As for my advice...treat med-surg nurses as valuable as any other specialty. We are a SPECIALTY that frequently goes unrecognized in appreciation and in pay. I have worked side by side with ICU nurses in med-surg settings that cannot believe the amount of critical thinking and prioritizing it takes to care for 6-8 patients at a time. I feel as though med-surg RN's are widely viewed as "unable to cut it" in a recognized specialty and therefor viewed as lesser nurses. Let me tell you that what we do night in and night out takes as much or more ability than any "specialty" out there. Sincerely, AAthmer RN, medsurg/ICU, 6 yrs experience.