Should new grads always start on a med/surg floor?

[swaffy8]

i will be graduating (fingers crossed) in may with a rn degree and want to work in a mental health facility. whenever i tell this to nurses not only do i get a surprised look but they always tell me to start on the medical or surgical floor so i will be a well rounded nurse and better able to care for all types of patients. i understand where they are coming from but i feel very strongly about mental health and i am not very fond of the med/surg floors. is it better to work and get experience in a field that i have no interest in or to start in the area that i feel more passionate about?

[ImThatGuy, BSN, RN]

IV starts, foley insertions, hanging IV meds (titration, checking compatibility, dilution of K when it's not a central line), analyzing ECG strips, knowing what various labs mean for each patient, how to flush PEG tubes, set up tube feeds, insert NG tubes, kaofed tubes, change an atrium attached to chest tubes, set up a yankauer, or suction just for a chest tube, trach care, wound care, ostomy care/replacement, general assessment skills, patient education on various disease processes/meds/food and drug interactions, diabetic education.. and that's off the top of my head.

Nursing school was the tip of the iceberg, to put it mildly.

Hmm, yeah that's all basic to school, but most of those are things I don't want to do long-term anyway, lol.

[TorsadesDePointesRN]

Show me a new grad proficient in all those things and I will be looking at a LIYAH.

that's just it though.. I never set out wanting to do all those things but I set out wanting to care for patients. Sometimes mastering those skills become a means to an end. (no pun intended haha!) Knowing all those things guarantees me a job and that I will always have patients to care for. That's HUGE to me not to feel limited because I don't know those things.

[sweetER]

No. Life is too short to spend any of it working somewhere you won't enjoy (unless there's no other options). I knew I wanted ER after graduation, so I turned down offers for other units and persistently went after the ER job I wanted. I got it and couldn't be happier. If that's what you see yourself doing, and later want to try something else, you can make it work. Good luck whatever you decide!

[WyndDrivenRain, BSN, RN]

No. Life is too short to spend any of it working somewhere you won't enjoy (unless there's no other options). I knew I wanted ER after graduation, so I turned down offers for other units and persistently went after the ER job I wanted. I got it and couldn't be happier. If that's what you see yourself doing, and later want to try something else, you can make it work. Good luck whatever you decide!

Agreed. I knew I wanted to work in psych/addictions from early on in nursing school. That is the path I took and never regretted it for a second. Do what you love. I have done a bunch of other stuff since and always go back to addiction and psych. Now I'm working on my MSN and will specialize in psych/addiction as a NP. Follow your heart.

Sue

[ImThatGuy, BSN, RN]

Show me a new grad proficient in all those things and I will be looking at a LIYAH.

that's just it though.. I never set out wanting to do all those things but I set out wanting to care for patients. Sometimes mastering those skills become a means to an end. (no pun intended haha!) Knowing all those things guarantees me a job and that I will always have patients to care for. That's HUGE to me not to feel limited because I don't know those things.

Assessment, EKG, IVs, injections, and all that I got good at as a paramedic. Nursing school doesn't do crap to teach skills - I agree. My science degree is what gave me the skills to be sharp at A&P, which I used to teach and patho.

I actually set out wanting to learn more about management of patients. I never really wanted to be a clinical nurse. Healthcare admin or psych NP is where I aim to be long-term.

[May2011Grad]

Congratulations, I am also on schedule to graduate in May. In a class that I had today, we were told that everyone should work Psych before working Med-Surg or any other specialty so I guess it is personal preference. If Psych is what you want go for it. Good Luck

[Caffeine_IV]

Start out where you would like. If I could go back in time, I would NOT have started in medical.

I appreciate the experience and skills but it's not where I want to be so now I have to take a longer path to get to the position I want.

[R*Star*RN, BSN, RN]

I'm old fashioned. I started out in med-surg and I don't regret it! Though if you know you want to be in MH forever, then why not start there.