Pediactric nursing or Med/surg nursing?

ednursedee · Dec 8, 2004

shelley,

sure, it takes a special person to be a peds nurse...but doesn't it take a special person to be any kind of nurse? you're already a special person just by being you. if you loved your peds rotation, go for it. i think the biggest thing to remember is that children are not just "little adults"...everything we do for them is different. my biggest challenge when treating a peds patient in the er is the fact that i don't just have a little patient...i have a big patient...the parent. treating them is sometimes harder to do than treating the pediatric patient. though i have worked in a pediatric er, pediatric nursing is definitely not my specialty nor my favorite thing to do, so i'm always thrilled when i work with someone who definitely loves taking care of kids. :) try out peds if that's what you want to do, keeping in mind that if it turns out to not be what you want you can change specialties. that's the wonderful thing about nursing...there is usually a niche out there that anyone can fit into.

good luck!

BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN · Dec 8, 2004

well i guess i'm special then i felt the same way when i graduated (about peds), but had no choice but to work in med/surg (no shortage at that time). peds is not for everyone. if you have an interest (that is, you weren't completely turned off by it), then you'll probably like it. whatever your first job is, it will be stressful. med/surg is a valuable experience. you really do learn everything there, cause you never know what you're gonna get.

abundantjoy07, RN · Dec 8, 2004

Med/surg is valuable for gaining basic skills and knowledge that's a step up from nursing school. I've heard that people who do med/surg first tend not to burn out as fast.

I like the idea of specializing off the bat though. I think med/surg is a little slow for me. But when I finish, I'll probably head straight for med/surg before hitting life in the fast lane.

actioncat · Dec 8, 2004

What do you mean by "slow"?

Just curious as you are still in nursing school, right?

BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN · Dec 8, 2004

what do you mean by "slow"?

i'm sure med surg hasn't changed much since i left it (5 yrs), but there was nothing 'slow' about it.

FarmgrrlRN · Dec 8, 2004

Hello everyone! I still have another year before I graduate and I just had a question...
I can't decide if I want to go into peds or not... I loved med/surg and thought that was definitely what I wanted to do. Well, I just completed my ped rotation this semester and absolutely loved it as well!
I keep hearing things like, "It takes a *special* person to be a pediatric nurse..." and other stuff like, "oh you'll know immediately if you want to go into pediatric nursing". If that's the case, then I guess I shouldn't?!
Anyone out there with any advice? Thanks!
Shelley

Hi Shelley,

I have found myself in the same situation as you!!! I'm set (hopefully!) to graduate in May '05 and just finished my peds clinical in Nov. I'm starting orientation at the children's hospital here as an aide on Monday. I found peds to be incredibly interesting, liked the hospital, the kids were great (not all were happy stories), and even interacted a bit with the parents.

I decided to try this out to make sure that this is really what I want to do when I graduate and while I'm at it, it will also help me with my clinical skills (still haven't had more than 1 patient in clinical and heading into my last semester!). Maybe you can find a similar position in your area???