Best Nursing Careers for Book Smart/Intellectual People?

Career Columnist / Author · Mar 18, 2019

You don't say how long you've been in OR but you may need more time.

Framing this as the old "book-smart" vs "practical smart" type of nurse is not helpful. It's not either/or, most likely your skills will round out with experience.

Another thing is the commitment- OR is not a choice to be taken lightly as it is highly specialized and they will invest heavily in you. Although I'm not sure what "interning" in the OR means- is that a clinical rotation or an orientation?

Again, don't pigenhole yourself because you are smart. Focus on all your strengths. Do you like teaching others, do you love people, do you enjoy the challenge of juggling many things at once, or do you prefer one task at a time?

Reading your post again, I want to ask- have you considered ICU?

Best wishes.

guest833402 · Mar 22, 2019

Hi Nurse Beth,

I am 4 months into a 9 month internship. At the end of the 9 months the plan is for me to work on my own without a preceptor. It was supposed to be a 12 month internship but corporate is looking to "save money" and shortened the length of the program. I enjoy it and intend to finish. However, I am afraid of being cut from the program. Corporate is really cracking down to "save money" and constantly looking at all of the interns performance evaluations. If they feel that an intern is not progressing quickly enough they will be dismissed. My preceptor is very knowledgeable but very strict as well. For everything I do right she puts the focus on what I do wrong. She said I am doing well and that as I achieve more she will push harder and harder. I am fine with this and am not afraid of hard work, but am terrified by what corporate will do if my eval is less than perfect. Maybe I am just being too hard on myself but I am trying to mentally develop a backup plan in the event this doesn't work out. I am the type of person who would like to do one thing at a time rather than juggling multiple tasks, but I don't think this is possible in nursing ? I am a perfectionist have have been told that this slows down my efficiency at times. Working in ICU was actually going to be my back up plan if I wasn't accepted into the internship, but understaffing is a HUGE problem at all of our local hospitals. I looked into work from home nursing jobs at insurance companies but had no idea where to begin or how to get my foot in the door. Then the OR internship came up and I was one of the few people selected from a pool of applicants. I really do enjoy the OR but am not sure how secure my position is, although I intend to stay as long as they are willing to keep me! Thank you for your reply!

Career Columnist / Author · Mar 22, 2019

Corporate reductions in work force cause so much insecurity.

You were one of the few people selected for the internship.

Your are doing well (according to your preceptor).

You can only control yourself and not what may or may not happen.

Best wishes ?