Nursing Student Asks Should I Do Peds or CRNA?

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

Dear Nurse Beth,

I am currently a senior in nursing school. I will finish in December of this year, hopefully. I have always known pediatrics was where my heart was. During my first Pediatric clinical this semester, I loved it even more than I thought I would. I had planned on applying for a Nurse Extern position at a local children's hospital this summer, but now I am considering going the CRNA route after I graduate.

Pharmacology has been my favorite class so far, aside from Pediatrics, and when I shadowed multiple CRNAs during my OR rotation recently, I fell in love. Should I apply for a position in the ICU to prepare myself for the possibility of CRNA route? Or should I stick to Pediatrics and decide after school whether or not to take the CRNA route? Any advice is much

Dear Future Nurse,

Congrats on being in your senior year! Nursing has so many opportunities, but trying to decide can be confusing.

You are asking if you should stick with Pediatrics, your first love, or pursue the CRNA route, your new love.

Consider taking one year after graduation to decide. You could do Pediatrics for a year, and then transfer to ICU if you decide you want to be a CRNA.

Or you could apply to ICU, and later transfer to Peds. After one year, you will have a working knowledge of the hospital, and will have laid the foundation to your nursing practice. In the meantime, focus on learning the ropes and keep an open mind. You will be a different person in a year. Pay attention to opportunities and doors that open, as they are life guiding you.

Best wishes,

Nurse Beth

Author, "Your Last Nursing Class: How to Land Your First Nursing Job"...and your next!

[chare]

Or, he or she could consider pediatric intensive care. This would provide both exposure to pediatric patients, as well as ICU experience, should he or she apply to a CRNA program later.

[/username, BSN, RN]

Or, he or she could consider pediatric intensive care. This would provide both exposure to pediatric patients, as well as ICU experience, should he or she apply to a CRNA program later.

!!!! get outta here with your common sense!!

[vampiregirl, BSN, RN]

I chuckle because I was 100% sure I knew which nursing speciality I wanted to do when I got my license... yet I found my niche in a speciality that couldn't be more further from my original "plan".

I think it's a great idea to have a good idea what speciality you are interested in and work towards that, but also keep an open mind in case something else pops up!