Med. Surg. experience first?

[Kaela_Stromberg]

Hi, I am a nursing student at the College of Southern Idaho, and I am about to complete the RN program here. I am very interested in going into obstetrics, and I wanted to get some advice from some experienced nurses on the following question:

Should a nurse who is wanting to get a job in a specialty, such as obstetrics, obtain experience on a medical/surgical unit prior to obtaining a position in said specialty, or should the nurse just start off in that specialty?

Thank you all for your time and responses in advanced!

[Flatline, BSN, RN]

Emphatically, NO.

If you want to go to OB, go to OB. Far better you spend the time becoming a super amazing OB nurse rather than a mediocre med surg nurse who is now a novice OB nurse.

Medical Surgical gets a bad reputation as a "general purpose" unit. In reality, medical surgical is it's own unique specialty with their own unique certifications.

[Extra Pickles]

Emphatically, NO.

If you want to go to OB, go to OB. Far better you spend the time becoming a super amazing OB nurse rather than a mediocre med surg nurse who is now a novice OB nurse.

Except when the unit you want to work in tells you that they won't consider you without a certain amount of experience handling general medical-surgical patients. Sometimes you can land a job in a unit you want as a new grad and sometimes the unit won't want new grads, they want experience, sometimes the experience is from the same specialty and sometimes it's a foundation of med-surge. Just how it is, depending on where you are.

Medical Surgical gets a bad reputation as a "general purpose" unit. In reality, medical surgical is it's own unique specialty with their own unique certifications.

YES! Med-Surge gal here and proud of it. We enjoy the joke Jack of All Trades, Master of None but I tell you when you want to know how to do something you haven't seen before on XX Specialty Unit, call on a Dinosaur Nurse in Med-Surg like me lol, who probably has come done it at some point!

[Sour Lemon]

Hi, I am a nursing student at the College of Southern Idaho, and I am about to complete the RN program here. I am very interested in going into obstetrics, and I wanted to get some advice from some experienced nurses on the following question:

Should a nurse who is wanting to get a job in a specialty, such as obstetrics, obtain experience on a medical/surgical unit prior to obtaining a position in said specialty, or should the nurse just start off in that specialty?

Thank you all for your time and responses in advanced!

You shouldn't feel obligated, but sometimes OB units want experience in med/surg before they'll consider you. If you're able to go straight into OB and that's where your passion is, go for it.

[Kaela_Stromberg]

Thank you all for your comments. They have all been helpful! One of the hospitals I am applying to has a residency program that offers positions in specialty units for new graduates. I have decided to apply for it and see where it goes. Thank you all for your guidance!