BSN with PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences .

Ddestiny, BSN, RN · Jul 29, 2018

OP, you sound like a planner. I definitely appreciate the "security" of thinking that I have my career trajectory planned out. However, it so rarely works out that way, especially over a number of years.

I didn't get a job in my specialty of choice after school (psych) and was initially pretty devastated. I felt it would set back my "plan" of spending so many years at the bedside while eventually moving to becoming a PMHNP. I decided to start in Med-Surg after getting my RN to get a breadth of experience and to get myself into the hospital setting (I'd worked primary care as an LPN). After a couple of years on that floor I was feeling stagnant and it made me open to a specialty I had never even considered -- Critical Care. It scared the **** out of me in school. But I've now been working there for a year and I *love* it. At this time in life, I don't see me wanting to change specialties again.

My point here is... us planners can sometimes get so caught up in our plans and wanting to reach the next goal that we don't stop and pay attention to the journey along the way. You may get your preferred specialty out of school and hate it, or you might find yourself drawn to something else. Or maybe things will follow your current plans -- who knows? It's too early to say. It's nice to have ideas, but don't lock yourself into a mindset that you MUST do x,y,z... Get through school, get that first job, get through that tough first year and re-evaluate where life has taken you in that time. You might be surprised where you end up. I know I definitely am!

aedic002 · Jul 29, 2018

Thanks for that piece of advice..I would thread carefully..one step at a time..thank you.