How on earth did you decide????

Teshiee · Mar 11, 2002

For me I took a pragmatic approach.

I didn't like a large patient load.

I love interacting with parents.

I wanted to be in a specialty that I could grow in and advance not losing my bedside skills.

I end up choosing NICU

I had worked in Pediatrics Heme/Onc- It literally broke my heart.

I didn't care for Labor & Delivery

Med/surg- a very good floor to start getting knowledge frm gave you too many patients to contend with.

Postpartum- definately not into that. Yet I love babies my interest started leaning toward the neonate.

I say for you get on a float pool that is one way to test what areas of interest you may like. Sounds like to me that you may love several areas! :-)

lever5 · Mar 11, 2002

Do them all,.... why not? You are not limited, there are a lot of us that like to float and have a wide range of experience. You are one of us. Start with one, and go to another. Have fun!

jessjoy · Mar 11, 2002

Thanks for the advice! One question though....would I be able to do a float pool straight out of nursing school? I would love to do something different every day!!

joyrochelle · Mar 12, 2002

Most institutions require at least a year's experience for float nursing. That's not all that bad considering there are days ( um, like all of them) that you have no idea where you going to work until you get there! I think that would make for a nerve wracking job, eh? :confused:

I think that it is great that you are so interested in so many areas though. I went into nursing school with the main goal of becoming a nurse midwife, so women's health and obstetrics was definitely for me.

Now that I have evolved into a goal of WH Nurse practitioner, and I graduate in MAY YES MAY, I knew that L&D was for me. NICU is cool too, but not for me now....

Best of luck to you! Keep learning girl~

grouchy · Mar 12, 2002

Looking back at my own experiences, I'd say try to find the best floor, manager, and preceptor you can, and don't worry about the specialty. There's so much variety in any nursing job. And all nursing requires common assessment skills, etc, which you can always transfer to another specialty. I'd avoid floating for a long time. No one will be your mentor or your support system. Of course, this is true of the worst non-float jobs too, but if you keep your eyes open there's always 1 or 2 floors that are RELATIVELY well-staffed compared to the rest, or with more supportive colleagues. Ask the float nurses, or find out which floor has the least open positions. I think you can get excited about almost any specialty if you've got good colleagues and are learning lots of new things.

live4today, RN · Mar 13, 2002

After I knocked out my initial time on the med/surg wards of hospitals, I went agency or travel nurse for a long time, and loved it! Best experience I could have ever gained as a nurse!

I eventually married a military guy, so I started working in military hospitals since it was easier to gain employment with the military hospitals with all the moving around we did. I loved every minute of that, too! :)

Then, for a time, I returned to agency nursing and home health. I loved that, too! :)

Geez! To be honest, I've had one heck of a good time as a nurse when I worked in the field! I'm almost convincing myself to return. :chuckle:

"The world is your playground, so why aren't you playing?" -- Ellie Katz

:kiss

fergus51 · Mar 13, 2002

I am with joyrochelle and grouchy! I would have never done float right away. Too nerve racking. I needed to find a home for myself out of school with people to support me.

Don't you get to see specialty areas while in nursing school? Our program didn't offer a lot so I saw some and job shadowed in others to eventually see L&D(I haven't left since), NICU, ICU, OR, dialysis and ER for a day or 2 each to see what I liked. I would ask about that possibility.

Xena nurse · Mar 14, 2002

I wouldn't recomend the float pool straight out of nursing school. It's very important to augment your nursing assessment skills. One the best places to accomplish this is on a med/surg floor. The variety of patient's will help you accomplish this.

There a few nurses in the work place who resent new grads and will make your life hell

Xena nurse · Mar 14, 2002

Sorry, but I accidently hit the submit reply button.

There are a few nurses in the work place who resent new grads and will make your life hell so establish a support system and mentor first.

ICUBecky · Mar 14, 2002

everybody says to start out on a med-surg floor. i didn't take that advice. went straight in to ICU....and learned soooo much. i think ICU (medical, surgical, cardiac...whatever) is a great place to start. you have a 1:1- 2:1 patient load, you get to work with a lot of cool technology, and you learn every system of the body. i think once you conquer your first year in ICU...you can do anything.

all i can say is GOD BLESS med-surg floor nurses, psychiatric nurses, pediatric nurses, L&D nurses..... i'm glad you all are doing it, and i'm not!! :roll :roll :roll

best of luck in your decision making. nursing is a great profession, because you can do anything your heart desires.

becky:D