Am I making a mistake not taking MedSurg position?

[dalgal]

This is a nice dilemma to be in but right now it is stressing me out! I have worked for a year in a corrections facility and I really enjoy it very much. No full time position was available as I neared graduation so I applied at a local hospital and was hired into a Med Surg position. I think I would like the staff and the facility a lot (doesn't start for a couple of weeks) but now a full time position is available where I am in corrections... would it be a mistake to not take the Med Surg position now that I'm a new grad RN? And how do I turn down a position to not burn any bridges?

[cav5]

I would say take the job that makes you happy. I have never worked med surg and am fine with that. I did do ICU and so I know cardiac, respiratory and those type of things very well. I learned a lot about those specific patients and skill sets. I would have a hard first year on a med sure floor but I don't plan on working on a med surg floor so that is OK. I had a hard first year as a school nurse as that is a different skill set but now I know those things really well. I think you need to look at where you want to go and learn that skill set. If you choose to change jobs then know that you will beging anew and have to learn that skill set as well. Med surg is a nice all around start-I am not saying that at all. However, I don't think that you have to start out as a med surg nurse to be a better nurse at other jobs. I do think a few people brought up the good point that if you want hospital nursing then you might want to start out at the hospital. However, if you love corrections nursing and think that is your path then I say go for it. I know that paths aren't always straight and we rarely end up where we thought were were going but it sounds like you might have found your niche and that is a good thing. The other good point somebody else brought up were your pay and hours-sometimes those things get forgotten and become really important really fast. Good luck on whatever you choose!

[240zRN]

Don't be scared into thinking med surg is the *best* place to learn. It is my understanding that regardless of where you work, you will need to learn the physiological patient population. Some med surge units do more ortho, some are more geriatric, some are more post-op, some are more LTC transfers, some are more respiratory. Don't be sold on the concept that med surg will expose you to the most, therefore you will be better off skills/knowledge wise. I honestly think corrections will build your ability to be autonomous and take ownership for your learning and assessment/psychomotor skills; which will inevitably contribute to later success on any unit/environment you find yourself in. I have seen seasoned ICU nurses struggle in other ICU's simply because the patient population is different. Neuro, Cardiac, Respiratory, Trauma...all different. All units, even if they sound the same, are not--so some med/surg experience is not the end-all answer to building strong foundations in nursing. I know of a new ICU nurse that is sailing and all he has is 3 years of hospice experience; I also know of a struggling ICU nurse with more than 5 years of med/surg experience.

I hate the concept that some Nursing Jobs pigeon-hole a person into certain fields. It perpetuates the stereotype that nurses are stupid. I don't see why a peds nurse cant do corrections for a while, then play in the ED, then do public health, and come back and do ICU.

Whoever mentioned that there is a nurse with only corrections experience and SNF experience being snubbed by hospitals. I know of a corrections nurse who went straight into the ED, and around here--SNF/LTC nurses are loved by med surg hiring managers.

DO WHAT WILL BOTH MAKE YOU HAPPY AND BETTER CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR CAREER GOALS. I almost made the mistake of taking a meg surg/job as a new grad thinking it was "whats best for me." Glad I didn't!