what field

[aboykin]

i am just starting nursing school and i am not sure where to start. i kinda want to work in neonatal but if it does not make enough money then i want to change. i just want to know what is the best field to go into. as far as pay and stress and availability. i dont want to hear about how i shouldnt look for money and i should do what i want. i know that and i dont need a lecture. i have struggled to make it through life since i was 12 and refuse to continue to do so once i graduate. so yes money is a major factor. so if someone has any advice for me please respond, all others please keep it moving.

[ILOVEnrsg2]

To be honest, right now (if you're graduating within the next 2-3 years), it's taking whatever job you can get. The market for new grads is not looking too promising now as it did 5-6 years ago, so you'll be lucky to get a job in any specialty at any acute care setting in a hospital nowadays. I personally have a specialty in mind that I want to go into, but for now I'm going to be working on a Med-Surg floor in a week and I couldn't be any happier!

[AssociateDegree]

Of course, you just might find out during school that you like a different area of nursing other than neonatal nursing. Most of the NICU and normal nursery nurses I know love their work and stick with it for a long time. If you really want to work in the nursery, try getting a PCT job in that area during nursing school, because that will help you get your foot in the door for a job after graduation. The previous post about jobs being difficult to get is, unfortunately, very true. It's tough out there for new grads right now and will remain so as long as the economy is poor.

As to the money issue: hospitals base pay on experience and education, not which area you work in (unless it's a high stress, high turnover, high-need area like MICU). There are also shift differentials, for nurses who work evenings and nights, and additional pay for charge nurses.