How long did it take to find your niche?

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  1. This is a discussion on How long did it take to find your niche? in General Nursing Discussion, part of General Nursing ... What area of nursing are you in, and how do you like it? Can you see yourself doing it forever? How...

    by Sep 19, '12
    What area of nursing are you in, and how do you like it? Can you see yourself doing it forever? How long did it take to find your niche? How did you know when you found the right fit? Forgive all of the questions. I'm just trying to get an idea of how many people had multiple jobs before finding the right one. I really enjoy LTC, but didn't feel comfortable with the 40:1 resident to nurse ratio. I'm working tele now, and although I'm learning A LOT, I can't see myself doing it forever. I'd love to work NICU, but not many specialty areas want to hire a new nurse. Thank you for the feedback!
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    by bankssarn Sep 19, '12 9:29 pm
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  2. 10 Comments so far...

  3. Sep 20, '12 by
    im in cardiac now, and have been for 7 years. i think you know you found what u r supposed to be doing when you actually enjoy going to work and things make sense!! it takes a few years to really see what it is that you like.
  4. Sep 21, '12 by
    My first job was in mother baby, which at the time was exactly the job I wanted. I truly enjoyed my job and my co-workers (worked there 3 years). The last 4-6 months I just felt there were some days that I was just going through the motions. I still enjoyed working with those moms and babies, but I didn't find it to be as challenging therefore it wasn't as rewarding anymore. I floated to NICU quite often and found I really enjoyed that it was similar in that you're still taking care of babies and families, but it is more challenging because the babies are not "normal" newborns going home with mom in a couple days.

    So, 3 years ago I would have said I found my niche right away in mother baby, but that has changed. I am on orientation in the NICU, and I love it and I think this will be where I stay.
  5. Sep 21, '12 by
    Did critical care for 20 years (with grad degree to show for it), field case mgmt in work comp for ten (new set of credentials), now doing consulting and legal nursing (additional set of credentials). Love(d) every single one of them as a niche. Don't ever be afraid to try something completely different.
    NickiLaughs and Miss Lizzie like this.
  6. Guide
    Sep 21, '12 by
    I work in Labor, Delivery, Recovery, Postpartum, Well Baby Nursery, Antepartum, and GYN. I have since I graduated nursing school. I can't imagine being any other type of nurse, maybe public health; but still in the women's health area. It knew it was the right fit for me before I went to nursing school, its why I went to nursing school.
  7. Sep 22, '12 by
    I will let you know when I find it.
    kona2, NickiLaughs, and GrnTea like this.
  8. Sep 23, '12 by
    Strongly disliked my first job on an oncology floor with a ton of medical overflow that was super understaffed. Offered a NICU job kind of out of the blue after three months and am very happy with what I do for now. I don't think I would leave the NICU.
  9. Sep 23, '12 by
    Two years..
    First job pediatrics-I wanted do go my year of med surg and pedi seemed the best fit at the time
    Then I worked a few months in pedi psych
    Then I found a job in adult psych which was straight days and a lot of opportunities for learning. This was the early 80's and nursing jobs were plentiful.
    I knew I had found my niche when I looked forward to going to work-
    I am now a psych APRN
  10. Oct 9, '12 by
    Quote from Cerriwin
    Strongly disliked my first job on an oncology floor with a ton of medical overflow that was super understaffed. Offered a NICU job kind of out of the blue after three months and am very happy with what I do for now. I don't think I would leave the NICU.
    I would love to work in NICU, but since I've only been a nurse for 6 months, and I don't have any ICU experience, I probably don't have much of a chance. One of our local NICUs has a few positions opening up. I thought about applying and hand delivering my resume/cover letter, but I'm not sure how the nurse manager would feel about that.
  11. Oct 9, '12 by
    I have worked in LTC/assisted living for 5 years (4 1/2 as a CNA, 6 mos as a nurse), and I work primarily on a dementia unit.

    Is it my dream job? No.

    Is it my passion? I used to think so.

    Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love working with the elderly; However, I'm starting to realize I may not be cut out for this area of nursing, as way too many things bother me about LTC that it would be impossible to list them all.

    So really, I'm still searching for my 'niche'. I have a feeling that I would love working in either psych or an adult day care center, but there's not many openings around here for those areas, unfortunately. I'm thinking eventually I might just work in a clinic.