What is your favorite specialty of nursing? (ER, MedSurg, ICU, Pediatrics, etc.)

Nurses General Nursing

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Do you like working in one area/specialty a lot more than the others you have worked in? And what specialty do you think is best for new nursing graduates?

Specializes in Med-Tele; ED; ICU.
TruvyNurse said:
Corrections!! Bet I'm the only on here that says this LOL

Somehow, I bet you're not... unless no other corrections nurses are reading.

I've heard quite a number of corrections nurses singing the praises of that work.

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Mavrick said:

New grads should not specialize. They don't know enough about nursing to know what they know or don't know.

Mavrick said:
OP asked a generalized question about an opinion and wasn't talking specifically about YOU.

Of course there will ALWAYS be those individual students who have a clear idea of what they want and are fortunate enough to get exactly that.

OK, well you gave a blanket statement that obviously isn't true, so I refuted that and others agreed.

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I've always known I wanted to be a neonatal nurse. It's a passion, something I am aiming for. I tried changing majors several times to try and see if I like anything else (and took several years in discovery) but I'm back at this one again and this time, I'm definitely set. It's hard (still a student) but I really believe it'll be worth it.

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Most new grads are not able to choose a speciality as I remember when my training occurred everyone wanted to work days on ob/gyn or in an office. Both require extensive organisational skills and discipline. However I went to nurses training TO BE a Psychiatric nurse. So unless you are ready to pay the dues( nights, evenings, weekends and holidays) you will never catch the area you want with the hours you want. Good luck!

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I disagree that new grads shouldn't specialize. At my elementary school graduation, we had to get up and say what we wanted to be when we grew up. I said I wanted to be a nurse who "helped women in labor." I didn't even know what labor really was but I KNEW what I wanted to be. And I did just that. I've been a CNM FOR 20 years and I've only worked OB my whole career (except 2 years of school nursing for convenient hours, but I got bored). If you have a dream job/specialty, keep trying. And the beauty is, if you get burnt out at a job, you can do something completely different but still be a nurse.

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Specializes in CVICU, MICU, Burn ICU.

I have a varied ICU background -- which many moons ago was recruited into from a cards floor. I didn't put much thought, back then, into what specialty I would go into. I was young and knew a couple of things about myself: I wanted to help people and I liked hearts -- definitely drawn to working with adults. I just went through the doors that opened for me and ended up, over the years, gaining some varied ICU experience -- some of it fairly specialized.

What I've learned about myself since those early days: I thrive in the setting of a really sick patient. I love the detailed problem solving and team work of the ICU. I like to see patients get better.... in fact, I kinda NEED to see them get better. I like taking care of sick kids. I'm actually a decent peds nurse -- which is good because I care for all ages now. There's nothing too gruesome that I can't handle -- not that I like gruesome, I don't, but I can handle it. Not everyone can. And I still like hearts.

So the point of ^^^^ is to say that there are various aspects of nursing care which different personality types are drawn to. And our likes/dislikes change and evolve as we mature through life. Things become clear along the way, but not usually before you start walking the path.

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Laurean said:
Most new grads are not able to choose a speciality as I remember when my training occurred everyone wanted to work days on ob/gyn or in an office. Both require extensive organisational skills and discipline. However I went to nurses training TO BE a Psychiatric nurse. So unless you are ready to pay the dues( nights, evenings, weekends and holidays) you will never catch the area you want with the hours you want. Good luck!

I guess that's the advantage of living in the south. The pay isn't the best, but even as a new grad you can pick whatever specialty/shift you want, even with an ADN.

My ADN class got jobs in OR, ED, trauma ICU and everything in between. Now they are using their experience to get jobs in more saturated areas.

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I love home-nursing. Nothing is better than being able to set your own schedule, and you really get to know your patients. Yes I have been to the most cleanest homes and some not so clean, but being able to really help and make a difference is the best feeling. I stated out on a med-surf floor for 2 years and was so drained! I got into hone-care and now there's no looking back!

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Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.

Hospice, hospice, hospice.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

The specialty that the nurse enjoys and envisions career progression if he/she chooses. It's what made me move into mine. A FUTURE and opportunity for advancement.

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Mavrick said:
None.

New grads should not specialize. They don't know enough about nursing to know what they know or don't know.

So many nursing students don't have a clue about what real nursing is. They have made massively erroneous assumptions about nursing from watching too much TV. Picking a "specialty" too soon is an easy way to end up stuck in something you don't really like because your parents thought you should be a CRNA or because you think working with babies would be fun.

I had no idea how much I would enjoy Interventional Radiology until I floated there on a whim at a friend's suggestion.

I disagree, both personally and generally. I think I have a realistic idea of what ICU nursing entails, having been a CNA in one for 3 years and having completed my preceptorship in critical care. I'm a new grad, and I think I should specialize.

And I think the majority of my classmates deserve the chance to do so too. Most have worked in healthcare for years as a CNA, mental health tech, MA, etc. My class was filled with mature people with great and vast life experiences - they have specialty interests and deserve to pursue them right out of school. The idea that new grads should be in med/surg first is becoming increasingly obsolete and outdated, particularly with the number of specialty residency programs out there.

Similar to what you said, picking a "general area" is also a great way of getting stuck in something you never were interested in to begin with.

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Specializes in 15 years in ICU, 22 years in PACU.
ICUman said:
OK, well you gave a blanket statement that obviously isn't true, so I refuted that and others agreed.

Perhaps we have forgotten the original post. Do you like working in one area/specialty a lot more than the others you have worked in? And what specialty do you think is best for new nursing graduates?

I gave my opinion regarding new grads which is most certainly true.

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