When did you figure out your specialty?

Nurses General Nursing

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Just out of curiosity, how long did you guys take until you found your specialty? And what was your specialty you chose.

I want to be a NP someday and I was thinking about how long I should work as an RN before I began to apply for grad school.

There is the old line that when men make plans the gods laugh. Your note gave me a chuckle, too.

I did critical care for a looong time and loved it, went to grad school for it. I taught students and was a clinical specialist, and loved that. Then circumstances landed me in field case management for work comp insurance, and I loved that. Then I did a few other things, and I loved them. Now I'm an independent business owner and nursing consultant, and I love that.

Moral of the story-- don't think it's all going to be a straight line, never turn down an opportunity to learn something new, and get all the education you can because eventually you'll use all of it. Do what looks good at the time, but don't be too surprised to be...surprised.

The first semester of nursing school I did a "day with the wound care nurse." I knew by the end of that day that wounds were my calling. I did my two years med surg to get a foundation and managed to get in part time at a wound care center. Last week I got my Wound Care Certfication and hope to be a full time wound care nurse soon.

Specializes in ICU.

I realized in nsg school that I wanted to take care of the sickest of the sick- I now work in a high-acuity ICU and LOVE it!! When I go back to school it will be for my ACNP (ANP?). I want to stay in the ICUs as an NP:)

My specialty is the NICU. I knew it was right place for me the first time I set foot on the unit during my OB clinical rotation. I knew wanted to be a nurse since I was 5 yrs. old and alway new I wanted to work with kids/ babies. I am a May 2012 new grad and am lucky to be working in my specialty.

Specializes in ED.

I knew after my first clinical day in the ED that emergency medicine was where I needed to be. Graduate in December and was offered a job in the ED at a local hospital a few weeks ago :)

I love love love all of your stories!! Love nursing because the possibilities are literally endless.

I love the idea about shadowing a nurse. I'll have to try that over my breaks to see if this will help me find my niche. I also absolutely agree that it's not just a straight line, my end goal is to be a NP partnered up with an MD or DO and have a family practice.

To one of the previous posters, what is an independent nursing consultant?

What do you all suggest new grads that want to be a NP? Work a few years as an RN then apply. Apply immediately after I graduate to grad school while getting experience as an RN.

Thank you for all of your contributions!!

I've known what area I want to work in since I was 15. ER is where I ultimately want to end up due to pt turnover. My mum is a med/surg nurse at a private hospital and the stories she tells me just make me more sure. I want to be able to see myself in 10yrs still enjoying my job

An independent nursing consultant can be many things to many people. I mostly consult to the legal world on nursing and medical matters, doing chart reviews to help attorneys understand what they say and mean, serving as an expert witness on nursing standards of care if they are applicable in a case, and preparing and critiquing life care plans. These folks want nursing expertise and sometimes are astonished to hear what we come up with. I could tell you stories of cases that were thought to be open-and-shut and turned out to be something entirely different (usually much bigger) once a nurse got into the records and read them ... I also know how to look up the applicable resources (like Medicare rules for patient safety), actual costs of goods and services, and so forth; sometimes it's even important to know they exist.

You would have to have a very solid and extensive nursing background to do this sort of work-- it's totally not something I could have done as a fresh-faced mid-twenty-something, or even a thirty-something. Now, though, with mumblemumble years since I graduated from college I have done a lot and seen a lot more. So it's understandable that I can be of use to someone who really needs clarity on the issues to make decisions, whether it's how to proceed in a legal case (plaintiff or defense) or how to plan to make the money last in a trust case.

If this looks like something you want to think about when you have some gray hair, look up certified nurse life care planning (CNLCP), legal nurse consulting (LNCC), and insurance case management.

Specializes in Obstetrics.

I can't remember a time that I DIDN'T want to work in OB. And since I've been there, I cannot imagine a better place. It is so fulfilling to teach new parents how to care for their new baby and believe it or not, there are challenges as more mom's come in sicker. So I just love the stereotypes OB nurses get, that we don't do anything. @@ I love my job and couldn't ask for anything better.

Specializes in ICU.
Ha! I say the same about peds. I would give up my license if peds was the only option. That's the great thing about nursing. There is something for everyone :)

Me too! I am NOT a kid person

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