hey you what should i do

cultuslakenurse · Jul 23, 2006

I am going to graduate soon in May and cant wait to get back to my home in Seattle. Do you think that new grads should start out on a med surg floor to gain experience or should they dive right into their field of choice..mine being women's health/labor and delivery. Thanks!:monkeydance:

I graduated over 30 yrs ago and I would still say to do at least a year on a medical or surgical floor, to practise your assessment skills and fine tune all the knowledge that you have learned. I worked 10 yrs before I took a post grad course in ER nursing, and after 10 years of that, I came into Home Health...but those first few years after graduation were on med/surg floors and I really learned alot..GOOD luck with your decision..oh, I also worked in another country..USA...and guess where..? Seattle!! Loved it there...Joanne in BC Canada

Corvette Guy · Jul 30, 2006

I am going to graduate soon in May and cant wait to get back to my home in Seattle. Do you think that new grads should start out on a med surg floor to gain experience or should they dive right into their field of choice..mine being women's health/labor and delivery. Thanks!:monkeydance:

Seattle is beautiful!

When I graduated from nursing school back in 1998 I knew my passion was cardiac patients. Fortunately, my last clinical rotation was on a 64-bed Telemetry Floor and the Charge Nurse ask me if I'd consider applying for a position. I ended up working on that Unit for almost 1.5 yrs before moving on to a 10-bed ICU. On the Tele Flr I cared for 4-6 patients on the day shift & 7-10 patients on the night shift. Most of these patients were very ill and often were transferred to ICU. From ICU went back to the OR [CST for 3 yrs before Nsg school] and later regretted leaving the ICU. I'm back in the ICU where I plan on staying until I retire.

IMHO, if your absolutely positive L & D is the place for you, then apply for such about a month before graduation. However, working on a Med/Surg Flr for 12 months would be great experience. Maybe see what is available for employment in Seattle regards to L & D, or Med/Surg?

Good luck!