how did you pick your specialty?

I did a Senior Capstone (externship) at a Level IV NICU and I fell in love with the little "peanuts". After that I became focused on getting a NICU job. I got a job at another Level IV NICU after graduation. I have been there 6 months and I will be in NICU until I retire. It has all the high tech of an adult ICU without the adult size body in the bed. I was fortunate, NICU was the perfect fit for me on my first job.

I have been a nurse for two years also, and I picked my specialty for a couple of reasons: 1. I am still thinking I will go to CRNA school one day, 2. I love being challenged (in an intellectual way), and 3. I can't stand call bell riders. I have overall been very happy working in ICU, specifically MICU. I like the variety and complexity of the patients, but I do hate how I feel like 90% of the general MICU patient population is pitiful elderly people being tortured for the family's sake.

I have a lot of respect for hospice nurses, and floated to a palliative care unit occasionally when I was a CNA, and I loved seeing dying people treated like actual dying people - as in people who need care, comfort, peace, and dignity instead of ten million more needle sticks and more chest tubes. I could see myself doing inpatient hospice if I ever decided not to go to CRNA school after all.

I would also love to do critical care transport or rapid response, but once again, those would put me off the path I want to take long-term, so unless I see a part time/PRN listing for either of those, I'm going to stay put for now.

What do you like about the days where you do like your job?

Out of pure curiosity may I ask what you don't (and do) like about your current ER job?

I've been a nurse for two years now... Still trying to find my area where I feel that "work isn't work." Started as a new grad in med surg for a year, school nursing for 6 months, currently in the ER for the past 5 months... still find myself wondering what's next and/or what else is out there. I feel kinda crazy for continuing to switch jobs/wanting to try different areas. I ask myself daily if I am happy in my area and that answer changes daily.

How long have you been in your specialty? What area is it? Do you see yourself there long term? What other areas would you like to try? What other areas have you already worked?

- My current specialty? 1 year

-School Nurse, started Home Care Field RN job TODAY (per diem)

-Neither is my first choice, but they are stable jobs, so, yes?

-I would like to do Hospice or Docs Without Borders sort of stuff

-Everything. I liked Employee/Occupational Health the best so far, followed by Oncology.