What unit do you work in and why?

WoooHooo, it finally upgraded me to a member.

Originally posted by Soonstudent

I'm just starting school as you probably guessed, and I had one of the nursing instructors ask me where I wanted to work when I graduated. The question caught me totally off guard because I really haven't given it much thought. I realize when I actually start the nursing curriculum I'll get exposed to the different units and I'm sure I'll find my niche. I was hoping some of you nurses could tell me a little about the different units there are to choose from, what you do, and why you chose to go into the area you are currently in. P.S. I don't know all the acronyms yet.

Thanks, Brandon

Hey Brandon. I work as an aid in the area where I will also work as a nurse. Our hospital calls it an "intermediate care unit," not to be confused with an "intensive care unit." I think everyone else would call it a cardiac step down unit. It is a med/surg floor that gets patients who have just come from intensive care after bypass surgery or cardiac catheterization, or people admitted directly for chest pain or those who have dysrhythmias. This kind of floor used to be called "telemety," but nowdays every podunk hospital floor with a monitor is calling itself, telemetry. Telemetry means that the patient has an EKG transmitter that transmits to a room down the hall where a couple of technicians monitor the EKG for any problems.

My goal is to work in three different areas throughout my career: cardiac step down, intensive care, and cardiac observation. Ideally, I would work 36 hours a week in stepdown and then another shift once a week in intensive care. As long as I can be in the cardiac area, I'm happy.

Hi! Welcome and good luck in school.

I've been a med-surg nurse for my entire career. I've worked neuro med-surg, trauma med-surg, and now am working telemetry med-surg.

I like the challenge of med-surg and that for the most part you can interact with the patients without a lot of machines in the way.

It's full of stress as frustrations as my "venting" shows.

I think I'd eventually like to try ICU though.

Yea, I like the idea of being able to interact more with the patients. Thanks for the info

In a class of 50-some students, I think all but 5-6 of us changed their minds through the course of study. For example, I went in sure that I wanted to work in peds or nicu. Yeah...that's not gonna happen! I ended up finding my peds and nicu clinicals too emotionally draining -- and I would have definitely been fired for choking some poor kid's parents. That's just me... After all was said and done, I fell in love with ICU.

The beauty of nursing is the variety of areas in which you can work. Combine that with the various interests and personalities of NURSES, and it works out pretty well. If all of nursing was adult ICU, we'd never have the amazing peds nurses we have. You'll find that there will be a certain clinical you love -- but your fellow student hates it.

I don't think there is a single thing wrong with saying you are looking to try the different clinicals on for size and then deciding. Just tell them the aspects of nursing that appeal to you and explain that you are looking for the best fit. :)

Good luck.

Well, lets see I did Med/Surg out of school and loved it. The diversity the comraderie of the staff, tried ICU and enjoyed the intensiveness of the place hated the back biting and politics that come with a unit, tried Surgical and did not like working with, well Surgeons! Right now I am in the ER, I like the unexpected nature, never knowing what is coming through the doors, the sick humor, and team nursing aspect, but again it is a unit where you work or should I say slave closely with the physicians which I despise, and of course the politics and back biting that is going on. Areas of nursing are like beautiful shoes great in the box but you don't know if they fit until you try them on and walk around in them awhile. Good luck to you!

Don't be suprised if you change your mind several time while in school. Frankly, you may find that once out in the "field" that it may take some time before you find the job or field that fits you best. Wouldn't stress about it too much. Good luck with school!

When I started nursing school, I was totally convinced that I wanted to be a NICU nurse! Pediatrics totally changed my mind. Then I did clinicals in adult ICU and loved it and thought that I could never be happy anywhere else.

Well, when I graduated no hospitals in my area had ICU internships for new grads, so I took a job on a stepdown cardiac unit and I love it. There is just so moch to learn, it can be overwhelming, I learn something nw every day. I think that's the most important part of whatever you do....make sure you're always learning and you'll never get bored.:)