Pre-Covid Travel

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I am an ICU nurse, but I am burned out and want to switch specialties. I am debating between OR and L&D. I believe I would like both. However, I would like to travel in a few years. Pre-Covid, which specialty was the highest paid and most in-demand? I don't want to limit myself traveling because of my specialty having few job openings. 

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L&D. However, CVOR and cath lab (both are OR or OR related super-specialties) are competitive with L&D. Other than call, OR is 99% never nights. That along with less screaming (other than the occasional surgeon) may make OR the more appealing choice. However, given the current political and Supreme Court trends, L&D will be a rapidly growing specialty. Which may make L&D once again a clear compensation winner. A shorter upgrade path than OR as well - although with critical care experience, the path to cath lab is shorter than to the OR.

You could split the difference as a CRNA. You can work in either specialty (or both), and get paid as much as both together.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
28 minutes ago, NedRN said:

L&D. However, CVOR and cath lab (both are OR or OR related super-specialties) are competitive with L&D. Other than call, OR is 99% never nights. That along with less screaming (other than the occasional surgeon) may make OR the more appealing choice. However, given the current political and Supreme Court trends, L&D will be a rapidly growing specialty. Which may make L&D once again a clear compensation winner. A shorter upgrade path than OR as well - although with critical care experience, the path to cath lab is shorter than to the OR.

You could split the difference as a CRNA. You can work in either specialty (or both), and get paid as much as both together.

Would love to go the CRNA route. That was my original plan. However, I just don't see how it would be feasible not working for 3 years while obtaining my DNP. Most schools don't let you work and almost every CRNA I've talked to said it's pretty impossible to work with the heavy school load, anyway. I'm trying to find the next best choice. L&D would pave the way for CNM. I don't know where I could advance from the OR. 

 

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An OR advancement is First Assist. While you don't need an NP for this, there are some NPs in this role. While I see more PAs in this role (not sure why), NPs have an advantage over PAs in many states with direct prescriptive authority. This allows more effective rounding - and allows the surgeon to offload a good bit of work.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
6 hours ago, NedRN said:

While I see more PAs in this role (not sure why)

PAs have a surgical rotation in school.

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