Area/speciality with most "knowledge"

mom23RN · Apr 10, 2006

I would think personally it would be ER. You can see geriatric, peds, sports injuries, heart defects, specialty diseases, lots of codes. The range is amazing. You literally could see almost every single thing you could ever imagine (oh.... btw... can you tell I was an ER nurse). :lol2:

suzanne4, RN · Apr 10, 2006

Truthfully? All areas of nursing. You should be learning something new on a daily basis. There are always new diseases and issues to learn about, a new procedure to see.

Consider yourself a sponge, just happy to soak everything up.

SmilingBluEyes · Apr 10, 2006

Be careful or this will turn into an all-out argument and nobody wins. No speciality knows it all, that much is clear.

Katnip, RN · Apr 10, 2006

All areas require that you keep up. New things come out everyday in every specialty. Just when you think you've seen it all something new and different will pop up.

New drugs are coming out all the time, as well as new treatments.

I think the challenge depends on your personality. Some nurses just learn the basics and don't stretch themselves. Others will stretch themselves to learn more and more about their chosen specialty. It's up to you to make the most of your job.

Trauma Columnist · Apr 10, 2006

I think Cyberkat has hit it on the head: it depends on your personality. There are areas where you will find your "fit." THat is where it will be most challenging for you. Good luck in school.

Gompers, BSN, RN · Apr 10, 2006

I think the challenge depends on your personality. Some nurses just learn the basics and don't stretch themselves. Others will stretch themselves to learn more and more about their chosen specialty. It's up to you to make the most of your job.

I think that's a great way of putting it. There is always something new to learn in every specialty. The medical field is always evolving. There are always nursing conferences and seminars to go to, journals to read, inservices to attend, certifications to obtain...

At least once a shift, I hear a coworker say, "Hmmm...learn something new every day!"

Some nurses choose to change their specialty several times during their career, and these nurses challenge themselves and gain so much knowledge as they learn each new specialty.

Other nurse find a niche and stay there for their entire nursing careers, and make it a point to become an expert in their field.

Nursing is never boring, you will always be learning, and your career is what you make of it.

passing thru · Apr 10, 2006

From experience, I would say a cardiovascular intensive care unit. I spent 9 years in one and learned more than one thing , EVERY DAY I WORKED !

RN34TX · Apr 10, 2006

Some nurses choose to change their specialty several times during their career, and these nurses challenge themselves and gain so much knowledge as they learn each new specialty.

That's a great way of putting it.

I've switched around so much that I'm starting to feel like a jack of all trades and a master of none.

LTC, respiratory, med/surg, tele, MICU, SICU, and now PACU.

I'm a little jealous of my co-workers who stay put in one area and really grow into expertise because I never stay in one area long enough to be an expert in any of them.

sweetcheekers · Apr 11, 2006

I think all areas of nursing supply nurses with ample opportunities to learn all the time, especially considering that the field we work in changes all the time. If a person does not want to always be learning this is the wrong field. As for your question, I guess it depends on wether you desire to know one particular area inside and out so you develop an expertise in just that specific area, or are you more interested in developing diverse knowledge that is perhaps not so in depth, but that covers vast amounts of territory. If you want to be diverse and know a little bit (okay maybe the phrase "a little bit" is underestimating it, but relatively speaking) about all kinds health issues I'd say go for ER first, Med-surg would be second. If you want to be an expert in an area go into a specialty area such as a cardiac floor or dialysis, OB, etc. I was once told that rural nurses get razzed about not being exposed to the "big city" hospital life so some think we are less as nurses. However, the nurse that told me this was a rural nurse who now runs an ER quite nicely. She said that rural hospitals provided her with great experience because she knows so much about all kinds of diseases and injuries. There were no specialty floors so as a nurse in a rural hospital she saw it all and had to do it all. In larger hospitals nurses on specialty floors don't have the opportunity to become as diverse unless they change areas from time to time. So, think about your goals and find what fits best with what you aspire to.

HappyNurse2005, RN · Apr 11, 2006

but what area of nursing (as an RN-BSN) do you think requires the most knowledge about many things

First of all, the BSN doesn't really factor into it, b/c in the real world it won't matter if you are ADN or BSN as far as what you learn each day.

I think it depends. You can't really say for sure where you'll learn hte most every day. It all depends on you, too, how much you seek out learning experiences. True, in the ED you see a little of everything (more so if at a large hospital) but you have to know a little bit about a lot of things. Since you get rid of the pt fairly quickly, you don't really delve too deeply into each condition (no offense to ER nurses). SO you do get a more broad base in ED.

As far as other specialties, for ex, mine is cardiac. I don't just see cardiac. you have to factor in the other medical conditions of hte pt. I've had (besides all my cardiac pt's)hip fracture pt's (went into afib after surgery), gi bleeds, alzheimers, iv drug abuse, cancer, bipolar disorder, depression, CVA, codependency,rib fractures, wound infections, renal failure, alcoholism, peg tubes, vents, copd, pneumonia, etc etc etc. It's never just one thing when in a specialty area, so you must consider that, too.

In peds, you'd get quite a varied exp too, b/c although the pt's are all under 18, they have medical conditions of all body systems.

so, if you truly wish to, you'll learn something new every day no matter where you are.

SFCardiacRN · Apr 11, 2006

I like the constantly changing technology of the OR but I must say I am greatly impressed with the knowledge base of cardiac ICU nurses. Oh, and don't forget the variety of ER and the Independence of home health nursing. And the challenges of telephone triage or the satisfaction of OB/L&D. Teaching must also require a lot of knowledge as well as administration and legal nursing. Cripes, I guess this doesn't help the OP, sorry.