What was your 1st job as a new grad? And where are you now?

allnurses Guide · Aug 25, 2008

Worked for three years on a med/surge floor, the same one that I had worked for four years before that, as a tech. After those three years, I decided to try psych nursing, as I had always been interested in it. Worked in a psychiatric hospital for one year and got kinda tired of it; plus I had issues with benefits and also with the distance to/from my house. Decided to go back to med/surge and so that is where I currently am now; though a different hospital than the one in which I originally worked.

I still believe I am trying to find my "niche". Even though I kinda enjoy the challenge of med/surge, I still do not feel like I want to do it the rest of my career. I might eventually go back to psych; I also am interested in peds and recovery. I also wouldn't mind eventually having some cushy office job as a state inspector or something. =)

Mo_RN · Aug 25, 2008

Do you LIKE med-surg? I would imagine that it is very different from psych nursing?

Imafloat, BSN, RN · Aug 25, 2008

Worked for three years on a med/surge floor, the same one that I had worked for four years before that, as a tech. After those three years, I decided to try psych nursing, as I had always been interested in it. Worked in a psychiatric hospital for one year and got kinda tired of it; plus I had issues with benefits and also with the distance to/from my house. Decided to go back to med/surge and so that is where I currently am now; though a different hospital than the one in which I originally worked.
I still believe I am trying to find my "niche". Even though I kinda enjoy the challenge of med/surge, I still do not feel like I want to do it the rest of my career. I might eventually go back to psych; I also am interested in peds and recovery. I also wouldn't mind eventually having some cushy office job as a state inspector or something. =)

Is the author of your quote the guy from the UofL marching band? I saw his family on Extreme Home Makeover, what a fabulous family.

To answer the question, I started in the NICU and I work in the same NICU. I feel fortunate that my first nursing job has worked out for me.

allnurses Guide · Aug 25, 2008

Is the author of your quote the guy from the UofL marching band? I saw his family on Extreme Home Makeover, what a fabulous family.

Yes, that's him. He's one of my personal heroes. His family lives in my hometown.

Mo: I do like med surge fairly well. Yes it is different from psych, but med surge and psych both have different qualities that appeal to me. Med surge is so interesting because I get to see so much, I get to meet so many interesting people and patients, and there's so much hands-on work.

Psych is nice because it is rather slow paced and there are so many times when that is what I want. Again, many interesting people to meet, and interesting things to see. It can get BORING after a while though because it's NOT so hands-on and you don't get to use your hands-on nursing skills as much, such as starting IV's, starting foleys, doing dressing changes, and that stuff.

ilstu99 · Aug 25, 2008

NICU. And....NICU. :anpom:

I love my job, the team atmosphere, the patients and their families...all of it. :w00t:

PICNICRN, BSN, RN · Aug 25, 2008

PICU...... 12 years later..............PICU !!!! I did a short stent in the NICU for 2 years(still did PICU perdiem), it was good-challenging in a different way, but not nearly as exciting- I'm kinda an adrenaline junkie! :nurse:

missourigirl53 · Aug 25, 2008

I started out in Surgical ICU as a new LPN in 1975. I'm now in Hemodialysis and have been for the past 28 years. (Guess I found my niche early! ) SICU definetely helped to prepare me for dialysis.

BelleKat, BSN, RN · Aug 25, 2008

I worked on a huge(44 bed) post op/surgical floor in 1980. We had post op gyn(pelvic exent-I hope they don't do this anymore).Post op liver surgery-distal splenal renal shunt/central shunts.s/p mastectomy(radical).overflow trauma/burn/transplant.s/p oncology surgeries(the worst). This was before cat scans/mri so they would open people up to stage cancer. Everybody seemed to be on hyperal(central) and they were on mini drips,no pumps,multiple central lines(no multiple lumens or piccs). We had to mix our own IVs,antibiotics,look for bottles of meds,no unit dose. Yes,I know it was the good old days, they weren't so good.LOL.And all of them were on tons of antibiotics.I remember coming in early at 2pm so I could mix the antibiotics for my 3-11 shift. I lined them all down the side of the med room. I started there as a GN,became charge after I passed boards(it took months to get our results back). I was in charge w/ a pt assignment,we had about 6 services to call,it was a big teaching hospital. I had lots of support and staff. We learned along with the residents who came through,it helped immensely when I transferred to Burn ICU they put me in charge of the place ahead of a nurse who worked there longer because I had such good priority setting and organizational skills.

It served me well.

Mo_RN · Aug 25, 2008

Wow! I love these answers! :bow: It sure sounds like most of you knew from the start where your interest was. That's great to still be happy with your job...years later! I suppose you have more good days then bad, I'm assuming.

Was your experience as a new grad what you expected?

GadgetRN71, ASN, RN · Aug 25, 2008

OR when I graduated 2 years ago and still OR now, although in a different(bigger) facility. Still liking it.

Roy Fokker, BSN, RN · Aug 25, 2008

I started out on a super busy med-surg-ortho-gyne-tele floor. It was the biggest unit in the hospital (and also the most toxic work environment).

Right now, I'm having a blast in the ED. I'm a hopeless trauma/adrenaline junkie.

And yes, by working in that toxic environment at my first job I proved to myself that I had it in me. "If I can work and survive, I can do anything!" So yeah, I guess my first job helped in some way :chuckle

cheers,