one year of med surg recommendation-- your opinion?

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I just wanted to ask the nurses out there what they think of the advice I routinely get about where to apply to work after graduation. My instructors and the nursing recruiters all say, "Don't specialize. Do a year of med surg to get your feet wet and so you don't burn out."

Is this the general consensus? I just did a NICU clinical, and nearly every nurse I spoke to was hired in there as a new grad, and in fact, the unit still hires new grads. I loved the NICU, but am I crazy to think I could work there as a new grad? For that matter, I liked the ER, too. So tell me what you think, one year of med surg first or not?

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Specializes in L&D/Maternity nursing.

I am specializing for my immersion. I think that if you know what you want to do, then go down that route.

Don't get me wrong, med/surg is wonderful and you would certainly gain invaluable experience and practice. But I think that if you don't know what you want to do then med/surg is a good start while you figure it all out.

I know others will disagree, but those are just my thoughts on the matter.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

i know this isn't a popular opinion these days, but i'm with your instructors. do a year or two of med/surg to get your feet wet. i know many nurses these days, especially the ones who don't want to do m/s are advocating towards jumping immediately into a specialty. but over the years i've seen those nurses burn out really fast while dh and i are both still at it after decades.

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If you want to go down the ER route, then I would do medsurg for a year. However, most of the nurses that I have talked to have told me that L&D, peds and neonatal, and mental health nursing are sort of "different beasts", and that if you want to go into these very specialized areas that you should do so immediately-- however, be warned that I have heard that it is very hard to get out of these areas once you specialize. The behavioral nurses at my hospital are terrified of IV therepy, and the postpartum nurses pale at the sight of a patient with a heart problem.

I am with Melmarie on her statement that other people may and will disagree with this (espeically any portpartum nurses with a specialty in heart conditions, I would bet!) I also want to say that I am just a student, and this is the advice that I have gotten from the nurses that I work with. I personally have my sights set on ER as well, and I know that I will have to do a medusrg stint and possibly an ICU stint before I can even think of applying!

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Specializes in School Nursing.

If I could go back and re-do it, I would get my full year in med/surg, only because you never know where life will take you and you need to be marketable in areas other than your specialty. I am a hard core school nurse, but I have now moved 40+ miles from my district and positions at rural districts are hard to come by. I want to get a job closer to my new home, but since I have done mainly school nursing I am kind of pigeon holed into that area. I have not started my job search hard and heavy, though, because I am going to finish this year with my district, so we shall see!

The other thing to consider is that you might think you are in love with a certain specialty, but when you get into it you might find another area that you adore. That one year med/surg might make you more marketable for your newfound interest.

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Thank you, I never thought about my "marketability." I value all opinions on this subject.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

The "marketability" is an important factor to consider. I think the med/surg route is a good one for any nurse who might be interested in working with adults some day. However, I don't think it is the best choice for everyone.

1. Read the posts on this site. A lot of med/surg units offer little orientation -- and in many hospitals, these are the new grads who get the most burned out soon after graduation. So, it is not true that med/surg is always easier and/or less stressful for new grads.

2. The experience you learn on med/surg may or may not help you with your chosen specialty. For example, I am an old NICU nurse with a lot of experience in NICU orientation of new grads. The people who struggle the most with NICU orientation are often the nurses who come with adult med/surg experience. What they learned in med/surg is so opposite from what they need to know for the NICU, that it can be a difficult transition to make. I've known a lot of NICU educators who have said that.

3. If you really hate med/surg -- then don't get your career off to a bad start by choosing to work doing work you hate. There is no faster or more sure path to misery and burnout. The skills you will learn aren't any good if you are miserable, bitter, and burned out after that year.

For some people, the "marketability" factor is not worth the misery of working adult med/surg. They are willing to take the risk that they may have limited options later by going into NICU (or some other highly specialized field) as a new grad. That was true of me, who started as a new grad 32 years ago in a NICU. That decision has had a few unpleasant outcomes by limiting my career choices later. However, had I don't really regret it -- because I know that if I had started out in adult med/surg, I would have left nursing within that first year. I would have been incompetent in adult med/surg and totally out of my element and miserable. So, I have accepted the bad with the good ... made my choices ... and lived with them.

That's all you can do. There are advantages and disadvantages to each career path you choose. You just have to make a choice and then be prepared to live with the consequences.

A general pediatrics floor where you would see both babies and adolescence is a good compromise between the 2 extreme positions on the issue. You would learn the med/surg skills, but also get comfortable working with babies and parents.

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That was something I thought, too, about working in peds then moving to NICU. The NICU where i live is apparently pretty popular and might be hard to get into anyway. Although I might try anyway, the worse they can say is No.

Thanks for the input.

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma.

If you have found an area that you love, go for it! Med-surg is a good foundation, but just like any other specialty, it has its own mindset...do Med-surg if that's where you want to stay or if you haven't found a niche, it is a good starting point. I went right into ED as a new grad and never regretted it...stayed for almost 8 years until I was ready for a change.

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Specializes in ortho/neuro/medsurg/peds.

If you know what you want to specialize in then go that road. I took the med/surg route I was advised then I couldn't get a job in the specialty I wanted cause I didn't have the experience!

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Thanks again to everyone for helping me see both sides of this issue.

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