I have NO idea what speciality to choose. Please help!

Sour Lemon · May 5, 2018

I am in an accelerated nursing program (2 semesters left yay!). I have a previous BS in Nutrition. I am realizing that I have no idea what nursing speciality to go into. So far we have had our maternity, peds, rehab, and long term care clinical rotations. I haven't been in love with any of them yet. I also work as a nursing assistant in the OR and don't really love that either.
Any my advice to how you chose your speciality? Right now I feel like I am just narrowing down what I don't want to do. However, I am nursing that I wouldn't be exposed to a speciality I like while in school. Do people apply to jobs without any clinical or job experience in that area?
i feel a little lost please help!

This imaginary "tough decision" comes up often. As a new graduate, I advise you apply for any job that is willing to accept and train a new graduate. After you get calls back, interviews, and actual job offers, then you'll have a decision to make. Right now, you don't. Just focus on doing well in school and making a good impression at your clinical sites.

CassColl · May 5, 2018

Thank you for the advice! Guess I'm worrying too much for the moment. Thanks!

AnnieNP, MSN, NP · May 5, 2018

I absolutely agree with Sour Lemon. Concentrate on school right now, the future choices will come in the future.

Have Nurse, ADN, RN · May 6, 2018

I agree with CassColl. You may not have discovered yet where you feel the most comfortable. It's early days. Me? I liked to see how the body worked and see patients make progress after surgery so that they could go home. I enjoyed doing the dressing changes, monitoring incisions, hanging IVs, starting IVs, etc. But that was me.

You still have plenty of time. Just do your best while in school and try to glean something good from each experience. Over time, you might see where your focus lies.

caliotter3 · May 6, 2018

I ended up working in the specialty where I was able to get a job. It never occurred to me that it was, or was not, my "choice".

CassColl · May 6, 2018

Thank you!

Quota, BSN, RN · May 6, 2018

I ended up working in the specialty where I was able to get a job. It never occurred to me that it was, or was not, my "choice".

I'll likely be similar. I graduate in August, just a preceptorship and community health clinicals this summer and two online classes left. Just started applying for new grad fellow positions at the hospital I want to work in. No clue what area I really want to work in so my plan is just a medsurg type unit to learn to be a nurse and hopefully get exposed to a variety of things. I got a response looking to set up a phone interview on Friday for a stroke unit.

One of my classmates the other night asked me if I'd take the job if they offered it to me which struck me as odd. Why would I apply to jobs I wasn't planning on accepting if offered? I'm not positive on what exactly the nursing role is on this unit because the description on the job is fairly generic for the new grad RN fellow postings for most units. I intend to find out more during the phone interview. So I guess it's possible I wouldn't be interested in what the job actually entails but I doubt it. I'd actually be interested in some of the recovery therapy I know is involved in stroke recovery but I also know the hospital has large physical and occupational therapy groups so that may not be part of my role at all. With the wide variety of causes of strokes I think I'd still be exposed to a decent amount of things and could be a good learning environment.

Basically my goal is simply getting a new grad position at this specific hospital in a medsurg like unit. Learn some basics and in a year or two if I'm not really enjoying it move on to another unit. By then I should have a better idea of what I really like, established myself as a competent nurse, and just make the move when an opportunity presents itself.

emmjayy, BSN, RN · May 6, 2018

I agonized over the whole "where do I specialize" thing unnecessarily. I started thinking about it in second semester, which was almost a year before I had to make a decision of any type! I think part of what added to this anxiety was we were told that where we went for our final preceptorship was probably where we would end up working, and we got to pick three units we wanted to go to. So, I was all tied up in knots over what units to pick!

I ended up having experiences in my last couple of semesters that led me to a specialty where I felt a sense of belonging, like my skills/personality were a good fit, and I was fortunate to be offered a job in that specialty. If I hadn't found something I liked, though, I'd have gone for med-surg nursing because it's such a huge learning opportunity and grows your skills and experience.

djh123 · May 7, 2018

My experience is probably wildly different, as I was 50+ when I got my BSN. Couldn't get hired at a handful of hospitals - couldn't even get INTERVIEWED at the 2 biggest in town (grrrrr)... ended up at a nursing home/rehab place totally by accident - it 'wasn't even on my radar' as far as what I thought I might want to do - stayed several years, not really on purpose (due to some non-work reasons), and am now at a sort of step-down rehab place. I've done well in both, in my estimation, have a good reputation, am generally well-liked & trusted by patients. I didn't worry about 'choosing' any of it.

amzyRN · May 11, 2018

Hopefully the economy will allow you to have a choice to pursue a chosen specialty, if not, take any job that will give you experience in nursing. When I started the economy crashed and there were tons of new grads looking for jobs taking whatever they could get. I left my home state to the midwest for 2 years to get experience. That was tough but I made some good friends and learned a lot, so it was worth it in the end.

FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN · May 12, 2018

Depending on where you live, you may have choices, because the job market for new grads is very good in many areas.

For this reason, I think it's good to think about what you might want to do or not want to do.

Finding out what you don't like is almost as good as finding out what you like.

If you are still not sure when its time to apply, choose something broad like med surg, and the place that gives you the most training and orientation. From this position, you will learn a lot and develop skills and interests.