Choosing the best specialty

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recently I have an increased desire to choose a nursing specialty. I have been a medical surgical nurse for four years and spent 5 1/2 years as a physical therapist assistant . I have been looking at a couple of different positions one is a nurse training program for labor and delivery and the other is a surgical nurse training program. Both sound fascinating to me. Any suggestions on which specialty I should choose and why.
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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

That is an exciting choice. The two areas share some similarities - e.g, mastery of 'sterile' task performance & principles of sterility; caring for patients undergoing anesthesia, etc.... but in my experience, the 'rhythm' is very different.

Peri-operative areas are much more structured & regimented (thank heavens they ARE, I don't want anyone getting creative if I'm on that table); there is more predictability in your work. The OR is a very controlled environment. I'm not saying that the unexpected does not happen once in a while, but if it does, there's always a protocol to handle it.

OB, by nature is an emotional setting. Bringing new life into the world should never be a 'ho-hum' activity. You deal with much more family involvement - sometimes a whole LOTTA family simultaneously, including Daddy/Spouse/SO in the delivery room videoing everything & occasionally passing out. Despite modern obstetrical technology, there is just more unpredictability in the birth process. In settings without OB-hospitalists, the L&D nurse has a huge level of accountability during the "L" - and sometimes has to cope with precip "D's" as well. I believe that L&D is still the most litigious specialty area..... if you work there, chances are you will eventually be caught up in a lawsuit.

Ultimately, depends on what floats your boat. The two areas have so many skills in common - especially if the OB nurses scrub in on C-sections - that transition from one to the other is not uncommon. So - your choice does not have to be a career-long commitment .... you can always switch later on.

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