Most competitive fields to get into?

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

I was wondering, for those nurses who have been in the field for years, what fields of nursing/nursing jobs are easiest to get? And what fields of nursing have the most competition?

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Specializes in ER.

Med/surg, LTC, rehab, psych are usually easy to get into

ICU, ER, PACU, cath lab, outpatient surgery are generally more difficult

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Specializes in Mental Health, Medical Research, Periop.

I think Med/Surg, LTC, SNF, Home Health, and the prison facilities (although state jobs/federal jobs can be difficult to obtain - so I guess this can go either way), probably easier to get into than ICU, ER, OR, Hospice NICU or L&D.

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Specializes in Oncology, radiology, ICU.

LTC, med/surg are the easiest around here. NICU, hospice, radiology (which I am), and L&D are the hardest

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Specializes in LTC, med/surg, hospice.

Med/surg, LTC, ER, and home health are the easiest locally.

L&D, pediatrics/NICU, OR, informatics, outpatient surgery and similar things like endoscopy, cath lab, infusions are tougher to get into.

Adult Critical care falls in the middle. The closer the hospital is to a college that does nurse anesthetist programs the tougher it is.

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Specializes in CEN, CPEN, RN-BC.

I've always heard that L&D is difficult to get into.

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All good answers. Yet I will NEVER forget finally getting off 17 years of night shift, every other weekend, bedside nursing, to work out patient surgery and meeting young newish RN co-workers who said, "Oh yeah, I worked a few months med/surg, knew it wasn't for me, so applied for a job here."

Luck, skill, taking advanced certification, eagerness, etc., can get a qualified worker into almost any job.

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