Science heavy nursing specialties?

[Whatwouldjockosay]

New nursing student here, hoping to learn about the best nursing specialties for people who want a very science oriented job.

Could you please comment your thoughts, and if you currently work in one of these specialties, what your job duties are and how you got to this position.

Thanks!

[CyclicalEvents]

Anything in acute care is going to be science heavy. Medsurg, telemetry, ICU, cath lab, EP lab. They all focus on different pathologies, pathophysiologies, pharmacology, Chemistry, etc.

I'd say cath lab or EP probably would be the most "sciency" if you're really interested in the minutiae of the heart, cardiac cycles, anatomy, physiology, electromechanics, etc.

From a practical perspective and application in practice, ICU is probably the most heavy focused on "putting it all together". You need a baseline knowledge of all of these things and the ability to apply these concepts to whatever patient is in front of you and how relevant they are to their diagnosis as well as to interventions, goals, outcomes, and evaluations of those outcomes. ICU is more critical thinking heavy with application of the science.

To clarify, just because you understand difficult concepts does not mean you can necessarily apply them well in a stressful situation, so other fields like EP might be better suited if you are more interested in pure knowledge and understanding.

[amoLucia]

Wasn't thinking along the lines as PP. I'm thinking like which field of nsg would lean more heavily into a deeper understanding of the sciences, particularly bio & org chem.

With that in mind, I've always believed that renal nsg was #1, then pulmonary/respiratory were the most dependent on understanding electrolytes & fluid balance, cell membrane functions, laws of physics properties, Krebs, etc etc etc.

But then the same knowledge is needed for GI. Literally all fields require it. How else could you not explain the in-utero maternal/fetal interax? Peds? They're 'little adults' to me with so many of the same disorders but with very uber specific different variations. Immunology, oncology, hematology, rheumatology, cardiology, neurology, derm, you name the field and in any order you choose, they all depend on science.

I always felt that nephrology was MOST complex - as sick as renal pts may be (on dialysis or preD), ever other body system was seriously compromised.

Jmho on the post.

[Jeff G]

Applications of General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Physics are everywhere in medicine (both the human and vet kinds). When I teach these courses, I always include applications of the basic principles so that students can see that what they are learning does have "real world" applications. From my perspective as an instructor, I would rather spend time on discussing an application as opposed to lecturing on an obscure topic (such as empirical weight determinations).

I have observed many science courses in which NO applications were discussed and it makes for a very dull class.

[murseman24, MSN, CRNA]

Anesthesia. Lots of pharmacology and physiology. And it's very hands on.