Getting stuck

[NatashaS.]

I am currently applying to nursing schools. At present, I work in a psychiatric hospital and will continue to do so while attending school. But I am afraid that this means after nursing school, the only jobs I will land are those working with the mentally ill. This frightens me because I have no desire to remain in this field for the rest of my life. Am I in danger of having this happen to me and what can I do to prevent it?

[noahsmama]

I am currently applying to nursing schools. At present, I work in a psychiatric hospital and will continue to do so while attending school. But I am afraid that this means after nursing school, the only jobs I will land are those working with the mentally ill. This frightens me because I have no desire to remain in this field for the rest of my life. Am I in danger of having this happen to me and what can I do to prevent it?

What you can do to prevent it is to not apply for any psych jobs. Problem solved!

Two of my fellow nursing students had worked in the mental health field prior to nursing school. Neither wanted to continue in that field, neither applied for jobs in that field. Both now work in emergency departments, which is what each of them wanted to do. Their background in MH was a plus, because one does deal with the mentally ill in ED. In fact, MH is useful to pretty much all other areas of nursing (some more than others).

Good luck!

[aquaphone]

Absolutely not! There is no reason you cannot work in whatever field you choose. Nurses switch specialty areas all the time, it's one advantage nurses have over other professionals. Trust me, your fears are unfounded.

[elkpark]

You will be starting fresh as a new grad, with the same education and clinical experience in nursing that every other new grad has -- you might have an easier time finding a job in a psych setting as a new grad, but you will certainly not be limited to only working in psych.

[NatashaS.]

I forgot to mention. I am thinking about accepting financial help from my job. The only catch is that I would have to work for them as a nurse for one year after I finish school. I’ve heard that once you get into one field of nursing, it is hard to move into another nursing specialty. So if I take it and do my one year with them, how hard will it be the move into another area of nursing?