Final placement - ER or ward?

[smiley321]

Hello!

I am a student nurse trying to decide where to do my final placement. I am very interesting in pediatrics and did my medicine rotation in peds, which I loved. I have also worked at a children's summer camp for many years, so feel fairly confident that I'd like to do my placement working with kids.

However, I am interested in both emergency and a surgical unit. I'm wondering what would be my best option, I if plan to travel and work other places? Is pediatric emergency too specific (if where I'm going doesn't have a peds ER), or would it help to broaden my skills and therefore help if I were to work on the wards afterwards? I have heard pros and cons from both sides and feel I would enjoy both experiences. I am just looking for some experienced nurses input!

Thanks so much!

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

I think either choice would be useful and valuable. Even if a hospital doens't have a pediatric emergency department, that doesn't mean they don't get pediatric patients. I live in a city that has 5 hospitals with ERs, and only one of them has a peds ER... which gets transfers from the 4 others every day. ERs that aren't peds-only LOVE it when then they get a new nurse who has peds critical care experience because finally they have a go-to person for peds-focused assessment, IV starts, gaining cooperation and PALS skills along with the myriad other qualities good peds nurses have. Surgery on the other hand offers a more certain thing; all children's hospitals and many general hospitals do peds surgeries of some degree or another. You'll gain excellent skills that are portable and transferable. But it can be fairly routine. If you're someone who likes variety and challenges, then ER is probably a better choice.

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

Also, if you're interested in travel as in Doctors without Borders stuff, the surgical specialty is one of their high need areas where they'll entertain shorter volunteer commitments than the standard 9 months.