Experienced RN's questions re: RN students

[SAHMStudent]

This is just my curiosity after 1. 125 semesters of nursing school and a few rotations to different areas of nursing and some specialties (Geri, OB, PACU, Tele, Med/Surg)..... how often do you see students salivate over your job and say they can't wait to graduate and want to work in..............?

Conversely, do any admit to never wanting to do your job (seriously is anyone that dumb as to verbalize this?) or any other area of nursing?

I want to ask my nurses I follow, but really don't want to harass them with irrelevant questions. So I'll do it here

I'm especially interested in OB nurses response, as I have heard other working RN's (and instructors) say they lie to having ever done OB so as to not be floated there. It seems more than any other area, OB is a love it/hate it, drag me kicking and screaming specialty.

Obviously I'm green so, this could all be in my head....

[XingtheBBB, BSN, RN]

In various specialties I've heard students say they aren't interested. No biggie, just don't pull an attitude about it. When I had students observe in the OR I like to know what they were interested in. I could always find something relevant to their interest.

The only time I was offended... in peds, when I was trying to reassure a baby who I just started an IV on. Student says (in a superior tone mind you, not an aww poor baby tone) "I could never be a peds nurse. I LIKE kids too much". Yeah, hun, I hate them. That's why I poke them with needles. For fun. Whatever.

Of course, I rolled my eyes at all the gushing "oooh, I can't wait to graduate. I want to work in peds. You get to play with the cute babies!" One of them was hired in my hospital, floated to peds one shift. I pointed out that there was a peds opening but she already figured out it wasn't all sunshine and itsy-bitsy-spiders.

Take home message- have an idea what the specialty is about before you declare your intents. Feel free to say, "Hey, this looks intersting. I really don't know much about your job though." "Is this a typical day? Do you love it? I wonder if it might be for me." "I'm fascinated by what I'm seeing. I could see myself working here". etc.

[mustlovepoodles, RN]

I had a wonderful instructor for OB and he played a huge part in my choice to go into L&D. I loved helping women laboy and deliver, but this was back in the bad old days when everyone got scopalamine and fathers weren't allowed to be in the labor room. After two years of trying to change the system, I had to leave. I felt like I was violating families every day.

I had a terrible, frightening experience in my psych rotation. We did our psych in an old state hospital. It still had large open wards, open showers(*so anyone could see in), no patient privacy. They didn't keep violent patients separately, so you would really taking your chances every day when they locked us in the unit. The nurses made fun of the patients and often pitted them against each other for their own amusement. I was horrified and scared out of my mind!*I was only 18.) I went to my instructor and just spilled my guts. She was equally horrified and it wasn't long until we were all moved to a private psych hospital. I don't know what ever happened to the patients at the state hospital, but I can tell you this--I would have killed myself if I ever had to be incarcerated there!