Did you already know that area of nursing you wanted to be in before graduation?

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When you were in nursing school, did you already know what area of nursing you wanted to work in before you got your adn/bsn? And how did you decided what area you wanted to work in?

thanks.

Specializes in Psych.

Yes, I had lots of good ideas when I graduated. Here's what's cool about finishing NS: you get to pick what you study next. (And they'll pay you to learn!)

I am interested in PACU, hospice, NICU, women's health and I adore Med/Surg. Give me an area with a lot of teaching and I am a happy little clam. My starter nursing job is in Psych. I am loving it way more than I expected and I am learning tons. I did not love my psych rotation in school and thought it would be too emotionally draining. I've landed in an acute facility and it's so much better than the long term facility where I had my clinicals. The moral of my story is keep the ideas you gained in school, but be open to learning wherever they will hire you. :)

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Specializes in Orthopedics.

I knew which areas of nursing I preferred when I graduated, but we were recommended to get general med/surg experience before going into a very specific area. Some nurses I graduated took that advice, while others knew they wanted to be in NICU or OR and went for a job there straight after getting their RN.

It really depends on what you're interested in :) If you don't have general med/surg experience or didn't get much as a tech/during nursing school--go for it! It's a great opportunity to see lots of different things on the floor. From there, you can really branch out anywhere--cardiac, psych, LTC, hospice, ICU/CCU....

So many options, right? I'm still working my first year and thinking of all the possibilities is making my head spin. But I'm thankful for the opportunities that nursing has ;)

Good luck, take your time deciding where you would like to go and have fun :heartbeat

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