your niche in nursing

Asystole RN · Oct 19, 2016

My dream job was becoming a nurse so day 1? Everything else was just icing on the cake.

I do not have a niche or specialty that I am aiming for or specifically desire, I just move to the position/specialty that looks interesting and fulfilling for the moment. When I get bored I move on to the next. That is the beauty of nursing.

NotMyProblem MSN, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN · Oct 19, 2016

29 years. No joke. No lie.

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · Oct 19, 2016

In terms of bed side nursing, I think I've found what I like. Advance practice? 17 months and counting. Still not sure which direction to take my career in.

CelticGoddess, BSN, RN · Oct 20, 2016

hey, guys!
so i just wanted to get a topic going because i had a question: how long was it until you found your "niche" in nursing or went to your "dream" nursing job?
just wanted to see some different experiences.

I've been a nurse for 5.5 years and I still haven't found my niche. I always thought I wanted to work Onc but found out, after 2 years on an Onc/Palliative floor that Onc is not my cup of tea. Actually, I am miserable. I love my patients, but it's the futility of it that is bothering me. I am waiting for a write up to drop off so I can transfer. (I kept forgetting to clock in or out).

I have some tele experience and do enjoy that, so am thinking of CVRU, CCU or step down next. I don't know. My end plan is to get my PhD in Education and research (I'm weird, I love research)

llg, PhD, RN · Oct 21, 2016

I knew before I started nursing school which clinical specialty attracted me (NICU). That's why I went to nursing school. That's the kind of nurse I imagined myself to be. School experiences only confirmed my first impressions.

I don't believe "dream jobs" are out there waiting to be found. I believe we make a job good or bad ... or if we can't make it good, we move on or agree to be miserable. I became a NICU CNS at 26 and now work on special projects housewide in a Children's Hospital. Many people would consider my job to be a "dream job" and I think it is the best fit for me. But it is not perfect: it has its ups and downs like any other job.

SmithRNclassof97 · Oct 21, 2016

I knew right away I wanted to be a psych nurse. I had no interest in med surg nursing at all. I took my first job on a dementia unit in a LTC facility and later worked inpatient psych. My first dream job, my niche, was in home care, doing behavioral health visits in the community (7 years after graduating from nursing school). I loved my work and did it for 12 years until the state drastically cut reimbursement for behavioral health home care visits. My salary was reduced and the workload increased. I left 6 months ago to be a clinical instructor in a practical nursing program....maybe that will turn out to be my new niche.