Socal most and less competitive specialties for new grad

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I'll be entering an accelerated program and been planning a timeline. What's the most competitive specialty and less/least competitive when applying to residencies and jobs in general in socal?

For now, I am interested in OR/PACU/pre-op, but I am open minded as to the clinicals I will do in nursing school.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Good, it's important to keep an open mind! This will vary based on where you live, but in general the high-demand specialties that won't hire new grads are L&D, ICU, ED, and OR. Med surg is more open to new grads. Again, this is a generalization and may depend on where you live-- I went right into the ICU as a new grad but that's not the norm.

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Specializes in 15 years in ICU, 22 years in PACU.

Most hospital-based PACU's are not a good place for the new grad. You need a lot of confidence and ability to work independently. 1-2 years ICU experience is invaluable. OR is a steep learning curve for anyone but with a good orientation a motivated new grad can have a stellar career. OR nursing does tend to be for life once you make it through the rigorous training.

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