What to study after I graduate?

[farmerjo]

So I have heard nurses talking about studying certain subjects after they graduate and start working. Such as cardio, GI, etc. So I am curious what are subjects are most beneficial to brush up on after I graduate?:)

[kbm318]

Whatever area you feel you like the best

[diane227, LPN, RN]

It depends on where you work. For example, if you were going to be working in an emergency department you would want to get a good emergency text and the ENA core to review.

If you are going to work med surg, you would of course have your med surg text book from school.

And you always want to know where you can find your hospitals policy and procedure manuals.

School is just the starting point for learning in nursing. There is so much that you will not know coming out of school. I would recommend that you keep a small notebook with you and as you see things or have a diagnosis that you don't know about, you write it down and then later you look those things up to see what they are and what they mean. I have been a nurse for 34 years and there is not a day that goes by that I am not looking something up. And I am also currently studying for my CEN exam (certified emergency nurse) recertification. It is important to get your speciality certifications and to keep them current because that demonstrates that you have a certain level of competency.

So learning never stops. And if you ever get the feeling that you know everything, then you become dangerous because you will never know everything you need to know.

[farmerjo]

Thanks that is great advice! That helps me get an idea of where to start.