How did you *know* your specialty and when?

Nurses General Nursing

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  1. When did YOU know your specialty?

    • 26
      Before I started nursing school!
    • 22
      During or halfway through nursing school!
    • 20
      After nursing school!
    • 29
      I'm still not sure!
    • 21
      Don't stress you'll find it :)

109 members have participated

Hi nurses! :redpinkhe

I was just curious - when did you know what specialty you wanted to work in? I have one year left of nursing school and have done several placements but haven't really found my "niche" yet (although I know that mental health nursing is not for me).

Next year we have to choose our placements and wondering if I should pick a few really different ones (that I may not have imagined I'd like) and see if I like it? I guess it's the time to experiment maybe?

A lot of students in my class already know what their "calling" is - many want to work in NICU. When did you know?

Thanks! :nurse:

Specializes in kids.

I had done med/surg, LTC, clinic and home care over the space of 11 years (relocation due to family issues necessitated some of those track changes). I was approached about a job opening at a school and was encourage to apply for it. School nursing had never been on my radar, but 18 years later I am so very lucky to do what I love and love what I do! I recently spoke with one of the principals on the hiring committee and she said her recommendation was this; "I knew you would put your heart and soul into it"....

So I guess it picked me, lucky me!!!:yeah:

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Specializes in Ortho Med\Surg.

I knew for ten years that I would be a PICU nurse..... Then I had my peds rotation lol. Kids, I can handle. Parents, not so much.

During my last rotation in school, I loved ICU. I didn't apply for anything else. I ended up on an ortho/med surg floor and love it. Will I stay here forever? Nope. I know my niche is in some type of critical care but I will learn everything I can where I am and take it as it comes :nurse:

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Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.

needless to say, i knew that my specialties lay on various units i wasn't conformed with only one for whatever reason as i was exposed to all depts. during my clinical, i kept falling in-love shall we say with all specialties. however, the only areas that i wasn't jumping for joy was ob & peds, for whatever reason i never felt comfortable looking after someone else's child or hearing a female screaming while in labor, for this reason alone i give props to those who excel in these areas. wishing you the best always ...aloha~

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Specializes in Adult ICU.

I had started working as an ED tech and the first week I had my first code situation. In this one it was a watch and observe what was being done. I was scared out my mind. We ended up having another code come in and with 2 codes arriving within 5 minutes of each other I started to work on the 2nd CPR patient.

I remember the team work, the adrenaline and seeing all the invasive procedures/devices being utilized and boy I LOVED the ET tubes and vents. I feel in love with that and found myself every time I transported to ICU I was always peering in the rooms looking at all the drips/channels, the ventilators, the tubes, all the big machines. It made me giddy thinking about it. I was drawn to our crash area of the ED and I knew I wanted this 24/hrs and knew ICU was for me.

I rotated through the ICU in school and I was enamored by it and LOVED it. When we had a code I was there taking over CPR, helping hang meds after we got the patient back while other students just stood stunned.

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@misscherie, I'm curious, I'm currently finishing pre-reqs and will hopefully be starting nursing school in the spring. I have not had any clinicals yet so I don't know what any unit would be like but I am very interested in nueroscience and can't wait to do mental health clinical. A lot of people think I'm crazy for being interested in mental health, what was it exactly that turned you off from it?

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Specializes in NICU.

During my peds rotation...took care of a kid with a cleft palate and knew it was it for me. Going into my rotation, I thought I would be super sad about kids and heartbreaking...but didn't find it that way. Thought I liked adults until I got into peds. Thought I liked kids until I got into NICU. Now I don't see myself doing anything else. The poop is smaller and the awful chronic-y-ness that is unending in PICU is MUCH less prevalent. Or at least they are small enough that you don't have to worry about a heavy weight (>8kg) or crawling around in the bed (had a trach, g-tube patient when I floated down to PICU once who kept crawling around, sucking on his g-tube end, and ripping off his pulse ox. I thought I was going to pull out all my hair by the end of the day...)

I got into nursing school thinking that I would like it okay. I got out of nursing school in my job and love it. Wouldn't trade it for anything else...

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Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.

I love L&D and always wanted to be a L&D nurse. That was until I realized I had to deal with demanding families who want the 'perfect birth' despite the fact it might not be safe for both mom and babe.

The liability of being a L&D nurse scares the noogies out of me.

When I worked mother baby, I loved the babies, but again, they came with mommies who, at times, wanted to be treated like a princess. That drove me nutty. I realized I really like working with men as well and would miss that.

My speciality (and yes it is a specialty) is med/surg. It's like a box of chocolates. A little bit of everything. :)

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Specializes in OR.

My first semester of nursing school, I started out on med surg. The second week into the clinical, I got to spend my day in the OR. I knew I hated med surg so I really looked forward to it. It was that day that I fell in love with the OR. Then, when I did L&D, I ended up in 4 c-sections and still knew that all I wanted was the OR. I've now been in the OR 4 years and I know that I'll never leave.

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Specializes in NICU.

I started nursing school and new I wanted to be a peds nurse. Got my dream job and stayed for about 6 years. Then...got thrown into a NICU because of the shift I needed. I still haven't left a little over 10 years later. Love my job and the sick babies that I can help get better and even the parents most of the time! I am starting my NEonatal NP in the next week. So excited to begin this new career.:D

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I went in to school thinking about L&D and then spent a day in the NICU and a day making rounds with the LC...and I still think its for me! I DO know that geriatrics is NOT for me - it takes a special person to work with the elderly and while I tolerate it (I work in ICU step down as an aide right now) I know this isn't the pathI want to pursue out of school...

I really want to be a CNM or Woman's Health nurse...ultimately...

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Specializes in ER.

Took the initiative and shadowed an er nurse on my own time. Knew inside of two hours, I was home. Will never leave.

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Specializes in peds palliative care and hospice.

I knew I wanted to do peds onc when I was in high school. I do peds home health and hospice now, and love it for the most part :)

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