Help! Where should I do my preceptorship?

[nurseviachicago]

I have to submit my department choice for my preceptorship by Sept. 6th and I'm not 100% sure which department I should choose! I'm drawn to OB, and I feel as though that's where I'd like to work when I finish school. However, I'm told that it's a good idea to get out on a med-surg floor to work on my basic skills. Yet... I don't want to work on a med-surg floor. All of this is a bit overwhelming. Additionally, I feel if I choose OB, I'll be so dumb and underprepared in it, since I haven't had any OB material since 2nd semester and I'm in 4th. Not to mention I wasn't good at reading FHTs when I WAS in my OB rotation. I do enjoy it a lot, and would be willing to work at it.

Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated. September 6th isn't far away! :chair:

[fleur-de-lis, BSN, RN]

I'd say go with your specialty if that is what you want (OB). That is what a residency is for - to get you experience and let you figure out what you really want. If you get into OB and find that you don't like it, you can start out in Med/Surg as a new grad. If you find that you LOVE OB, you will get needed experience and maybe even get hired onto the unit you work (which is what happened to me, althouth not in OB, I got hired onto the cardiac step-down unit where I did my residency!) Many of my classmates got hired onto the hospitals where they did their residency as well. Good luck!

[southernbelle08]

I'd go with what I liked!

It is different for us, they assign us where to go and unfortunately, I am not too crazy about where I'll be going. I wish we could pick!!

[Eirene, ASN, RN]

go for the ob!!!

[emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

...I'm drawn to OB, and I feel as though that's where I'd like to work when I finish school. ... I do enjoy it a lot, and would be willing to work at it.

There you go!

Look at it this way, doing your preceptorship in OB will allow you to determine if that's truly where you want to work without making a long-term committment.