Did you choose....or were you chosen?

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in CTICU/CVICU.

Did you choose exactly where you wanted to end up in your nursing career..or were you "chosen" and just happened upon your specialty? I ask this because I'm so confused in what I want to do...I want to do it all! I'm a 2nd year student (graduation June 15, 2011:yeah:) and I want to do everything!

Before I started nursing school, I always said I wanted to work in the NICU. But, then while taking A&P 2, I fell in love with the brain and thought about neuro (my father also has Parkinson's). But THEN when school started, I got a job as a nursing assistant on the telemetry floor at a hospital and "cheated" on the brain with the heart..and again..fell in love. I had an AWESOME cardiac instructor and from then on..it was me and my boo, the heart:redbeathe.

BUT I volunteered in the ER at my hospital over the summer and got a transfer to the ER as a tech to work there now and I'm like :eek: (in a good way:lol2:). So, now my interest in ER is peaked!

To complicate things even more, I'm doing my OB rotation and while my evening clinical in L&D was like my 1-day rotation last semester in the OR (ended up I really liked it and put it in my backpocket as an option), I had my evening clinical in the NICU last night and darnnit..I'm back in love with the NICU :redpinkhe. And so now my confusion starts!

Its funny because a lot of "newer" nurses (those under 40 - what I mean by new is not by experience but by age - as in "new age" nurses) are telling me that I don't have to do that golden year in Med-Surg before switching to a specialty..that I should go right for what I want. I don't love med-surg..but its doable. But, even if I do med-surg after a year...where do I go from there?

So, my plan is to set my net wide and apply EVERYWHERE in ALL jobs that I'm interested in. I plan on moving from the Northeast because there are no jobs here anyway...and I want to start somewhere new. So, the entire country will be my playground.

My question is...how did you end up where you are...did you ALWAYS know without a shadow of a doubt that L&D/Cardiac/Neuro/OR/Hospice/ER was your thing...or did you just happen upon it? Any advice for a wide-eyed and bushy tailed almost graduate?

By the way, my Peds rotation starts in about 10 weeks...and I'm pretty sure...I'll be wanting to be a peds nurse by the end of it!:D

I've always floated, I've always loved it.

Med/surg is a good generic starting point for a new grad. If hospitals you apply for have a float pool apply for that. Even if where you get a job does not have a float pool let the charge nurse or supervisor know you are willing to float to other units if needed.

You can be a float nurse for as long as you want, or eventually fine the niche in your hospital that you know you really enjoy.

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

I love your enthusiasm and excitement. Don't ever lose it.

I've been a nurse for 18 years and worked a couple of years (as an LPN) in LTC - only job I could get at the time.

Worked 2 years in adult ICU - chose that for myself, liked it.

Worked 10 years level one trauma center and LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it - my niche in nursing.

Now as an APN, I've worked 4 years in nephrology.

I just graduated in May and was the same way as you during clinical. I would come home from almost every clinical rotation and say "I LOVE THIS! I want to be ____ type of nurse now!" My family and friends couldn't keep up with what type of nurse I wanted to be! With the current economy, I took a job on an Ortho unit. I love it, but I don't really think it is where I will be working for the rest of my life. That's one of the great things about nursing.. there are so many specialities and different types of nursing!

Specializes in NeuroICU/SICU/MICU.

When I started nursing school, I wanted to be an OR nurse, just like the aunt who inspired me to become a nurse in the first place. Then, in advanced med/surg, I discovered cardiac nursing..and haven't looked back. I'm now working in telemetry/stepdown, honing my skills so I can transition to either cardiac ICU or cath lab (which, now that I think about it, would sort of combine OR nursing and cardiac nursing..weird!).

Specializes in Medical Surgical Orthopedic.

I fell in love with every clinical site and specialty when I was in school, too. :redbeathe Med Surg was the easiest to get into as a new graduate, but I can honestly say that I really enjoy it. Every day is an adventure, and I'll probably end up staying there for a very long time. :D

Specializes in CTICU/CVICU.

Thanks guys!! I laugh while reading mmcdev's response..that is SO me!! I change what type of nursing I want to do every day! It's like..I haven't come to any particular type of nursing that I can say I absolutely do NOT want to do. There are those I'm not particularly interested in (like dialysis or oncology) but given the chance, I wouldn't turn ANYTHING down!

I LOVE to learn and haven't been excited about anything lately as I have since I started school last year. I'm just excited to see where my nursing career leads me..gosh..why didn't I go to school years ago! lol!

Specializes in Rehab, LTC.

I have the same excitement as you do, so much so even my fellow nursing classmates make fun of me. I am always the first to volunteer for anything at clinical. When I first started out I thought I wanted to do something like ICU, ER, even cardiac. I recently started a CNA position at a rehab hospital. Never in a million years did I even consider Rehab Nursing. But I love the facility I work for, all the nurses really enjoy their job and it is so rewarding to watch someone come into our hospital and leave doing so much better! I plan to work there as an LPN while I get my RN, I may switch to something else after a while, but I am going to start out there. I feel that I really found a niche there, but I know myself and will probably get an itch to do something else after a couple of years. That is the great thing about nursing!!:lol2:

Specializes in ER.

it's awesome you love everything you're exposed to! In the ER you will be exposed to everything you can imagine and then some you never imagined you'd see. All you can do is jump into something and then if you want another specialty, float or work PRN in another setting. If that doesn't gel, go back or move on. Lots of ability to try new things. After working in the ER, though, I can't imagine going to do anything else from here, except maybe PACU.

I knew I wanted to work with emergencies since I was 5 in Kindergarten and helped a boy who had a nose bleed. I can remember the moment well. I pinched his nose and tried to stop the bleeding.

My mom is a nurse and worked in an ER forever. Maternal side had a nurse in the family that settled into California via covered wagon. If it's in your genes, you'll find your niche.

I got jobs in two different areas and found I am satified in the second one. No jobs available in other areas, so no chance to get enticed.

I would have to say I was "Chosen," I wanted to be in an ICU when i got out of school (i graduated in May). At the hospital I work at they have a nurse intern program after junior year of school and I applied saying I wanted ICU or ER. Well it ended up a spot was open CVICU post open heart unit and I was sooooo scared (Cardiac definately intimidated me in school) but love it and still work there now that i graduated in CVICU/CCU. Basically I was thrown into it and love it now!

Specializes in Pediatrics, ER.

I hope to work in every single aspect of medicine. I love EVERYthing and am happy on every single unit I've worked on and every single specialty I've dabbled in. Maybe you should try a float position? You can love all specialties but there may be one that speaks to you after spending some time there. If not, there's no fault in making a choice!

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