I've heard lots of nurses say (on here and ones I know in real life), to not pick a specialty before going to nursing school. That you will likely change your mind what you want to do. But I'm curious, how many of you that are current nurses, decided to go to nursing school because you were interested in only one or two specialties? Did you end up changing your mind at all? Do you think it is a bad idea to only want to do one thing? If you didn't change your mind, did you end up with your dream job? How long did it take?
I am finishing my prereqs now, and applying to nursing school in the fall. But I'm having doubts. The reason I want to go to nursing school is to work in the NICU. I never considered it before I learned what it was. There are a few other areas I can maybe see myself working in, but there are many more areas I don't see myself wanting to be in. I don't want to limit myself of course, but I am afraid of going to school, taking a spot from someone else, and not getting that dream job. Being miserable as a nurse. I have no problem working in Med Surg, a nursing home, or any other area for a few years (I did work in a nursing home as a CNA), as long as I know I will eventually end up with a job I love. I'm just wondering how realistic that dream is.
So I just want to hear from other nurses that were once in my shoes. Was it worth it going to nursing school, learning and working in other areas that maybe you didn't enjoy as much? Because you eventually got that job that you love and couldn't imagine doing anything else. Or do you regret going to nursing school?
Nursing was a second career for me and I thought I'd love L&D. I worked in a rural setting where you do everything - ER, L&D, med-surg, CCU, Pre-op and Post-op, baby nurse for cesareans.
I did that for 9 years and then . . . . wanted out. Especially from L&D.
Your interests will change over time - that's true. I love going on medical missions and have been to Vietnam twice with a group of docs/nurses/pharmacists/lab techs . . . . wonderful experiences.
I worked in animal medicine as an RVT in a specialty of surgery/ PACU for 8 yrs prior to going to school for human nursing. I loved what I did and thought I would do the same thing as an RN. Unfortunately it didn't transfer through. I felt defeated and depressed, so I took what ever came along. I have been an RN for 5 years and recently started working in a Same Day surgery dept. I finally feel at home and happy. It took awhile to move to this area. If your interested in an area stick to your goals and hopefully you will achieve it. Strategically take jobs that bring you closer to your goal
Anyone who has ever taught student nurses knows that no matter what they think, and no matter how much they've been CNAs in whatever setting, they have no functional clues about the actual world of working as nurses even though they are sure they know what they want to be when they grow up. Twenty-plus years ago, 90% or my students were sure they would be "mother-baby" or pedi nurses, because that's all they had personal experience with. They were shocked when they learned they would do rotations in all specialties, and that most of them would not be getting peds jobs. Of course, if 90% of all nursing school grads were in peds/OB, the vast majority of hospitalized patients would be screwed. Well, when you put it that way, then ...
Now they all want to go to ICU/critical care/NICU, most with the goal of working for a year and then going to NP or CRNA school. Right. And their competition will be people who have worked in ICU or PACU for ten or more years and actually know what they're doing in those areas. Same outcome.
Ahem. Listen up. Since just about all of those folks who all wanted to be (something) are NOT doing that now, what does that tell you? Personally, I think there are a few lessons to learn:
1) There's an excellent chance you'll fall in love with something else, either in school or in your early years of practice.
2) There's an excellent chance that you will not be able to find anything like your dreeeeeaaaammmmmm job when you graduate from school, especially if you aspire to a specialty area where your competition is going to be experienced RNs with applicable skills
3) There's an excellent chance in many parts of the country that you won't get any job at all, and you'll take anything you can get, any unit, any shift, any work at all
4) You can, if you've a mind to, decide that you are so special that none of this will apply to you. Like nobody else ever did. Unique. Just like everybody else. That will probably slow you down and set you up for disappointment and a feeling of failure.
Life happens. You never know what you'll be doing in your future. I was dead certain sure I'd be one of them newfangled pediatric nurse practitioners, which was a brand new role when I was in school. But then the week before graduation, we moved across the country with my husband's job. I took a job in ... a PACU. Did that for a year, liked it, got recruited by the ICU head nurse who saw me often bringing patients to her (yeah, in that PACU we kept them til they were stable. Sometimes that took 24hours...) All set to do that.... moved again. Took a job in a stepdown unit, lasted 6 weeks, transferred to a real hotshot med-surg-cardiac surg ICU, did transplants, transport, field ICU with the paramedics... Loved it. 5 years. Moved again. Grad school in CV nursing/physiology... divorced. Well, at least I didn't have to move again. :) Took a job teaching students, loved it. Five years. Fell in love, moved cross country again, critical care clinical specialist, six years, loved it. RIFfed out of that, went to work comp case management (huh?), loved it, never went back to critical care. Now I have my own business as a consultant, and I love that.
See how far that is from pedi nurse practitioner? And see how some of these jobs didn't even exist when I graduated from college? And yet, here I am. Loving it.
It's good to have a goal, and to follow a path. But never fail to use your peripheral vision, because you never know what might happen to take you off that path, and you need to be ready to see what's out there that you might pursue and love.
