desiruns

I would say absolutely go with #1. I am a new grad nurse 7 months into my first job (I was lucky and somehow got a job in a pediatric ICU at a prestigious hospital). Med-Surg at a great hospital will give you the best range of experience, and give you a solid foundation from which you could branch off in any direction you want! I have heard that once you work in an office or in dialysis, it is hard to get out of those and go a different direction. I've also heard dialysis can be boring and in-hospital experience is great when you are starting out. If you choose the med/surg one and end up liking the job or the hospital a lot, it would be the perfect opportunity to have your foot in the door for other jobs there and to build relationships and connections with people. There would also be a lot more potential for climbing the "professional ladder" if you took that one. It really depends what you want to do with your life though. If your passion is for office-nursing or something else like public nursing, the office job might not be a bad idea. Hope that helps. :)

I am B.S.N. nurse in my early 20's and currently working my first job as a nurse in a prestigious hospital's PICU. Throughout nursing school, I had many areas of interest, including neonatal/pediatric ICU, geriatrics, OR nursing, and nursing education or becoming a school nurse. I didn't think that I would want to be a nursing professor or school nurse right away, but at 7 months into my PICU job, I am already exploring other areas of nursing that would better fit my personality and desired lifestyle. Basically, I love the level of acuity where I work now, but I do not think as fast as some of the other nurses and I am having some difficulty transitioning from textbook to real practice. Although I got good grades and graduated with honors, nursing school was hell for me, much because of certain professors. Ever since then, I have had a desire to become a professor so I can use my experience to make it better for others who are going through nursing school. When I think about being a school nurse, I think about how fun it would be to work in a school and to have an educator role as well as a somewhat clinical-nurse role. Also, the hours seem ideal for somebody who doesn't really have the stamina for rotating 12 hour shifts (that's what I'm currently working). Here are my questions: 1. What does a day in the life of both a nursing professor and a school nurse look like? 2. Pros/Cons of each? 3. Salary/compensation 4. Experience I need 5. What kind of education I need to pursue further? 6. Is there room to climb? 7. Are either of these good choices for somebody who wants to be very actively involved in my own family in the future? I'm currently single, but more than anything in the world, I want to be a wife and mother (yes, I'm one of those girls...haha) If you have any thoughts or comments at all or anything to add, I would deeply appreciate them! Thank you!

I am B.S.N. nurse in my early 20's and currently working my first job as a nurse in a prestigious hospital's PICU. Throughout nursing school, I had many areas of interest, including neonatal/pediatric ICU, geriatrics, OR nursing, and nursing education or becoming a school nurse. I didn't think that I would want to be a nursing professor or school nurse right away, but at 7 months into my PICU job, I am already exploring other areas of nursing that would better fit my personality and desired lifestyle. Basically, I love the level of acuity where I work now, but I do not think as fast as some of the other nurses and I am having some difficulty transitioning from textbook to real practice. Although I got good grades and graduated with honors, nursing school was hell for me, much because of certain professors. Ever since then, I have had a desire to become a professor so I can use my experience to make it better for others who are going through nursing school. When I think about being a school nurse, I think about how fun it would be to work in a school and to have an educator role as well as a somewhat clinical-nurse role. Also, the hours seem ideal for somebody who doesn't really have the stamina for rotating 12 hour shifts (that's what I'm currently working). Here are my questions: 1. What does a day in the life of both a nursing professor and a school nurse look like? 2. Pros/Cons of each? 3. Salary/compensation 4. Experience I need 5. What kind of education I need to pursue further? 6. Is there room to climb? 7. Are either of these good choices for somebody who wants to be very actively involved in my own family in the future? I'm currently single, but more than anything in the world, I want to be a wife and mother (yes, I'm one of those girls...haha) If you have any thoughts or comments at all or anything to add, I would deeply appreciate them! Thank you!

To everyone who responded: Thank you all so much for the feedback! I have taken all your suggestions and advice into account and have changed around my choices. In case you are wondering, this is what I ended up submitting: 1. Cardiac/Neuro ICU 2. Medical/Peds 3. Nursery I believe I will get more of a range of experiences in both the ICU and the more general Med/Peds floors, but I also decided to leave nursery on the list, as infant health has always been my inspiration for nursing. I moved it to third, though, because I agree that to have a better chance at getting a job that I want, a capstone in an area where I will have more varied experience will help me. I couldn't get myself to put med/surg down or ortho because I know I would not enjoy the experience, and I don't want to force myself to be unhappy with my choice during an already stressful upcoming semester. Thanks for the input!

I am a senior in nursing school (B.S.N.) and I am supposed to choose my top three areas in the hospitals that we work in for our capstone and rank them. I have always wanted to work with infants ever since I switched my major to nursing, but there is not a NICU or similar available in either of the two hospitals that I would be working in. Also, I just got back from a camp for ventilator-dependent children (4-18yrs) and absolutely LOVED it, so I am not completely sure I want to limit myself to infants completely. My class professor encouraged us all to get med/surg experience as a base line for basically any specialty that nursing has, except I find it pretty boring, and I know that I do not want to work with adults. Basically, I don't know how to rank my choices listed below, and what I should choose for my third option. Also, I will be working days in the fall, wherever I am if that makes any difference. Here is what I have right now: 1. Nursery 2. Medical/Pediatrics 3. ????? A couple options I could do for my third include Telemetry, Cardiac Cath Lab, Med/Surg, just Pediatrics, or a medical or surgical intensive care unit. The Medical/Pediatrics floor will be a mix of adults and pediatric medical patients. Also, I am trying to stay away from the ones that EVERYBODY are requesting, like the ICUs or ER because I am less likely to get those and don't see myself working in an adult ICU or enjoying it there anyways. PLEASE HELP ME!!! I just can't decide what would be the smartest option and what would still be the most interesting and strategic choice for me. Thanks so much! -Desi