I have a job!! :/

seasidesoul · Jul 1, 2015

You'll hear arguments both ways. I was offered a job on a PP floor and turned it down because I had similar concerns, but a few weeks later I accepted a job in a highly specialized area... So in the end, I didn't go the med/surg route, either. Did you like the floor? The manager? If you want to go into OB for certain, then it could be a good call. If you're uncertain, then it may be wise to start elsewhere.

BellionRN · Jul 1, 2015

I'd just take the job. There's so much emphasis on starting in med-surg but honestly if you like post-partum, then just go for it. I started in a specialized area (ICU) and guess what, I turned out just fine, and no, I don't wish I had spent a year on a med-surg floor. I DO, however, remember thinking to myself back then that I should probably work on a floor for a few years, so I understand your thoughts on this. But I didn't. & I have no regrets.

If you get another job in a few years (say in med-surg), then you get out your books and do a refresher. I've seen nurses who started in the OR, or NNICU and after three years wanted a change and came to Emerge. They got out the books, refreshed their memory on basic assessments, etc. and did just fine.

I've never worked post-partum (well not since school!) but I can tell you some things that you'll likely learn: time management skills, medication administration, focused assessments, head to toe assessments, patient advocacy, building rapport with patients, dressing changes, suture/staple removal, being alert for changes in status of your patient, when to call the doctor, patient teaching, admissions, discharges etc etc.

You know what you'd learn on a med-surg floor? A lot of the same stuff! Just because one area is more general doesn't mean it's better. The foundation of your learning will be similar & if you've got some common sense, you can transfer what you've learned from one area to another.

My two cents! Good luck!

xxdiscoxxheaven · Jul 1, 2015

Excellent answer! Thanks so much! I feel a lot better. It's rough out here for new grads! I just want to make the best decision I can.

ProgressiveThinking, MSN, CRNA · Jul 2, 2015

I would avoid med surg like the plague.

The Lady Kate · Jul 5, 2015

Take the job. My mom works postpartum in a community hospital in the Chicagoland area, and there are no openings because no one ever leaves :) and congrats!