Is there a best unit for new grads?

Jolie, BSN · Mar 5, 2009

Yes! The best unit for a new grad is...........................................................................the unit which is of greatest interest to the new grad and offers a structured, supportive orientation with a consistent preceptor.

The clinical focus of the unit matters not a whit.

Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN · Mar 5, 2009

I would think it would be easier to go from ED to L&D rather than the other way around. ED you get some OB patients, but you will rarely see a gunshot wound in L&D (God willing).

mdcp · Mar 5, 2009

I was always told a general Medical/Surgical floor since you see almost everything there and learn a lot from the different types of pts. Most of the medical/surgical floors have a really good internship for new grads in my area so a lot of people end up going that way.

RedhairedNurse, BSN, RN · Mar 6, 2009

I think medsurg. That's what I'm doing. Getting great experience too.

southernbelle08 · Mar 8, 2009

Med-Surg, in my opinion.

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Mar 8, 2009

in this economy take what you can get. i am on two units: a medical surgical/cardiac step down unit and er-obs unit. my main er was not hiring new grads so i took a job as closest to the skill set of the er i could find. currently, i am pleased because my unit is very supportive and i am gaining a lot of training to assist me with my future goals. in fact, i get more drips, blood, tpn, meds, skills, etc. then the new grads currently in the main er at my hospital. my er apparently does not like to give new grads high acuity patients. on the floors (medical surgical) there is no choice! new grads get sick patients with high acuities and must do so before getting off of orientation because the floor is packed with them. plus, i have worked in the l&d and that is a bust if you want to be an er nurse any time soon. not to be morbid but, the only way you can go from l&d to the er directly is if you are a patient.

l&d usually contains low acuity healthy patients. some l&ds take trauma… but very few. if you actually started working in such a unit, the odds that you will move into the trauma portion any time soon is slim too, due to your lack of experience. you will need to transfer from the l&d to a medical surgical floor, and then transfer into the er if you choose the l&d route to being an er nurse. thus, i agree with the others that medical surgical is probably the best training area for anything you wish to do. :twocents:

labcat01, BSN, RN · Mar 10, 2009

Yes! The best unit for a new grad is...........................................................................the unit which is of greatest interest to the new grad and offers a structured, supportive orientation with a consistent preceptor.
The clinical focus of the unit matters not a whit.

:yeah: Yep! It really depends on you, your interests, needs as a new nurse, and career goals. Just keep an open mind when you do your rotations in nursing school :)

nurse1717 · Mar 12, 2009

If I had to choose one, I too would say Med Surg, just because, as others have said, you get some of everything.

Once you start nursing school, you may find that you enjoy a particular area of study...maternity, etc.

Good luck in your quest towards a nursing degree! :wink2:

ChristineN, BSN, RN · Mar 12, 2009

Yes! The best unit for a new grad is...........................................................................the unit which is of greatest interest to the new grad and offers a structured, supportive orientation with a consistent preceptor.
The clinical focus of the unit matters not a whit.

Jolie, I think that this is a wonderful answer. While people are prone to saying "med-surg," is the best area for new grads, if that med-surg floor eats their young, has a very short orientation, and a high nurse-to-patient ratio, that new grad will be burnt out very quickly. I have spent my first year in nursing in pediatrics. I work on a floor with a very supportive staff, a 3-4 month orientation (which was geared at new grads), and a nurse-to-patient ratio of 1-5 max (including on nights). This is the best kind of floor for a new grad to end up on.

nurse1717 · Mar 12, 2009

You want to also think semi-long term career...and keep those options open. Sometimes, not always, if you begin in too specialized a department, you won't get the broad range of experience...then again hopefully you'll get into a new grad program. I've been in nursing for over 8 years; also you can float--this will give you a variation and exposure to different departments. ER and L&D are quite different areas of specialty.

TheMindofScads · Mar 17, 2009

When I was coming out of nursing school everybody told me you have to do MedSurg first to get your experience on the right track. That almost depressed me, I worked through nursing school as a CNA in a PICU and I was bored to tears on the med/surg unit during clinicals.

So I decided to do what I wanted rather than what others thought was best for me.

I am working in a county hospital emergency room and I love it. Yes, the learning curve is very steep at times, but I'm well supported by fellow staff. Most important though is I'm having fun learning and growing in my role.

The best unit is one you will enjoy or you will burn out fast. Just about happened to my brother-in-law. He worked Med/Surg, ED, Neuro, and something else...hated them all. He almost quit nursing. Now he works as a home health hospice nurse and loves his job.

So as others have stated...the best unit is one that you will be happy in and not what others think you should be doing.

:twocents: