Greetings ~ As a nursing student in my final semester, I am constantly asked what kind of nursing I want to specialize in. I come from an EMS background, and gravitate toward the ED, but thus far have enjoyed all aspects of care during my education. While I know that there are advanced certifications that I wish to pursue, after 2 years in an ADN program I think it is presumptuous for me to know what kind of nurse I want to be when I ‘grow-up’ and should spend a my first year (or two) just getting my nursing skills in line, being employed as a nurse to understand the day-to-day minutia. I would like to give myself a year in Med-Surg and just see what aspects of nursing appeal to me as well as what opportunities arise before picking a concentration or returning to school for an advanced degree. More than anything I want to I do not want to be pigeon holed or have my future opportunities reduced by not being perceived as having ambition toward the career. My question is: should I be more aggressive in looking ahead for new career paths or is my attitude of building the basic nursing skills appropriate?
Thank you very much for any input and suggestions you may offer!
Blair
 |
|
|||||||||||
 |
||
search realityrn
sign up for weekly cartoons, tips, and blog posts
Register to win a pair of RX Medical Silver Fox Crocs
|
|
|
 |
January 29th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
The wonderful thing about nursing is that you can go try a little bit of this and if it isn’t your thing, try a little bit of that til you find your passion! There is nothing wrong with your plan. Go for it! Good luck with your last semester!
January 29th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
While that is the smart thing to do if you really don’t know or haven’t figured it out yet, some of us (nursing students) know for sure. I’ve worked the past year and half as a float nurses aid/student nurse in our hospital, and have had a taste of med-surg. I know for SURE that is not where I want to be. But I do know that I want to be w/ babies.
So stick w/ it until you know what you want to do. Unfortunately I know some fellow students who are gung-ho about a specialty and haven’t really had a taste of it, which i think is a bad idea.
January 30th, 2009 at 11:43 am
Its a good idea to spend the first year or so of your nursing career in basic med-surg, or at least something close. But having an idea of where you want to go in nursing is great. Several of my classmates knew where they wanted to be int he future, some in the ED, some in the OR. Our teachers actually encouraged it and in one class we made a plan for the first 5 years after graduation. Its good to have goals, it helps you through the bad parts of those first few years.
January 30th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Getting comfortable in your skin as a nurse, gaining confidence and polishing your skills your first year is the primary issue you should be concerned with. You have a lifetime to experience all that nursing has to offer.
If you “pigeon hole” yourself too early on, you may find that later on you lack the confidence to try something else. For instance, babies may be your first love, but if you jump right into something like peds, NICU, or newborn care, you may find that later on you want a change and feel totally inadequate to care for adults.
A good general experience for six months, a year or two is a great way to get into nursing and then decide where you want to go from there. Floating can be a terrific way to get to know your facility and what’s available. You can test out the waters, get to know staff and the managers.
what ever you choose… good luck to you and enjoy the ride!!!! Be the best nurse you can be always!!
January 31st, 2009 at 3:51 am
oh hell, don’t worry about bloody specializing. It’s a huge wide world of nursing out there and you’ll never know where you’ll end up. I’ve worked in so many areas, from pschy, ICU, ED to walk in STD clinics where we asked the men to “drop em” and then said “it’ll be a bit uncomfortable”. It’s great to be focused and if you know what you want, go for it. But if you don’t get into the area you want, don’t stress. Get some good ol med/surg behind you then try to specialize.
I think americans tend to specialize earlier from what I’ve seen.
Really don’t worry, there’s a lof of fun and adventures ahead without worrying about such things.
February 1st, 2009 at 12:43 am
Don’t worry about a specialty yet. Nurses are changing their departments where I work all the time. We get burned out in one area and try something else. Isn’t it great that we can do that? My personal opinion is, if you’re not sure, start in a basic med-surg unit. You’ll find out there what interests you.
February 2nd, 2009 at 2:56 pm
It’s a good idea to start in med surg and see what happens. I don’t know many RNs who only worked in one area, and believe me, even if you find your niche and stay the rest of your career, you’ll be that much better for the extra experience from different areas.
February 3rd, 2009 at 7:45 am
I never have worked Med Surg…I always hated it. I have found that it has never hindered my job opportunities; but it has affected my confidence in trying new things…I wish I would have sucked it up and worked on Med Surg floor for a little bit at least. I have never had a problem going from one thing to another without the experience though…I’ve been a Psych nurse, a school nurse, a Public Health Nurse, a NICU nurse and currently a GI nurse. So, just do what you love…that’s the key. Nursing is never boring because you can always try new things! Good luck!