New nurses without clear career goals

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Not everyone knows what they want and sometimes it is a matter of seeing what you don't want to know it. If you went through nursing school and didn't experience that, then you are in a better spot than many (and more open for it). Some might look at it as a lack of direction, but you kind of have a basic *knowing* of what you want to do...you want to take care of patients. That's the heart of the career you've chosen. Past that, you are clearly willing to let the cards fall where they may.

wondern, ASN

694 Posts

How can you know until you try? Right? I agree with you. Take your time. Slow down. No need to rush. Find what you love before you specialize. You may very well have more than one specialty before it's all done and said.:nurse::nurse::nurse:

RNperdiem, RN

4,592 Posts

Getting a job and working as a nurse is the beginning of having (or not having) career goals.

I started in med-surg because that is who was hiring in my area. I learned what I did not want. I applied for OR at a different hospital because there are no call bells or patient visitors there. I was told that they only hired internal candidates, but what about ICU? They even let me pick which unit I wanted.

Almost twenty years have gone by and I am still here. I had no plans for ICU, but here I still am. The kids leave home in a few years, maybe that OR job is still waiting.

ruby_jane, BSN, RN

3,142 Posts

Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.

Nothing's wrong with you. You will probably be a lot happier than those of us who said "I only want..." or "I never want..."

I only wanted to do pediatrics. It took three years but here I am. Any job that allows you to practice safely and get experience is a good job.

Specializes in LTC.
First I got a message saying I couldn't post because it hadn't been 10 seconds, but I hadn't posted within 10 seconds. Then I attempted to repost (with an extra sentence) and my "denied" post appeared. I also can't "edit" at all ...I just get a blank page. What the heck is going on with this site? Anyway...

You broke the website, obviously!!!

(Haha jk!) 😋

RockinNurse2018

102 Posts

Specializes in Geriatrics w/rehab, LTC, hospice patient.
Do you think that new nurses who have no preference as far as where they want to work have an easier time with, well, being a new nurse? Basically, if you take away the expectations of a dream job right of the bat, is that a big chunk of burden off of the nurse?

I'll be graduating in May and people keep asking me what I want to do. Every time I say I have no idea (which does not bother me in the least) everyone is dumbfounded 😃. In my head though, if I have no preconceived notions of where I SHOULD be I at least won't have to worry that and can just focus on looking for a job and learning as a new graduate. This is not to say that those who have a clear vision of what type of nurse (which I envy and very much wish I had) they want to be will have difficulty if they find employment somewhere besides the dream job.

Maybe my real question is if this is typical and, if not, could it still be helpful in the long run. So many of my classmates have such clear goals and sometimes I wonder if they will be happier in their career than I, especially if they attain the positions they desire.

I think that you have the potential to be happier than a lot of your classmates because you have an open mind. Certainly, those who don't get what they want are going to be disappointed, and even those who do get what they want, may not be happy when their dream job isn't all they hoped for. I, myself, am still a new nurse, and although I don't necessarily have a "specific" job that I absolutely need to have, I still have preferences for some over others. The fact that I haven't been able to land any of those jobs has led to a lot of frustration for me. Honestly, you may save yourself some of the frustration I've been experiencing by NOT having a specific job in mind. Good luck to you!

Neats, BSN

682 Posts

Specializes in Case Manager/Administrator.

What do I want to be when I grow up?...A decent human being.

Not having a "goal" from the time you graduate from nursing school to me is smart. Very few of us really know what we want and many of us feel we know what we want. That is the difference. You are true to yourself and know yourself enough to say hey I am not sure what I want to specialize in, if anything.

I admire and am inspired by people like you and your candor. Give yourself time to truly discover the world of nursing, your focus if this is what you want will come from that discovery. Good Luck to you.

kbrn2002, ADN, RN

3,822 Posts

Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

Not knowing what you want as a new grad is wonderful! You will be able to go into that first job with no preconceived notions or expectations. No bitter disappointment when your "dream job" isn't the good dream you expected. No paralyzing fear if you get a job in an specialty you decided you would hate before you even walked in the door. An open mind will give you so many more options, especially if you live in a tight employment market. Not knowing what you want, you'll be more willing to put in applications in specialties that others might say "I would NEVER work there." You might hate it and decide to move on to something else, but you might also find you like it.

Oldmahubbard

1,487 Posts

You can't really know what anything will be like, until you get into it.

Although a summer working as a nurse's aide, while I was in nursing school convinced me that the Med Surg floor was not for me.

It is quite a tight job market in a lot of areas, judging by what I read here. People are not going to be able to just name their desired job.

You and your classmates will need to get some experience under your belt.

I can recall similar days with my classmates. There were some people who were quite bold and confident "this specific nursing job is what I want to do".

I didn't keep in contact with most of them, so I don't know how it all worked out.

Although I have been surprised a couple of times, running into people who still work in a hospital, decades later.

I became interested in psychiatry and tried to save the world, at least a little, with those long soulful conversations.

Now I don't mind a bit that the expectation, as a psych NP in most settings, is 3 patients an hour.

Each work experience will change you, and time will change you.

The quote that comes to mind is " I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship"

Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

I would be open to anything. I ended working LTC rehab as my first job. I ended up getting the exact experience I needed to get the dream job I didn't know I wanted!!!! Lots of my classmates had grand ideas where they thought they wanted to be and totally changed their minds after getting into the workforce.

I wanted to do peds, ended up in ortho and I LOVE it.

theRPN2b

147 Posts

Specializes in Medicine.

I think that no one should be too dead-set on one certain career goal in nursing. Of course many achieve their career goals and end up where they originally wanted, but there are also some that never thought they would work in a certain area but find out they love it and end up working there.

I think that no one should be too dead-set on one certain career goal in nursing. Of course many achieve their career goals and end up where they originally wanted, but there are also some that never thought they would work in a certain area but find out they love it and end up working there.

Take my career for instance. While initially, I was willing to take whatever came along, my first job was Pacu out the gate. Now granted I thoroughly enjoy the environment/pace and it's helped me move into pain and other more specialized fields, it's been a hindrance in expanding outside those roles. Even with my fnp I've had recruiters try hard to get me into pain jobs when all I want to do is primary care. Lol. Keep your career as broad as possible early on to allow yourself to specialize later on.

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