Best area to learn the most?

[elsabelles]

Hi everyone. At my school we get to pick an area to work in for our last clinical experience. We have all sorts of options (ER, ICUs, other critical care areas, community, labor/delivery, oncology, cardiac, neuro, psych...), but I am having trouble deciding what would be best in terms of getting as much experience as possible (without killing myself with stress) before going into the real world. I'm thinking the ICU might be interesting, but again, I don't know if it would be too much (then again, we'll still be students so I don't know how much we'll actually be allowed to do). Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[vashtee, RN]

I would choose an area that you might eventually consider working in. I just finished my ICU rotation, and I enjoyed it.

[RN4Little1s]

You will learn a lot no matter which area you choose! If you are interested in a specific area, especially one that has fewer job openings than others, choose it so you have experience to talk about in your interviews at hospital positions! If you think L&D is your thing, do it so you have a leg up on everyone else! Or maybe there is something you THINK you like, but didn't get enough of in school to be sure. Rather than starting your first job and hating it, choose that so you can find out now!

[NursKris82]

I agree with the others- if you know what you might want to go into, get a head start this semester. if you're just looking for experience or are not sure where you want to go yet, I'd say ER or ICU, you'll learn so much.

[go mizzou]

i am in my last semester of my adn program and am doing a preceptorship in the er at my local hospital. i have learned so much. i have gotten to do numerous ivs, lab draws, catheters, assist docs with sutures, fractures, colds, chest pains, and the list goes on and on! i suggest doing clinicals somewhere where you might want to work when you are finished. good luck!