After graduation should i start off in med surg or go straight in to OB?

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I'm a junior nursing student and have been thinking about my next move after graduation. I have been thinking about going into OB nursing but i have been told by a few experienced nurses that it is best to gain all experience in med surg first then move into my specilaty of interest. I would love to work in all phases of OB and even be able to work in labor and delivery. I'm afraid that if I go straight into OB nusring I would be missing out on all of the general skills and experieces of med surg. What do you suggest is my best move?

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I'm less than a year out, but I firmly believe that if you know what you want to work in, go for it. If there are "general" skills that you need in OB, you can pick them up in OB. If there's are skills that you would gather from med-surg that you wouldn't from OB, well, you don't need them for what you want to do. And if you really feel that you need some med-surg experience, work PRN for a med-surg area.

Don't work a job you don't want unless you have to! Good luck in your decision!

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I agree with DEgalRN, go for what you want. Each unit incorporates med-surg-like skills that every single nurse WILL pick up. I know of many of my friends who started off in med-surg and were not allow to switch to a specialty unit and this is at the same hospital! They were stuck in med-surg :(

In this economy, nurses do not have the luxury of moving from one unit to a different type of unit. It just takes too much time and money to train a nurse for a CN II position. They would rather hire someone with experiences on that specific unit.

Probably 10 years ago, it would have been ok to start off at med-surg, but not now. Follow your heart because you know yourself the best. Gluck!

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Thank you for telling her to go after her heart. I so needed to hear this! I am a new grad & I am applying for jobs I want to do. I have 10 years of Mother/Baby Lactation experience & seriously, I do not want to work med surg! I feel like I have worked to HARD to take a job, I really do not want to do!! I know jobs are seriously hard to come by & if months pass & I can not get that mother/baby job, I may consider med surg, but why not start off know what is in my heart?? Anyway, it was nice to see encouragement to do so!!!

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really? apply for every job you can see. i'd say go for the ob job if it presents itself, but in the present market if somebody offers you a med-surg job (or any job) take it in a heartbeat and thank your lucky stars for the opportunity.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

In this market you apply for everything and take the job that gets offered to you if you are smart.

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You may not have the luxury of picking between a medical floor and OB. If you do get offered an OB position I would take it over med-surge. Med-surge is nothing like OB and you don't need the knowledge of that kind of pt population to work with OB pts. Where I work med-surge is all elderly, COPDer's, sickle cell crisis, mental status change, dehydration, diabetes, etc.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.
You may not have the luxury of picking between a medical floor and OB. If you do get offered an OB position I would take it over med-surge. Med-surge is nothing like OB and you don't need the knowledge of that kind of pt population to work with OB pts. Where I work med-surge is all elderly, COPDer's, sickle cell crisis, mental status change, dehydration, diabetes, etc.

Actually lots of women with the above conditions and more have babies these days. As an OB nurse, you have to take care of all of those things PLUS the fact that they are having a baby.

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