I personally tell people not to get to attached to a specialty before school or even during and right after because of two reasons: 1) It may prevent you from seeing how another specialty could be right or interesting for you, and 2) when people put blinders on and only want to work in one area and then find out they in fact hate it they get these crisis of faith. I think it sets people up to have problems. Its great to know what areas you (general you not just OP) are interested in, but don't marry yourself to just one.
Specializes in ER, STICU, Neuro ICU, PACU, Burn ICU.
Adult Critical Care for me and I've had a number of great jobs over the years. That's the beauty of nursing..always new challenges. Can't say I've ever had my "Dream" job though. I'm not sure what that would be. (BTW, I DO know what my nightmare RN job would be I'll bet we all do.
I went into school with the intention of becoming an ER nurse. I was lucky enough to have found a job that hired me as a new grad in an ER, so I really did land in the cream there...however, it must also be said that I had a leg up because I was in EMS for a while before going to nursing school.
And really, for most of the rotations it was a matter of just putting my head down and pushing through. Couldn't stand med-surg and the preceptors I had (usually miserable and bad mouthing things or just forgetting everything), peds was so-so (but that was more because the patients I had were never in their rooms since their parents were always taking them out to do things around the hospital), L+D was thankfully over quickly because I was climbing the walls when I was assigned to the post-partum unit. Psych, once I got to that rotation, was fun and I know that if I ever have to leave the ER, then I'll try to go there.
Looking back, I will also admit that part of my problem with my rotations is that I was being told to observe more than do. The things that I could do I had down cold because it was, essentially, the same things that I did pre-hospital. I was never given the opportunity to do things that only nurses do. And for a lot of the preceptors it felt, to me, that it was easier to simply have the nursing student shadow them instead of actually doing things. I don't blame them for that - if I screwed up, it was their license and job on the line - but at the same time I would have loved to have been able to go around and do a set of vitals. Give meds. Do a full assessment. That sort of thing.
I went into nursing wanting a decent paying job to support my family.
I worked as a CNA on Orthopedics during nursing school but floated through many adult areas.
As a nurse, I currently work ICU & ambulatory surgery. I have also worked med-surg and ER.
In school, I thought I'd be an ER nurse but I found by the time I got there, I'd changed as a person and I wanted different accomplishments as a nurse. I tried it because my hubby said I'd always regret NOT trying it out so I did and found it wasn't right for me anymore.
It's good to have an ideal type of nursing while in school, but realize real world nursing may not live up to your ideal and you may have to move around a bit before you find an area you like. Also new grads can't always afford to be as picky in this job market initially.
I think especially as a new grad that it is very helpful to be open to a range of possibilities. That is NOT at all to say that you shouldn't have ideas about where your niche will be, but I feel that as a new grad having supportive coworkers and a unit with a strong core staff/welcoming vibe/reasonable staffing ratios can be most important. There is no point in getting your heart set on a specialty to the point that you ignore other downsides of a specialty/area. For what it's worth, me and my two best friends from nursing school have all landed in and continued to work in specialities that are different from what we envisioned and had some great experiences.
Lots of great advice and stories, thanks so much for sharing! I'm sure I'll change a lot in nursing school, and out in the real world. I was mostly curious how often people go in, knowing what they want to do, and don't change their minds. Or if it was more common to either not know, or to fall in love with a different specialty.
Most nurses I know had an idea what they wanted to do but due to life, family responsibilities, things not being as rosy as they thought they have changed positions many times. When I decided to become a nurse I planned on working pediatrics. After my peds rotation I decided no way. All those sick, hurting kids broke my heart. My sr. yr I realized the only rotation I even remotely enjoyed was OB and I LOVED it so I figured that's where I'd go and stay. I put in my 6 month required med-surg rotation when an OB job opened up. We live in a small area so we had to cross train between L&D, post-partum, and nursery. While I loved nursery, I was bored the post-partum days and completely stressed the L&D days because there was usually only one or two of us for L&D with 4-5 patients each (not including the babies). I felt unsafe. Plus I was being asked to work over several times a week and they tried to call me in almost every day I had off. I left the hospital and got a school nurse job. The hours and stress much better but I missed the excitement of the hospital. After a few years of that I left to stay home and raise my own babies. When I returned to nursing after many years I tried out the OR (hated it) and med-surg/oncology which I was suprised to find I enjoyed. I always said I would never work in oncology because it seemed so depressing but those were some of the sweetest, most grateful patients I've ever had. I decided to go back to school nursing because my kids missed me too much working the 12 hr shifts since I rarely got home before their bedtime. It's much better hours, much easier on my back, and I enjoy working with kids who are for the most part healthy. Time will only tell if I stay here once my kids are out of the house though!
I'll bet we all do.
PurpleLover
443 Posts
I went in knowing my heart was in the ER,but accepting that i would have to do other areas before making it to the ER.