Most competitive fields to get into?

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.