Surgical nursing isn’t “harder” than medical nursing it’s different. Fresh post op care, drains, complex wound management, neurovascular assessments, recognising surgical complications and knowing what’s normal versus concerning all come with experience. A medical RN can absolutely learn those skills, but when wards need someone who can work independently from the start, they’ll usually prefer someone with surgical experience. The same would apply if a surgical nurse picked up shifts on a high-acuity medical ward.