Unsure new nurse navigating the job hunt

[wide eyed and eager]

I graduated from nursing school two years ago and have since worked in Long term care (2 yrs) and Pediatrics (9 months). I just moved back to my home city and am trying to find a job but having no success so far. I've heard it's hard to get a nursing job in Alberta right now but I am worried about waiting potentially months (or a year) which gets me stressed about money and the idea of going back to waitressing...

I know I shouldn't be picky, but I have zero interest in working adult med/surg. It feels like forever since I've practiced in that area (as a student) and I'm scared that I won't be able to keep up after working mostly long term care for the past two years. I LOVE perinatal nursing and community/public health nursing.

Should I get over it and try to get a job in adult med/surg? Or should I keep my sights set on my interests (perinatal, community health, clinic nursing, etc.) Is staying away from bedside adult med/surg a bad career move? Any guidance is much appreciated.

[ThatBLURN, BSN, RN]

So I went from LTC/SNF to med-surg and I was so relieved by the change in workflow and the culture.  The number of patients I cared for at the LTC/SNF was often very overwhelming.  In med-surg, I definitely had moments but I (very) rarely reached the end of my shift still feeling extremely busy.  Every shift at the care facility was a hustle.  Just saying, you might be pleasantly surprised.  I would recommend doing your homework first if you do try to go into med-surg.  Every hospital is different.  Inquire about their acuity scoring, if they have a max acuity # for each nurse, and if they have a patient/RN ratio max.  Culture is also a big consideration.  Mostly, is it a team-oriented culture?  What does the organization do to promote teamwork?  I would also wonder what the staffing requirements are regarding charge RNs, physicians, float nurses, and unlicensed aides.  It can be a great environment.  I especially liked how social it was.  If I was having a hard shift, most of the time there was someone there to chat or laugh with.  This made a big impact on the reduction of stress for me.  Whereas, in the care facility, everyone was so spread out and working so hard that I would either not see others for a while or didn't have time to interact with my coworkers.  It was lonely.  Part of the reason I eventually chose to strictly work med-surg.

Hope that helps!