How did you pick your speciality? Hospital or clinic?

[EDNURSE20, BSN]

I am a new grad nurse currently working on the float pool of my hospital, which I love! I get to move around all the different areas and get a vast amount of experience as a new grad. One day I'm nursing a child, the next I'm getting some ready for there surgery, and the next day putting some one on telemetry.

However i I feel this pressure to pick my speciality, as i would like to go into a more senior position. Either CNS or NP. BUT in my country you have to work in the one speciality for 4 years before you can start post grad study for those roles. Plus it takes 4 years of part time studying to get you masters. So that's 8 years in total before I can even get to one of those roles. Which is good in way, because you will have at least 8 years of nursing experience. However I feel like I need to hurry up and choose.

Im interested periopative (pre surgery and pacu), children's, emergency department, gynaecology and primary health care.

I orignally started my degree to get to get into primary health care. Never had an interest in hospital nursing. Till my first hospital placement, which validated why I choose nursing, and that I could do this. It was a real stand out moment in my degree.

in PHC I love that you get see everything, week old babies to death and every health issue they have. I also like that you get to see the final outcome. I hate when you have a interesting case and the pt gets moved else where (icu, ccu, surgery ect) and you never now what happened to them. Did they live? What was the final diagnoses? What caused everything?

BUT I really love the hospital environment. The fast pace, it's different everyday, there's no offical routine. There's always something new and exciting, that just can't boring.

So how did you choose? Where do you work? What do you love or hate about it?

[WalterWho]

It sounds kinda silly, but I didn't choose... But then again I kinda chose not to, if that makes any sense. There's so many ways to go! When I graduated from nursing school i told myself to not get so blinded by what I thought I wanted to do that i missed opportunities along the way. That's how I ended up in PACU! Couldn't be happier.