Post-partum or Med-Surg

[EH44]

I think this topic has been discussed before but I am in a situation as a new grad and deciding which area to go into. I did my preceptorship in Post-partum and really enjoyed it however the unit I was on was strictly post-partum no L&D/antepartum so the only meds given are pain killers and really the only medical things done are vitals for the most part. I have been offered a job on this unit and also one on a med surg floor. I am having a difficult decision deciding what to do. I have always heard starting in med surg is the way to go to learn/do new skills. I do know that I would never start and IV in post-partum and basically all of my patients were healthy women/babies. I don't want to however go into something and hate it. I one day want to work in pediatrics and don't want to hinder my chances of getting a job in pediatrics by working on a post-partum flood (lose skills)..I do however know that I enjoy this floor so am very torn. Any advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

PS the med surg is days.. and the post-partum is nights

[ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP]

If you think you would like PP more, then go for it.

However, the skill sets are very limiting. Where I work, the PP nurses have a bad rep of not having strong nursing skills. It isn't surprising as most PP patients are healthy and uncomplicated. But the PP nurses in my department have caught flack for not even wanting to take care of complicated PP patients (ex: those who had preeclampsia and need to be on Mag).

Maybe my experience taints my views, but I don't think PP would be a good place for a new grad to start in. Plus, the med-surg job is day-shift! Very rarely do new grads get day shift.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

everything is lovely on PP till the patient goes into DIC------------

Remember, you are not married to the decision. You can change later. The other thing about med-surg is the variety of conditions you encounter.

[SierraBravo]

You really want your first nursing job to be a good one. With that being said, going into OB as a new grad will limit you, in my opinion. As you said, the only medical thing done on that unit is VS. So, if you have a desire to transition into a pediatric primary care physician's office in the future, then OB is the way to go. If you have a desire to transition within a hospital onto an acute care unit, particularly peds, the odds are not in your favor if you choose OB (with all other variables being equal).

Med/surg isn't all rainbows and bubble gum, but it is a great way for a new grad to learn the ropes and hone their skills. Once you have that acute care experience, you pretty much have the ability to transfer to most any area of medicine.

[Libby1987]

You would essentially be an acute care nurse without acute care skills if you went into PP from our perspective. Get the med-surg experience now and out of the way while you have the job offer. (Says California nurse where people would jump at the med surg offer).

[iPink, BSN, RN]

I am a PP nurse, but I got my start in ICU stepdown. I love PP, however I would never recommend a new grad start there. Sorry. There are some new grads on my floor who literally shake when giving insulin doses because it's rarely done, they heavily rely on the techs to get labs drawn, they haven't gotten in the habit of reviewing previous labs, and yes starting an IV is almost non-existent. Many of these new grads want to eventually move into NICU or L&D where starting an IV and getting labs drawn is a must. Many of us started on other floors like ICU, PCU, Trauma, M/S, Neuro before settling in M/B and we can easily tell the nurses who got their start in PP. Would you know what to do if your PP patient had a seizure? The nurse with 10 years of PP experience who had that patient didn't. Thank goodness the nurse who started in Neuro stepped in to assist.

If you want to get into Peds, I would start in Med-surg. Good luck!

[BSNbeauty, BSN, RN]

If Peds is your passion I would start in PP. PP gives you the opportunity to work with babies and that may help you get your foot in the door.

I am a PP nurse and love it. I did have critical care exp. prior, however I would have accepted PP right out of school if it was offered to me.

[INN_777, BSN, RN]

Start in Med Surg, get the basics under your belt then decide if you want to transfer to L&D, PP, Peds etc. I think if you start in PP it will be more difficult to transfer somewhere else.

You can also pick up a shift in PP while working in Med Surg to still get the exposure and help you decide going forward.

[usernameallnurse]

I'm a postpartum nurse looking for new job BUT b/c of lack of EXPERIENCE in acute care nursing it has been really hard. Go for med/surg and get a grip on your skills and time mng skills!!!

[Seas]

I once was a mother/baby nurse too. Thankfully I did it after telemetry.

Don't start in pp as a new grad. I personally felt sorry for the new grads in my pp unit. Because you will forget pretty much all the skills. You won't be marketable with pp experience. I am happy that I now am a NICU nurse. I did mother baby for almost 2 years. I loved it at first, but after a while, it was making me feel bad that I wasn't challenged at all.

I also don't think healthy newborns is a way to go for a peds position later. You are doing very basic care with babies in pp except for routine labs. Med surg would be a great start for any unit later on.

[NRS86]

Personally, I hate m/s and am doing everything in my power to get the heck out! I'm actually trying to go to PP now lol. However, the skills I have earned in my 2 years there have helped me tremendously. I have great prioritizing and time management skills now thanks to that floor and I know now I could pretty much handle the hecticness of any floor. As intriguing as pp sounds, it will hurt you in the long run if you start there. Get your m/s experience that way you have more options if you choose to change your specialty in the future. Because you never know… in nursing school I loved cardiac and wanted to work in the cath lab or something of that sort, now after actually working just on m/s, I want nothing to do with cardiac patients! lol.

[BloomNurseRN, ASN, BSN, RN]

I don't think going in to PP now will severely limit you in the future if you work hard and get every skill you can from it.

I started out in a clinic as a new grad and a lot of people expressed worry that I wouldn't learn much. After a year I was quickly offered a job in a Med-Surg department and in home healthcare. My job taught me a lot of skills in medication management, assessment, medication administration, and using nursing judgment. I had no doubt the other skills would be fine when I was back on a floor and I was right. Do what you feel is right for you at this time. If it's PP, go for it. If it's Med-Surg, remember you can always go for PP later. Good luck!