med/surg- do I have to?

Some nurses actually never work in med-surg. LTC is essentially a med-surg practice. You will still get plenty of experience...........

Do what you want and don't let the others pressure you. I also never wanted the hospital experience and I have friends that would not work anywhere else but a hospital. I received a lot of pressure from other nurses to work med-surg. I almost faltered but new deep down I knew that I belonged in geriatrics. The good thing about nursing is there are so many different areas that one can choose from. Many LTC care facilities have more acute care now. So you can get the IV, trach, vent, peritoneal dialysis experience and much more depending on what facility you choose to apply. Good luck in whatever choice you make.

I'm assuming that your classmates are all LPN's working in Med/Surg which is fine for them but not necessary.
If they aren't LPN's, then what kind of experience and skills are they talking about since they have none and will be working as RN's after graduating just like you? Some may already be CNA's but you'd still be way ahead of them as far as skills and experience goes as an LPN in LTC.
Your classmates are probably not the best people to be seeking advice from since they are in the same boat as you. You need to talk to experienced practicing RN's, maybe some who were LPN's first like you and some who didn't do anything healthcare related before getting their RN and find out how they felt as new nurses and if working Med/Surg was that important but I don't see why it would be. And if the hospital stresses you out so much then why would you want to do it after RN school? There's more out there than acute Med/Surg, you don't ever have to do it at any point in your career if you really don't want to.
Plus if the LTC pays better, that can be a big factor when trying to go to school and support yourself. You need the most money with the least hours so you can devote more time to study.

My instructor said you will use ALL YOUR SKILLS in LTC.

-Deb

To be sure you will use SOME skills in LTC. but is is misleading to say that you will get the same broad based experience in LTC as you would being a floor nurse in an acute Med/Surg environment. A hospital is the best teaching ground for a new nurse as you will see a number of different patients in various stages of recovery. Chest tubes, drains, A/V fistulas, peritoneal dialysis, COPD, CHF, CABG, telemetry,etc. Additionally you will talk to physicians on a regular basis regarding their patients and you will overcome that anxiety that every new nurse has regarding that late night call to the DR.. Anyway for me I coudnt envision any other environment and I think you should weigh all your options but dont overlook the hospital.