I am seeing more and more brand spanking new nurses hired into specialty areas such as ICU, SICU, ED, etc...
I remember when I was a baby-faced nurse you were placed into medical-surgical areas to develop time management skills and to have a solid base of knowledge before moving to a specialty areas.
When students ask me for advice where they should begin I always suggest 1 year in med/surg but if their heart has always been in some area like L&D, Psych or PEds those are exceptions (with the understanding that it is very hard to move out of those areas with no other background).
