[CrabbyPatty]

I'll be graduating in May, 2007 with my ADN and am interested in ED, Cricital Care, L&D, NICU or psych. I'm so lost as to where to go. I've been offered jobs in psych at a state mental hospital with a forensics unit and L&D and I need to apply this month or I'll miss out.

When I started nursing school I never thought L&D would be where I wanted to go. I'd always thought trauma or psych...something exciting. I'm 40 years old and after 20+ years being sidetracked I'm getting to do what I've always wanted to do! I'm so lucky!

I did an externship this past summer in L&D and absolutely fell in LOVE with it so does that mean it's my destiny? I am doing a part-time tech job in the same department right now and get cancelled more than I work because the census is down (I see alot of nurses get cancelled too). But, they're opening a new post-partum wing in the Spring as I graduate they say they'll be able to schedule more C-sections that way.

Or is my destiny in psych where I feel so much compassion and need to help those lost soles I've seen during my very short clinical rotation (There is also much mental illness/addiction in my immediate family and I suffer from ADHD, addictive personality (compulsive overeating) and depression). I've always been fascinated by the criminal mind and wanted to work in forensics.

My concern is that I am 40 years old and feel that I'll be stuck in my first specialty for the rest of my nursing career because I've heard it's not easy to transition from maternity to other specialties. Can I work in L&D and get some sort of psych certification to help those mothers who are delivering babies and also dealing with their own mental illness?

Any thoughts?

[SmilingBluEyes]

You won't be "stuck" in any specialty unless you allow it. You have to give one a try, obviously. If you feel OB is your "destiny" and you can get a position there, consider that it may mean that it's meant to be. Same goes for psych or any other specialty. You CAN change specialities if the one you are in does not suit you; there is no law in nursing that disallows lateral moves among areas. Give one a try and see what you think. If not for you, after a reasonable trial, you can always try for another position in another specialty.

Good luck to you.

[flytern]

I'm partial to OB. But I have a Bachelors in Psych too. It truly comes in handy. Especially these days. Not a day goes by that we don't have either a unwed teen mother, or someone who has psychiatric problems (usually mild). For some reason, Rns that I work with are uncomfortable with these patients, so I usually volunteer to these assignments. Now it's not hard core psych, but you still use those skills. Especially listening skills.
And vice-versa, we have OB patients on our psych unit.

Don't pigeon hole yourself. You can have more than 1 passion.