10,000 sign-on bonus
Skills and Qualifications
Tips: In this section of the job description, you’ll want to highlight the more specific licensures, skills, and qualifications needed for the role. If your facility is hiring for a subspecialty med-surg unit, this is also the place to specify relevant clinical certifications needed to work on this floor. For instance, a med-surg telemetry nurse job description may list slightly different requirements than an ortho med-surg nurse job description.
Template:
- Associates or bachelors degree from an accredited school of nursing
- Active RN license to practice in [insert state]
- BLS and ACLS certification from AHA required
- At least one year of nursing experience, or equivalent, preferred
- IV, catheter, and wound care certification preferred
Call to Action
Tips: Once you’ve captured the interest of a potential applicant, they’ll need instructions on how to proceed to the next step. Place a catchy, one- to two-sentence call to action at the end of your med-surg job description with a link to the application.
Template:
Ready to advance your career at a renowned hospital that values the patient experience? Click “apply now” to start your application today.
Find Qualified Nursing Professionals for Your Team
Writing a strong med-surg nurse job description is an important step in getting the right candidates to join your healthcare team. The next step is getting it in front of experienced, and interested, nursing professionals. See how we can help you find your next hire by posting your next open position on our nationwide nursing job board.