Specialty area first?

[kmason]

I am really interested in working in OB, but I've heard that it might be better to work on a med-surg floor first. I've heard both sides that it would be good to do med-surg first but also that it is not necessary. Have you heard of hospitals hiring new grads right onto the OB floor?

[ilona22]

I was hired directly into post partum, and have done OB ever since. Yes, you will be better at your nursing skills if you do med surg, but if you never plan to work in critical care or med surg, then who cares if you have these skills or not? I never cared to insert NG tubes or deal with dialysis pts, etc, I knew going to school I wanted to do OB, so I'm very happy with my choice.

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

yes, i know of new grads who were hired on ob floors. here is the thing... if you never ever ever plan to work in any other form of nursing, then having no medical surgical background is ok!!! however, keep in mind that not having any other background may also limit you in the areas of ob as well. for example, you would not be the first candidate to hire if a hospital had a high acuity ob ward. many employers (not all) will hire medical surgical, critical care, or er nurses and train them on ob rather then hire an ob nurse who has none of these experiences. thus, you may end up stuck with healthy patients (which is not a bad thing... healthy patients need nurses too). also, if you want to pick up a second job, you are limited in places and facilities that will hire you...

i know of ob nurses who work per diem in endo, ortho, neuro, med surg, icu, nicu, etc. because they have a medical surgical and/or er/critical care background. others without such backgrounds work in physician offices and not much else because they are not comfortable with their skill level or nursing work experience (again nothing wrong with this).

plus, if you change your mind and do not like ob as much as you thought you would and now want to work with sick adults, you will need to go to a medical surgical floor and gain some experience similar to that of a new grad (nothing wrong with this either) because having only healthy patients will send your knowledge and skill level back to square one.

on the flip side of the coin, you may find a medical surgical floor that you hate so much you will assume that it is because it is not ob and wish you had chosen ob. the trick is, if you go the medical surgical route, be sure to find a floor that is supportive of new grads. i know of two new grads who work med surg on supportive floors and they are becoming very good nurses (they choose to work med surg first so they have a good attitude as well). i have no doubt they will work in the specialty area they choose some day, just like the rest of us. good luck in what ever you decide.