[TopazLPN]

I have been told all through nursing school that I should start off in a med/surg unit so that I can get a lot of experience in my first year as a nurse. However, I recently accepted an internship on an ortho unit... with the expectation that I will work as a nurse on that unit when I graduate. I am wondering, what kind of experience will I have as an ortho nurse compared to med/surg? Will working in a specialty area pigeon hole me as a nurse or will my skill set be applicable to other areas?

[Jolie]

I did my senior clinical rotation on an ortho unit. While I disliked general med/surg, I found ortho to be fairly interesting and challenging. Patients with orthopedic conditions run the gamut from healthy young trauma patients to elderly men and women with a host of other medical conditions, so you will care for all types of patients and learn about numerous medical conditions in addition to gaining expertise in orthopedic care. I think the biggest reason that I liked it over general med/surg was the teamwork on the unit. With heavy, immobile patients everyone HAD to work together in order to deliver patient care. I never had to search for another nurse to assist me when needed. That was hugely gratifying!

[meownsmile]

A lot of facilities combine med/surg and ortho on the same unit. You may just get the med/surg experience anyway. You are still dealing with surgicals on a ortho floor.