Can you work two different nursing fields at the same time

[Madeleine123]

Hello everyone, I am sorry in advance if this is a stupid question but I am wondering for the future if I would be able to work two different nursing fields at the same time. Both part-time or one full time one per diem. I want to know this because ever since I was young I have wanted to work for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and want to be able to build my resume as much as I can so I can apply as soon as possible. I want to have experience in many fields so I can have a better chance of getting accepted. It's stated that you need 3 years professional experience in the position you are applying for on the MSF website. I have always been extremely interested in pediatric, neonatal, hiv/aids, and emergency nursing. These are all nursing fields MSF looks for. But lately I have been reading all nurses should start off in med surg. And that the fields I mentioned are very hard to get into. So is it possible for me to work maybe med surg and one of the fields mentioned above (I know neonatal is extremely hard to get into so I don't mean that one). And then maybe after doing med surg for awhile I can branch off to another field. Thank you.

[klone, MSN, RN]

I think it's easier to do if you work at a smaller hospital where nurses often get floated around to other units due to census.

In my unit (OB/L&D) I have a nurses who are trained in:

ICU

Med/Surg

Wound care

ED

Urology

Radiology

[cleback]

It's possible but for higher acuity areas you will probably have to start full time/near full time to gain competence. But you may be able, after some experience, to switch to full time er/neonatal/etc and keep your medsurg job prn.

[Crush]

I did case management ( FT ) and LTC ( per diem ) at the same time.

As a new grad, I would suggest at least 6mo to 1 yr full time in med-surg to build up skills & confidence and then maybe do part time med surg and part time in a different area. But that is just my opinion. I have seen some new grads go into a specialty cause they knew that is where they wanted to be and they did fine, but that is a case by case basis and is certainly not the norm.