With all the people waiting on pins and needles... I thought it might be nice to forget about getting into a program for now and talk about where you see yourself once you are done with nursing school....
I'll go first....
I would LOVE to work in the NICU at Children's Hospital in Mpls. I also see myself in L&D. I have always had a passion for babies and recently, pregnant women (after having 3 kids I've been facinated with pregnancy)... so L&D would be really wonderful for me as well....
My heart is with the babies though as I would love to really be a baby nurse...
I'm just finishing my first year of nursing school. Originally I thought ER, but now I am found that I love the PICU and that is where I want to be. I never even considered ped's before that (though I have 2 little girls of my own).
I would just say to keep an open mind in nursing school. You are going to learn a LOT, not just about nursing, but about yourself and what you are good at and what you are not.
I have a passion for L&D..always have! Even before I knew how that baby got in there, I knew how it was getting out! But now that I've had a little bit more taste from doing job shadowing and CNA...I'm getting interested in Psych, ER, and NICU. I didn't expect to see alot in NICU, but I enjoyed it alot more than I thought I would. I thought it would be bottles and diapers all day--but it was so much more! But theres a whole lot more out there than just these departments--I don't think I really can make a decision yet about where I want to be!
With all the people waiting on pins and needles... I thought it might be nice to forget about getting into a program for now and talk about where you see yourself once you are done with nursing school....
I'll go first....
I would LOVE to work in the NICU at Children's Hospital in Mpls. I also see myself in L&D. I have always had a passion for babies and recently, pregnant women (after having 3 kids I've been facinated with pregnancy)... so L&D would be really wonderful for me as well....
My heart is with the babies though as I would love to really be a baby nurse...
So what do you all think??
Jennifer
You know, the thought of a NICU (Duke calls theirs the ICN b/c our NICU is the Neuro ICU) scared the crap out of me - until I went up there today with my Pharm instructor, who is an NNP. I LOVED it; I was completely intrigued. I don't think I want to do that right away, but I really do think that I may do that eventually. I'm really interested in critical care, though, and plan on applying for my preceptorship at a MICU, and applying for the ICN for my Peds rotation (it is one of our options) is my only chance b/f my preceptorship to get ANY critical care experience.
So I may be getting bitten by the baby bug myself! And I don't even have any kids yet.
My interests right now are ER, NICU and OR nursing. It's funny, because they are all completely different areas of nursing-but all of them interest me so much! I can't wait to see what it's really like in these units when I start clinicals! I could be in for a big shock!
Jennifer
I was surprised that my ED observation bored me to death. It was a lot of running around and being short of time. I was disappointed that I didn't like it, because I really thought it would fit my personality. But I really enjoyed my MICU observation today, and I loved my visit to the NICU. I didn't want to leave!
I'm also thinking seriously about NICU. I was a preemie, and it seems like the right fit for my personality. I am also interested in OR and Ortho, so we'll see what happens!
More than likely I would love to work in ICU (Medical/Surgical/Neuro), ER, or OR. I know I want to become an advanced practise nurse (NP or CRNA). I shadowed both and I liked the pace of the NP in ER and community health. I would love to work at Duke or UNC hospital for a couple of years before I go back to the military or school. I also liked the autonomy of both careers and think nurses have A LOT of areas and choices, from suits to scrubs.
I'm not sure why, but I have this overwhelming feeling that I'm destined to be an OR nurse. It's weird because I've never been in an OR or seen a surgery (except on TV). We'll see!
Wow.... It's encouraging to see so many of you considering NICU or PICU as a career after nursing school. I have been a RN-BSN for over 2 years now, and have worked FT in NICU and PRN in PICU. I swore in school that I'd never, ever, end up in peds, because I couldn't handle caring for sick kids. I also joked in my OB rotation that I'd never end up in Maternal-Newborn. Well, look where I am now! I did my final preceptorship in Medical ICU and found it exhausting, lifting all thos heavy pts. I LOVE the NICU. The sheer amount of technology and action is what I thrive on. I have cared for infants from 23-40+ weeks, from sick to well. It's not all "bottles and diapers" as someone else found out. It's a true critical care unit unlike any other. I wouldn't do anything else! I also love PICU for the change of patient, etc. It's nice to interact with your patient and not just their parents once in a while..... So I encourage all of you to follow your dreams, but realize that your dreams may change!!!
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marilynmom, LPN, NP
2,155 Posts
I'm just finishing my first year of nursing school. Originally I thought ER, but now I am found that I love the PICU and that is where I want to be. I never even considered ped's before that (though I have 2 little girls of my own).
I would just say to keep an open mind in nursing school. You are going to learn a LOT, not just about nursing, but about yourself and what you are good at and what you are not.