What was your first Nursing job?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

What was your first nursing job and where are you now? Pros and Cons of each job? Were you picky about what kind of job you had right off the bat or did you narrow your focus later on?

3 years of planning to make sure I landed myself in the ICU as a new grad, and it worked! Still there and sticking around for awhile.

What about ICU do you like? In your opinion is it a manageable nursing job (For an RN, BSN) for a single mother? Pros and Cons of ICU?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

First job transplant nurse in the OR.

Pros: hours, nothing like floor nursing.

Cons: I don't feel like a nurse, and sometimes I get stuck at work really late. Being stuck in a freezing room for 8 hours with grumpy people.

It's almost been a year and I'm now applying for different jobs...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I started in a small town ER. Moved to a big city Psych floor, hated it. Went to level 2 trauma ER and now at a level 1 peds ER. Love it.

I'm really interested in Pediatrics and ER!!!! What are your pros and cons with it? Do you think it would be a manageable job for a single mom?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in geriatrics.

Rural continuing care where I had multiple tasks, including IVS. One RN, 30 people.

I love seniors and I now have two specialty certifications in geriatrics. Four years later I moved facilities and managed a geriatric unit for 2 years.

Currently I'm an educator, same facility. We also have palliative and rehab units there. I am now enrolled in a Masters program and my focus will continue to be seniors health.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Rural continuing care where I had multiple tasks, including IVS. One RN, 30 people.

I love seniors and I now have two specialty certifications in geriatrics. Four years later I moved facilities and managed a geriatric unit for 2 years.

Currently I'm an educator, same facility. We also have palliative and rehab units there. I am now enrolled in a Masters program and my focus will continue to be seniors health.

How does your work schedule vary compared to other specialties and departments? Do you have a 9-5, 7-7?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in geriatrics.

Educators work Mon-Fri 0800-1600 where I work, although we will flex hours sometimes to accommodate evening staff (Ie: 11-7). No weekends, or holidays and paid stats.

7 paid days off in addition to stats, 4 weeks paid vacation.

Nursing unit staff work 12s.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Graduated last year and started working in a LDRPN right out of school. I'm still there and couldn't imagine anything else!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatrics, Wound Care.
How do you like Geriatrics? I loved working in Memory Care as a CNA, but I like to have a bit of surprise at work and working in Geri-care was rather predictable. Is this your experience or no?

I really like geriatrics. I became a nurse after my grandmother died. My family had hospice care for her (she had Vascular Dementia), and it really allowed for her death to be the way she wanted it (she was always adimant about dying at home, without tubes and feedings, etc). I don't think I had any clue what nursing was before that. My aunt suggested looking into nursing a while after granny died.

So, going into geriatrics was what I wanted. I just got certified in Geriatrics, too. I really love what I do, but I just worry that I may lose a chance to see other parts of nursing if I stay here forever. (Seriously, 4 years at my first job??).

It is predictable. I rarely see "new" illnesses. And I get frustrated a lot by the way hospitals fear inpatient falls (zero/never events???) so much they render patients unable to walk safely at discharge. :( So, kinda disheartened from that. Everyone is too litigious. And the main things that can help prevent falls is pretty much ignored (physical activity/ambulation).

I kinda wanna do hospice care. So, I figure I should get some ICU experience. Debating further education (MS/NP, PhD).

Up Vote Up Vote ×

3-11, full time, med surg floor. We did everything....from general surgery (all open! cholecystectomies, bowel resections, etc) to medical nursing to pre/post cardiac cath (yes they were inpatients with a PREPROCEDURE DAY then!) to chemotherapy. The floor I worked on was widely known as the worst to work on in the hospital. I learned so much there but it almost killed me. And for all those on this board that disparage our colleagues with anything but BSN after their name..I will never fail to appreciate what our unit LPNs taught me that complemented what I had already learned in nursing school. LPNs are no longer hired at our hospital but I'm grateful for all the practical knowledge they shared with me.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in PACU.

Was an LPN for years before going back to school.

1. Cardiologist office - it was a nightmare, MD using expired meds from drug reps, not documenting, not sterilizing equipment and leaving me alone with a status post MI doing a treadmill stress test the first week of being a nurse. I quit after the second week.

2. MICA unit (mentally ill & chemically addicted) - passed a lot of meds, drug screens, documentation and teaching classes on the effects of certain drugs/alcohol/ and HIV

3. Floated down to the instacare and clinic to pick up more hours.... ended up just moving down there. Loved the MD's and nurses I worked with, did that until I moved out of state.

4. Small hospital that had one floor for everything (med-surf, maternity, nursery). I had my ACLS at that time so I responded to codes anywhere in the facility. I loved this job! Sometimes I worked 8 hours shifts, sometimes 12hrs. I learned so much here and would recommend any new nurse to work med-surg as soon as you can for the experience and cementing all you learned in school. (then I married and moved again)

5. I spent the next 15 years working for the same foundation. First in LTC then Home Health and Hospice. It was a great time to learn leadership skills. LTC has lots of opportunities for leadership because the turnover can be high so if you stick around for a while you end up having seniority and more knowledge then the new hires. (you also end up on the shift you want sooner then you can at the hospital)

6. Finally went back to school for my RN, graduated and was able to get a couple of job offers. I accepted a position in a new grad residency program going in to the PACU. It is days and normally Monday through Friday, but there will be days you get sent home early and days you stay unexpectedly late and of course the on-call for emergency surgeries. When my kids were little this schedule would not have worked for me. But they are older and I don't have to worry about babysitters and such, so this is great for me. (the on-call is way less then it was for hospice)

Where ever you end up, make the most of it, make sure you are given a good orientation to your unit and there is a specific plan to make sure you are trained and competent in all areas before being left on your own. Practice within your scope, don't shy away from learning new things and you will grow as a nurse. After a while you'll decide you love it and stay... or not and you'll have some valuable experience to help you land something more up your ally.

Good Luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in General Internal Medicine, ICU.
What was your first nursing job and where are you now? Pros and Cons of each job? Were you picky about what kind of job you had right off the bat or did you narrow your focus later on?

1) First nursing job was in a rural community hospital. Right now I'm working in a general internal medicine unit in an urban hospital.

2) Pros of rural: lots of learning opportunities, good way to really hone skills, good way to develop a strong foundation.

Pros of rural: less resources, you might be the only RN there in some shifts, less interdisciplinary learning.

Pros of urban: more resources, more support, things are more "controlled" because of the resources and personnel available, more diverse patients and diagnosis, more procedures that can be done, interdisciplinary teamwork

Cons of urban: Restricted to what your unit allows you to do, less independence

3) not picky, just needed a job. Still working on the narrowing to a focus bit

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

Technically, it was at an ecf but I quit a few days in. Ha ha!

Second job was in med-surg. I still work there casually.

Third job is my dream job: newborn ICU. Love it!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment