L&D vs med-surg

[jdenni12]

Hello! I am new to this forum and this is my first post! I am a nurse tech in an L&D unit and I work specifically in the ER triage area of the unit. I am a senior nursing student and I graduate in December. There may be a full time position opening up for me when I graduate. However, I wanted to do ER or another medical unit to get a rounded experience. I also really love the fast paced environment of the ER triage area, so I think that ER would be a good fit for me. The only problem is, my area is over-saturated with nurses and many new grads are going without jobs for a while after graduating. Should I accept this position, or start out as a new nurse somewhere else hopefully? I like L&D but I do not plan to make it my life-long career. If I start in L&D will I have boxed myself in? I really do love my team, I know that is rare to find as I heard that many nurses eat their young and I know that I would have an easier transition onto the L&D floor than in other areas. I'm just weighing my option now, as the intentions that I make known to my boss now, may have a bearing on if she holds the position for me or not. Thanks!

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

A job is better than no job..but that's if you are offered the position. Until you actually are offered the position, you should act as if you don't yet have a job, because you don't :) which means you should apply to all positions that interest you, even if it is ER. It's important to have a good new grad experience with supportive coworkers. If that's what you have in your current department, it may be wise to stay there, rather than risk a bad experience somewhere else. You can always transfer departments after a year.