Do all RN nurses need to have a 'specialty' and how do you get a specialty?

[Skylarslaughter]

Sorry if this is a stupid question:idea:, I'm still in the process of getting into nursing but I was wondering.

Once you get your RN and start working, can you be 'just' an RN or does every RN have some kind of specialty like pediatrics, gastro., acute care. ect. ? And how exactly do you go about pursuing the specialty you want? Is it possible that your hospital can push you into a specialty based on what they need instead of what you want?

And an unrelated question....I'm getting my LPN first because I want to start working after a year for my family and all and at my school it is the best route for me...I ran across a forum saying that LPNs that became RNs could never advance or work in a hospital or that is was really hard? What is that all about?

I'm still really young and I know that nursing is my dream more than anything but this is all so confusing!

I'd love to work in a nursing home while getting my RN but, not if it means I'll never be able to work in a hospital!

[Happy BSN]

No, you don't have to have a specialty. I enjoy the fact that I do all kinds of nursing - it is a rare privilege to have a license that allows us to do so many different things. Nurses become specialized by choice - they love working in a certain environment or with a certain type of patient and they may get certification in that specialty. It certainly shouldn't hurt your RN career to be an LPN first. You can then say, "I have five years of nursing experience and one year of RN experience," for example. Good luck to you!

[lckrn2pa]

LPN to RN can advance just like anybody else but the problem is sometimes there is not a RN job available for the LPN graduating from RN school. It used to be (back when I did this same thing 9yrs ago) you just stayed where you were and assumed the role and responsibilities of your new title. Some hospitals now that have LPN's graduating from RN programs may not have the FTE available in the dept to hire them as RN's. The last hospital I worked for as a nurse had 2 LVN's that were soon to graduate from RN programs and the manager did not have a position for either one right up until graduation and they both managed to stay in the dept. It was based on budget constraints at that ER and I'm sure it's similar to other places. Just depends on the market of where you live as to what jobs and chances of advancement opportunities there are.

[sugarmagnoliaRN]

LPN to RN can advance just like anybody else but the problem is sometimes there is not a RN job available for the LPN graduating from RN school. It used to be (back when I did this same thing 9yrs ago) you just stayed where you were and assumed the role and responsibilities of your new title. Some hospitals now that have LPN's graduating from RN programs may not have the FTE available in the dept to hire them as RN's. The last hospital I worked for as a nurse had 2 LVN's that were soon to graduate from RN programs and the manager did not have a position for either one right up until graduation and they both managed to stay in the dept. It was based on budget constraints at that ER and I'm sure it's similar to other places. Just depends on the market of where you live as to what jobs and chances of advancement opportunities there are.

This may be another dumb question, but how exactly can you find out what the market for nurses is like in your particular city?

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

looking at job openings on the Intranet will show you what is available now. Remember, nothing stays the same, and an RN is more valuable in a hospital setting. So if you dream is to work in a particular area of the hospital, but there is not a position, be flexible. Get in, get to work learning what you like, and transfer later if needed. That is the beauty of nursing. You are flexible.