Lost for Senior BSN Capstone

[togagirl2]

Hi future & fellow RNs,

I'm approaching my senior year of nursing school and soon enough I have to give my top three choices for where I want to be placed for capstone (aka where I will put in the most hours & where I potentially want to work once I graduate). I feel so lost though. Throughout my past two years, I have kept such an open heart and mind hoping that a specialty would stand out to me but it hasn't. I greatly enjoyed step-down ICU and oncology, but I've also never gotten to experience the ER, ICU, or OR.

From an RN perspective, what do you all think? Did you end up working in a similar unit as your capstone after graduation? Where can I fine-tune and practice my skills? (I guess that can be done anywhere depending on where I want to specialize).

Any advice or guidance is great appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

You are right to consider that where you do your capstone is where you might eventually be hired. If you don't have a clear idea what specialty may appeal to you, try Med/Surg. Med/Surg IS a specialty, but it also exposes you to a plethora of patients with different disease processes. You'll get a chance to work with a wide variety of patients and by the time you've completed your first year or two, you will probably have a better idea of what appeals to you.

Maybe you'll end up loving the variety of Med/Surg. Maybe the sickest patients are what interests you the most, or maybe your forte is discharge planning. You may find that you HATE neuro patients and love GI bleeds (or vice versa). You may find that your favorite patient is a demented little old lady and that you HATE the occaisional Peds patient you're forced to take. (Or vice versa). You will certainly learn a variety of nursing skills that will give you a solid grounding for whatever you decide to do next.