Hating Med-Surg

So I am in my last year of school for my ASN, in another year I will have my BSN. I was originally a Pre-Occupational Therapy major and would've had my Bachelor's in Psychology. Psych has always been my favorite thing, I love it, love learning about it, and have a true passion to help psychiatric patient's. I want to help anyone, but psych is the most interesting to me. However, med-surg clinicals have made me hate nursing so much that I have contemplated quitting school and going back to my previous major. When I had clinicals in psych I LOVED it. I had so much fun, and I loved the nurses. In med-surg I have not once felt this way. I would be more than willing to stick it out if I knew I could get a job in a psych setting after I was done with school. However, I have heard you need a year of med-surg to do so. So I feel as though maybe I should take a different route... I just was wondering some others' opinions on this? Do you really need a year of med-surg?!

No, not necessarily. I went straight to L&D as a new grad.

Good for you. I absolutely hate psych nursing. I mean, I know psych trickles into every nursing specialty but I could never work on an exclusively psych unit. Makes me like med surg all that much more. But I do applaud those of you that can work with this population. Ironically, I was a psych major in my first degree lol but only because I did not know what else to major in.

To answer your question, no - you don't really need to have a year of med surg if you know for sure psych nursing is your passion. You just need to network and get a foot in the door. Work as an aide on a psych unit now while you're in school. That will get you closer to your goal.

If you dislike Med/Surg, don't do it! Nursing is hard enough without having a job you hate. I've seen new grads go directly into specialties and do just fine.....follow your passion and you'll never work a day in your life. :)

A nurse friend of mine was hired on the hospital psych unit right out of school...did not do med/surg:up:

You still need the med/surg knowledge from school to be a nurse. Even psych patients get sick and it helps to know what conditions and medications mimic neurological, cognitive or psychological symptoms. Had a lady once with hallucinations. Turned out she was toxic from digoxin.