new grad nurse

ma kettle · May 7, 2002

IF pp is what you wan to do go for it. You will like what you do and you will give more to something that interest s you. I would think depending on the area for which you live, you would be able to get a job in this area as a new nurse, Good luck.:)

Agnus · May 7, 2002

Follow your heart. I find MD office/clinic nursing boring. There are those who are very stimulated in MD office/clinic nursing. Find your OWN nitch. Besides even if eventually you do get bored you won't be as a new grad. You can always move later if you find you don't like it. But if you are wanting to go this route then YOU will be stimulated and enjoy it.

Some people like a slower more predictable field to practice in and I don't think that is a bad way for a new grad to start.

Congratulations! I am jelous I have been trying to get into pp or peids since I graduated a year ago and these areas do not have openings because the people there love the job. I did my senior practicum in pp and loved it.

Dayray, RN · May 7, 2002

Pammers

I am in a similar position I'm 28 and have had the same thoughts as you. I was also worried about losing the skills I worked so hard to develop in school. After some thought I decided if maternal family nursing was what I was going to do then I didn't really need to worry about losing skills I wouldn't be using in that area.

I also have to wonder what skills people think will be unused in maternal family nursing. More then likely if you get a job on PP you will also be working in OBGYN and nursery. In OBGYN you take care of surgical patients and in PP you will take care of post C- section patients. Every surgery type is different but if your focused on working with a certain type of patient, shouldn't you be seeking to learn about them instead of the wide variety of surgical patients you take care of on a med/surge floor?

As with any specialty, your knowledge and skills will evolve to fit that area. Some skills important to your practice will be sharpened and ones less used will be lessened or stay at the level they are now.

You have to ask your self. "If maternal family nursing is what I really want to do why do I need to know how to take care of a post lamenectomy or post hip replacement patient?"

Also I think people forget that our patients may have other medical problems. People with diabetes, cancer, heart problems and many other conditions still get pregnant and you'll learn how to deal with them as they apply to your specialty.

As for people saying PP is boring I think it's a matter of opinion. I loved my PP rotation. Yes my patients were stable and they didn't need allot of management for their health problems but gee there were allot of social and family issues to deal with. Patients with abusive relationships, patients who had experienced fetal demise and people just learning to take care of a new baby. If you're like me (and I think you are) these are the things that attracted you to PP in the first place and dealing with them is part of the nursing process. If you like dealing with these issues then PP is the place for you.

I say go for it! Do what you really want to. If you are still worried about loosing skills ask to float to med/surge or take a PRN position in med surge. If you choose to work in an area you don't like you might get burnt out and god knows the last thing the world needs is another burnt out nurse.

ntigrad · May 7, 2002

Hey I am so surprised to read this thread today! I am in pn school and did L & D rotation last week and LOVED it! Having had three babies of my own I knew I would. Tomorrow and the rest of the week I will be in PP. I talked to the DON of the hospital in my town and she said they don't do preceptorships in L&D with new grads, they do them in PP. I figured that's the closest I will get at this time to L &D and like you, I feel that there will be plenty of social issues to deal with as well as using my own experinece with new moms as well as surgery pts. I am seriously thinking about doing that inseatd of a year of med/surg and maybe do some med/surg PRN like Sunday evening or something. I just thinks it's funny that after thinking abouthtis all weekend and talkng ot my classmates about it, I come home and read this thread. I hope you two get to do just what you want!

JILL