Starting my career

GatorRN · Oct 13, 2006

I was told the same thing, get your first yrs experience in med/surg and go from there. I hated every min. of my clinical rotation on the neuro med/surg floor and swore when I walked out of there on my last clinical day, I'd never work in that unit, and I haven't. I understood the rationale behind it. Working med/surg would give you a solid base of knowledge and teach you prioritizing and organizational skills, but just the thought it made me sick. Some ppl love med/surg and some don't, we're all different.

Like you, my passion was ICU. I went straight into ICU after graduation and never looked back, and have no regrets. If thats where your heart leads you, go for it! If ICU is the way you choose to go, when interviewing look for the place that offers you the best orientation program. A great orientation with the right preceptor can make all the difference in the world. It worked for me and I've worked various ICU units every since.

Good luck, whichever way you choose to go!

snowfreeze, BSN, RN · Oct 13, 2006

Go where your heart is, I have worked a number of different nursing jobs in my career and I always go with what is my current passion. I started Med/surg but that was because that was all I could find. I stayed there the mandatory 6 months and moved to ICU. In nursing once you have your RN you can get on the job training in most any area.

ursulanursula · Oct 13, 2006

definitely go with your gut! if you don't feel like med-surg is for you, don't do it. each area has it's own skill set & if you know which areas appeal to you, make a list of pros & cons with both areas, pick which one you think is the best fit for you ...and go for it!!!

Kyrshamarks, BSN, RN · Oct 13, 2006

If you want to do peds...go for it. The old adage of having to do a year in med-surg is just not true anymore. Every peds hospital has a training program for new nurses. just go with your gut and do what you want. Time management and assessments are skills that are learned with time not with location.

llg, PhD, RN · Oct 13, 2006

As someone who has been involved with NICU and pediatric orientations for over 20 years, I definitely agree with what the other posters have said. Go where your heart tells you to go. Don't start your career off on the wrong foot by working in a job that you hate.

A good hospital will have a good orientation program and will be prepared to give you the education and support you need to be successful. If the hospital does not have a good orientation for new grads -- don't take the job regardless of the specialty!

Also, as you get advice from other people ... consider the source. Ask the person about their backgrounds and qualifications to give you advice. For example, someone whose specialty is adult med/surg is probably NOT QUALIFIED to advise you on a pediatric career. Other students may offer you great advice based on what they have heard other nurses say, but they have limited actual experience with how nursing careers actually work. So be sure to ask them where they got their information. etc. etc. While you should collect information from a variety of sources, be sure to consider it in light of the qualifications of each source. Your best source is probably the people in your area who are familiar with the pediatric opportunities in your area. Speak with the educators, managers, staff nurses, recent grads, etc. of the pediatric facilities at which you might want to work.

Good luck,

llg

Preemienurse23 · Oct 13, 2006

I have talked with other students on this, most are in the same boat I am in, but I really dont follow their advice because they dont really know either. Most of the people I have talked to are my instructors, preceptors and the unit managers at the hospital I work at. One thing that I do look at when I am looking at potential hospitals to work at is the orientation, the length and if they even have one.

llg, PhD, RN · Oct 13, 2006

I have talked with other students on this, most are in the same boat I am in, but I really dont follow their advice because they dont really know either. Most of the people I have talked to are my instructors, preceptors and the unit managers at the hospital I work at. One thing that I do look at when I am looking at potential hospitals to work at is the orientation, the length and if they even have one.

It sounds like you are collecting information from a variety of sources. But are your instructors, preceptors, managers, etc. really experts in pediatric nursing career? Have you talked with the people on the peds units where you might want to work? If not, you should be sure to talk with them before you make any decisions because they are the ones who know the facilities in your area and the ability of the local peds units to orient a new grad. Your med/surg contacts don't have that expertise.

llg

Preemienurse23 · Oct 13, 2006

This area dosent have a very good peds sector. I have talked with my peds instructor, who works on our 8 bed peds unit PRN. The other big hospital in this area has a few more beds, but neither have very many peds patients at a time. I was planning on moving back to the dallas/fort worth area to work after I graduate.