What specialty do you work in and why do you Likeit? Hate it?

Nurses General Nursing

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I recently posted a thread regarding why i hate med-surg nursing due to the abuse of the nurses and not being able to give quality care and how i LOVE critical care nursing. This sparked my interest regarding the topic and I am curious about what areas of nursing all of you currently work in or have worked in in the past and what is it about your specialty that you either Love or Hate?

Thanks for posting!

Specializes in ER.

ER-- love the pace, the variety, the teamwork

Hate the hours.

Specializes in ER, Step-Down.

special care - (aka ICU step-down) eh, it was OK, good place to start, got really boring really fast. Never really knew if the pt was going to get better or crash, so that had some excitement, but most of the time pt's were admitted to that unit as a CYA kinda thing for the docs...

ER - where I'm at now and couldn't be happier!! taking care of patients womb to tomb and never freaking know what's going to come through the doors. :) I love the kiddos, I love the traumas, and I love the medically sick. What I don't generally love are the frequent fliers. *rolls eyes*

Specializes in Psych, med surg.

Hated - med-surg - too busy, too many patients, not enough support

Love love love - adult psych - time to build actual relationship with my patients and make a significant difference in their lives

Started out in LTC - HATED IT! Pt's weren't so bad, but I couldn't deal with the "politics" of the place I was working at.

Med/Surg - Didn't hate it, but didn't exactly like it either.

Trauma/ER - LOVE IT! I love the go, go, go, now, now, now, atmosphere, hours are awesome too, 3 days/wk 7p-7a, I love the overnights.

Specializes in ICU, CVICU, Surgical, LTAC.
Med/Surge: Eh. Mostly didn't like it, but can't say I ever HATED it.

Geriatric Psych: LOVED it.

Child Psych: Hate it, hate it, hate it. Thought that I would love it, until I realized that 90 percent of my

patients were going to be pure young demons of hell.

LOL!:smokin:

Specializes in ICU, CVICU, Surgical, LTAC.

I just realized I never told my whole nursing story. I started out in LTAC which specialized in vent weaning and wound care. I appreciate how much i learned there and it was a great start for someone who wants to get into critical care. I was able to become telemetry and acls certified, and learn my vent settings ect. However the acuity of the patients were way to high for the nurse load! some night's we would have up to 8 patients all with vents/trachs, tube feedings, picc lines, multiple antibiotics, wound care. It was sooo overwhelming and I was afraid for my license.

After that I worked in CVICU and a general ICU. I loved both but really enjoyed CVICU. It was kind of cool to be able to become profiencient in one area of critical care because you are doing it over and over, versus the general ICU where the problems were endless so its difficult to develop expertise until you do it for years and years. Overall I really enjoy critical care as a whole though. It gives you a mixture of days filled with the excitement of trauma and being really busy, with other days of routine care and down time, depending on how your patients are doing. I also love the autonomy and critical thinking that comes with being a critical care nurse.

Then it brings me to my current position as a med-surg nurse which I already stated that I HATE. There is more time spent on charting than patient care and you are constantly being pulled in one million directions. There is never any focus on what you did right, only everything you are doing wrong, and there are unrealistic expectations of the nurses given the few resources we have. I only took the job because it was the first place i could get a job at right away when i moved from out of state. Thank GOD i will be starting a job in critical care in a few weeks.

Specializes in Pediatric, LTC , Alzheimers, Behavioral.

Fresh out of school I worked with special needs kids. I loved, loved, loved working with them. I got experience in trachs, tubes and tempers!! LOL But unfortunatly the politics got to be so overwhelming I had to leave for my own sanity. I ended up in LTC. I love the residents, it's like having a hundred grandparents. But why oh why can't people treat each other as they would want to be treated. I feel as though I am back in kindergarten again. It's always have you heard the latest rumor about so and so or the attitudes of the long term CNA's who have it in their heads that they are in charge. It was always my dream to work in the ER but as a LPN I don't have that option. And at my age it will never be.

Specializes in ICU, CVICU, Surgical, LTAC.

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Fresh out of school I worked with special needs kids. I loved, loved, loved working with them. I got experience in trachs, tubes and tempers!! LOL But unfortunatly the politics got to be so overwhelming I had to leave for my own sanity. I ended up in LTC. I love the residents, it's like having a hundred grandparents. But why oh why can't people treat each other as they would want to be treated. I feel as though I am back in kindergarten again. It's always have you heard the latest rumor about so and so or the attitudes of the long term CNA's who have it in their heads that they are in charge. It was always my dream to work in the ER but as a LPN I don't have that option. And at my age it will never be.
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You just finished LPN school not too long ago right? Why not go back for your ASN? Never say never as it is NEVER to ate to fulfill a dream. I realize i am only 28 but in my graduating class, more than half were in their 50s. There are numerous discussions on here regarding other nurses that began their careers later in life. Oh and LPNs are knowledgable and important assets to healthcare! I started out as an LPN and did the same things as the RN. The fact that LPNs are banned to work in certain areas is ridiculous. Anyway just my two cents, but please don't think you are too old to give up on your dream!

Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

I have worked in all areas of nursing : Med surg, ED, ICU, Psych, Management. I loved them all for different reasons. Right now I work med surg and I never thought I would ever go back to working med surg. But I really enjoy it now. Patients are sick, and I love the people I work with. I am busy but not running like I was in the ED. But if I had to pick, working in the ED was my all time favorite job. I worked in a huge county level one trauma center (Ben Taub) in Houston and I could not wait to get to work every day. At the time I worked there, in the early 80's we had almost no equipment and it was like practicing third world medicine. I learned so much and saw diseases there that I would have never seen anywhere else. It was wonderful. Best job I ever had. I recommend that all nurses get some experience at a large inner city hospital if they have the opportunity because there is nothing like it. Once you get this experience, you will never be afraid of anything ever again.

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