New RN/BSN grad needs suggestions on where to work

[birthrevolution]

The short version is: I am about to graduate in December with my BSN and am essentially trying to figure out where to apply for my "one year of RN experience (L&D preferred)" that so many CNM programs require. Where would you suggest I try to get an RN position? I know it seems like I should do L&D, but it's really hard to get L&D right now at my preferred hospital (the nurse manager hired a lot of new grads a year ago and is now specifically looking for nurses with med-surg experience) and I might not make it through working in L&D at some of the other area hospitals.

Here is the longer version for those who are interested: I went back to nursing school with the aim of becoming a CNM. I turned down a couple of direct-entry MSN/CNM programs in order to save money and stay in state. I don't want to kick myself for not going because if I had gone I would be graduating in May with an MSN/CNM instead of RN/BSN in December. Of course when I went back to school we still had a "nursing shortage" and they were giving away money to promise to work at the hospital and no one was worried about getting a new grad job. About a month after I started everything dried up, so here I am thinking I'm just going to have to take anything that comes up. I want to something I love, but am starting to feel like I'm going to have to settle for something I don't hate in order to pay the bills and keep moving forward toward my goal!

I am getting a lot of advice (most of it unsolicited) about where to work that I'm having a hard time sorting through it all. Some people say I shouldn't work on L&D because I won't get enough good experience with sick people. I think I'm in a pretty good position to get a job on Mom/Baby because of my connections with the floor, but everyone is telling me that's a bad idea because I won't get enough "nursing skills" and I'll never be able to transfer anywhere in the hospital. There's part of me that agrees with them too. So, that leaves either Gyn-Onc or Gyn Surgery for the women's hospital. I loved Peds, so I could see myself at any of the floors in the Children's Hospital. I am not a huge fan of med-surg, but everyone seems to think that's where I should go. Primarily I'm not excited about med-surg because of the staffing ratios--I just don't think I want to have 5 patients at a time (regardless of whether or not I can handle it). I haven't done my critical care rotation yet, but friends say that's a little better and in a recent conversation with a critical care nurse it sounded like I might like it.

I'm confused and a little frustrated. And, maybe more advice will make me more confused, but I would love to hear people's thoughts on this forum!

Any suggestions or words of encouragement would be appreciated!