Where is the best place to start a nursing career?

CorgiMom · Sep 4, 2008

What area of nursing did you enjoy while you were in school? Are there positions for new grads in those areas? If so, apply and see what happens. Best wishes for a rewarding career in nursing.

bossynurse101 · Sep 4, 2008

No question, a teaching hospital. You will be able to experience ALL types of nursing and can transfer to so many units, Recovery, Burn, NICU, Peds, Nuero, MedSurg, Oncology, CCU, Telemetry, ICU, PACU, Maternity, etc. The thing about teaching hospitals is that they usually offer soooooo much training and education. Some may say you are just a number in such a big unit, I say it's what you make it. Literally, the roads are many and diverse. Good luck:loveya:

CorgiMom · Sep 4, 2008

And maybe acute care nursing is not for you. There are other environments that you might like better.

MB37 · Sep 4, 2008

What DID you like in school? I'm a new grad about to start in critical care, because it's what I really enjoyed in clinicals and because I was able to get a position. I didn't hate med-surg but I also didn't love it. I would have been willing to put in a year on a floor if I was unable to get right into ICU, but thankfully I got the job that I wanted.

catlover5 · Sep 5, 2008

Hopefully my post-graduation mess will steer you in a positive direction.......I wish I would have had exit-counseling or something to have someone help me lay out what my ideas and areas of interest were, maybe then I wouldn't be ashamed at almost 40yrs old that I've started 4 jobs since FEBRUARY:chair:

1. I worked as a student-nurse asst while I was in school and floated mostly med-surg units (floating is NOT my thing:eek:)

2. I graduated 12/07 and started new-nurse orientation as a GPN (graduate practical nurse) I took/passed my NCLEX on 2/4/08:yeah:

3. I finished orientation and started floating on my own......and I was sooo intimidated/panicked/nervous that I started looking for a job on a single unit because I greatly disliked (hated) floating.

4. I took a job at the mental health facility next door as a prn lpn on an inpatient psych unit because psych was an area of great interest to me...AT FIRST I LOVED IT!!!

5. All I did was pass meds and sat around and worked 40+hrs a week but still only PRN????

6. I took a job at a "nice" ltc facility......I lasted a 12hr shift :smiley_abthe facility was super-nice, but the drama/tension/hatefulness between staff was ridiculous., not to mention the GUY I shadowed was LPN OF THE YEAR and he was the ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD WHO THOUGHT IT!! :nono:

7. By now it's been only 4 1/2 months since I was licensed...

so I took a job at another ltc facility, lasted 6 whole days!

8. I took several weeks at home to "reflect" while looking at different job opportunites and there it was.........#9........

9. I took a job in an independent living facility as the day shift nurse, 40hrs a week (5 days, e/o wknd) ?? I'm thinking, ?? "Could this be IT?? THE job that I worked almost 2 yrs in school for??

10. It's been 7 weeks, and I don't see myself here in a year. It's charting and making appointments, very small med pass. Thats all. Kind of a "cake" job:crying2: Using VERY FEW skills.........A job, but not a career.

What a mess I have made of my first 7 months of what was supposed to be a rewarding career change (was a hairdresser!!)

I have already embarked on the journey towards becoming an RN so I MIGHT (cross your fingers) be getting BACK ON AT A HOSPITAL! I find out tomorrow.......BTW, I did this same job-hopping mess when I was first out of beauty school until I ended up where I started!! See a pattern?

:twocents:My 2cents:

Go w/your gut feeling, and find a nurse to talk to if you find yourself struggling about you job!

catlover5:nurse: