Clinicals were supposed to help me figure out what I want to do.....
I love Med-Surg, I love Peds, I love gerontology, I love Psych, I love OB, oy I love it all, what to do what to do...
I am older, just turned 47 and I do have substantial hearing deficit in my right ear, (my doc diagnosed the ear as "dead", LOL), so in my mind that really kind of rules out, ER, critical care, ICU, flight, etc....what do you guys think about that?
I would actually love to do OB but I dont think many units are keen on hiring men?? Thoughts? In my OB rotation I got to do a lot and the women I worked with could not have cared less that I was a man. I think the fact that I am older makes them feel more at ease than if were say 20.....just a guess there...
I have a huge huge heart for gerontological clients. oh my god getting old is hard. So much loss, so much shoulda coulda woulda, the loss of independence. Yet they have so much knowledge and insight. The vast majority of them are just wonderful to work with....
Peds, I love it. I do not know why, but my whole life, children look at me and instantly like me, all the way from infants to adolescents. I do not understand this, but hey its a good thing right? I worked with an adolescent cancer patient and her family for several hours and by the end of shift it was like I was a part of their family and I really felt I was able to be very therapeutic...i did disclose my own battle with cancer and that seemed to be the key, as they instantly trusted me at that point and opened up.....it was magical.
Psych, i lost my baby bro to bipolar disorder though my layman's diagnosis was more like schizoaffective disorder. He struggled for many years and ultimately chose to take his own life. I was terrified at doing my psych rotation but I did wel and ws able to really relate and bond with the clients....and I gotta say, overall the lot of a psych RN seems pretty cushy relative to say med-surg.......
I guess the answer is to just put forth apps and let the universe decide where I am to be.....
i hear you, but i respectfully submit that at this point in your education you don't know enough to do evaluate whether the time is right for that. hold off a bit and see if you can learn to communicate fully-involved listening and caring and therapeutic communication without making one second of it about you. believe me, for every time you think you're being "magical," there's a good chance the patient/family is saying to themselves, "*****" and not wanting to say that because they're trying to be polite to you. been there, done that...
Excellent suggestion GrnTea, thanks :) And dont get me wrong, I NEVER thought of myself as magical, the situation, the chemistry, all that was magical. And yes you are so spot on that as soon as anything becomes about me the nurse, then it is no loner therapeutic....
Specializes in ICU,ED, Corrections, dodging med-surg.
As to respond to your original concern about being deaf in 1 ear, one of our BEST, most respected guys in ICU is the same. Also, to get off topic, I have worked with an OB doc with one eye, the other a prosthetic, (which always had me wondering how he arrived at work all hour of the night driving without the "normal" peripheral vision.) Do not let your physical limitations get in the way if you are determined to do what it takes. And, it is not for the Universe to decide, it is for you to get out there and give it a go!! No excuses, if you fail at one, learn, move on and get to the next!!
Totally understandable Jenni, which is why I will probably stay clear of OB.....jobs are hard enough to come by and while no one will admit to discriminating against men when hiring OB nurses, I am certain that it happens.....
Oh, i'm sure it does. Again, i wish i were more open to having a male nurse in OB....but it is just the way it goes i guess. i am going to say i would NOT mind having a male nurse in anything else. So i have nothing against them.
best of luck to you and hopefully you find what is the right fit for you.
Clinicals were supposed to help me figure out what I want to do.....
and I gotta say, overall the lot of a psych RN seems pretty cushy relative to say med-surg.......
I will have to kindly disagree with you here. I am a Registered Nurse Specialist for a prison in Florida. Some days I have an easy job....but most...it's crazy (pardon the pun). I am relied on a lot and I am a female dealing with male inmates. It isn't always cushy.
Maybe you should try peds...I don't know you but from what you said I can picture you there :) Good luck! Nursing is wonderful...if you don't like what you eventually pick, you can always pick something else!
I liked it all too during school, ended up in cardiac (because thats where I got a job offer first) and LOVE it. I really enjoy working with the elderly - heartbreaking at times, but I think there is heartbreak in all areas.
As far as hearing goes... I think you'll be fine. As I told one co-worker (who didn't hear the code overhead paged) - if you see the crashcart heading down the hall - go ahead and follow it.
Excellent suggestion GrnTea, thanks :) And dont get me wrong, I NEVER thought of myself as magical, the situation, the chemistry, all that was magical. And yes you are so spot on that as soon as anything becomes about me the nurse, then it is no loner therapeutic....
If you truly think this is an excellent suggestion, and are not being patronizing towards Grn Tea, I suggest that you go back over some of your past posts and really do some thinking.
You state that you are starting your final semester in Jan, 2012...do you realize that you still have a long way to go??? And then you have pass the NCLEX. Do not count your chickens......., as they say.
A little more humility would be good. Just sayin', because real life nursing, when you get out of school will be NOTHING like any of your clinicals, no matter how wonderful they were.
So while I do wish you luck, I think you need to focus on the NOW.
I love kids. I worked in a NICU for years and loved it, but I decided to stretch my wings and am working general peds now.
I, like you have a knack for kids. I don't know where it came from or how it works, but kids respond well to me. These kids crack me up. I've been working in peds oncology and I think this is my favorite. Most kids have good outcomes with pediatric cancer. It's such a well funded field that it is always changing, there's always a new challenge and the OCD parts of my personality are well served with the Chemo schedule and refiguring up every single dose.
I took a little girl for a walk to the snack machine and she put her hand out for me to hold and told me I was her new BFF because I like bubble guppies and helped her clean her room. How awesome was that, I got to watch a really cute show with a really cute kid while her mom got a much needed break, and I got paid for it. I get annoyed with the politics at work, but I won't leave because of the rewards I get from the patients. That little girl made my week when she reached for my hand.
Peds is pretty rewarding, and I think part of the reason is that kids are so pure and honest, they let you know when you do a good job.
As long as the abused, MVA, genetic mutations, terminal diagnoses don't bug you....
I liked it all too during school, ended up in cardiac (because thats where I got a job offer first) and LOVE it. I really enjoy working with the elderly - heartbreaking at times, but I think there is heartbreak in all areas.
As far as hearing goes... I think you'll be fine. As I told one co-worker (who didn't hear the code overhead paged) - if you see the crashcart heading down the hall - go ahead and follow it.
If you truly think this is an excellent suggestion, and are not being patronizing towards Grn Tea, I suggest that you go back over some of your past posts and really do some thinking.
You state that you are starting your final semester in Jan, 2012...do you realize that you still have a long way to go??? And then you have pass the NCLEX. Do not count your chickens......., as they say.
A little more humility would be good. Just sayin', because real life nursing, when you get out of school will be NOTHING like any of your clinicals, no matter how wonderful they were.
So while I do wish you luck, I think you need to focus on the NOW.
I was not being patronizing towards grntea..I think she is amazing!! As for school and NCLEX, they are formalities, passing all of that is a foregone conclusion....not trying to be conceited but that is the truth of it. Academics are not an issue for me.....so yes I can go ahead and count those chickens :)
As far as real world being different from clinicals...I can only imagine and I am a little scared bout that......
Given the job market these days, I'd vote for applying for everything and then just seeing where you end up. Although I agree that peds sounds like it might be a good fit for you.
Just sayin', because real life nursing, when you get out of school will be NOTHING like any of your clinicals, no matter how wonderful they were. 
nurseprnRN, BSN, RN
1 Article; 5,116 Posts
i hear you, but i respectfully submit that at this point in your education you don't know enough to do evaluate whether the time is right for that. hold off a bit and see if you can learn to communicate fully-involved listening and caring and therapeutic communication without making one second of it about you. believe me, for every time you think you're being "magical," there's a good chance the patient/family is saying to themselves, "*****" and not wanting to say that because they're trying to be polite to you. been there, done that...