Where to go?

Published

Please, help me, what is the best department to start with for a new RN grad with NO experience at all ( even as a cna).

I don't know what i like, just so confused.

Some people say ICU or ER, but i'm so scared.

I'm planning to submit my application this monday, but i feel terrible.

Also, everybody says i need resume, but there is nothing to put on it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.
Please, help me, what is the best department to start with for a new RN grad with NO experience at all ( even as a cna).

I don't know what i like, just so confused.

Some people say ICU or ER, but i'm so scared.

I'm planning to submit my application this monday, but i feel terrible.

Also, everybody says i need resume, but there is nothing to put on it.

:Melody: Hello and Welcome to Allnurses.com:Melody:

I think that Med-Surg is the best place to gather much needed experience for anyone, especially the new grad.

Good luck.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
:Melody: Hello and Welcome to Allnurses.com:Melody:

I think that Med-Surg is the best place to gather much needed experience for anyone, especially the new grad.

Good luck.

Thank you!!!

I'm afraid of getting too many patients and not doing good with that. I want to start at a slow pace, where do i go for that? MICU? What do you think?

One of my classmates is working at NICU and says it's easier and less stress for a new person.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

NICU is extremely stressful. If a kid goes bad, they go bad very quickly and yo uneed to know hoe to react immediately. They do not turn a pale, dusky color like adults do, they turn black and quite fast. Sure, you can have a lot of good days in between but you need to be aware that emergencies can and do happen, and they can be quite frequent. I definitely would not suugest NICU for you, especially if you have never worked or trained in a US hospital before.

Med-Surg is probably going to be the best for you. There are different types of med surg units, one that may be the best would be a telemetry type unit, where the acuity is greater than a regular med surg floor, but then you would not have as many patients.

Just my two cents on the subject.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
NICU is extremely stressful. If a kid goes bad, they go bad very quickly and yo uneed to know hoe to react immediately. They do not turn a pale, dusky color like adults do, they turn black and quite fast. Sure, you can have a lot of good days in between but you need to be aware that emergencies can and do happen, and they can be quite frequent. I definitely would not suugest NICU for you, especially if you have never worked or trained in a US hospital before.

Med-Surg is probably going to be the best for you. There are different types of med surg units, one that may be the best would be a telemetry type unit, where the acuity is greater than a regular med surg floor, but then you would not have as many patients.

Just my two cents on the subject.

Suzanne, AGAIN you came to help me!!! I love you too much now :kiss

Thank you!

Don't know what i would do without you :specs:

I'm so scared, at this point i feel that i won't be good anywhere.

I'll do as you say and go for med-surg.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.
Thank you!!!

I'm afraid of getting too many patients and not doing good with that. I want to start at a slow pace, where do i go for that? MICU? What do you think?

One of my classmates is working at NICU and says it's easier and less stress for a new person.

NICU, as suzanne said, is one of the most stressful and highly specialized areas of nursing.

I think med surg is a great start. If you are interested in NICU, then by all means pursue this.....later. Get ACLS now and PALS/NRP as you can.

Good luck.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

When I was a new grad, I started in ICU. I thought that having two patients who were very very complex would be less stressful than having 4-5. My friend started on an OB surgery floor with 5 patients a day. Guess who was less stressed??? (Yup, she was waaaay less stressed than me.)

Just because it is fewer patients, does not lower the stress...

While Med Surg isn't for everyone, it does give you a solid background. For someone who has not done a lot of healthcare work, I'd say its a perfect place to begin, start taking some classes (PALS/NRP etc), and you'll be heading to a different area (if you want to) soon enough!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks to everyone for your kind advices, i'll try for Med Surg.

Suzanne suggested telemetry unit, but the hospital that i'm going to apply for doesn't have openings for that ( or maybe they do, but call it somehow differently :) )

All they have Med Surg is:

1) Medicine unit ( i don't know what this is)

2) Neuro/Neuro surgical

3) Ortho/trauma

What should i pick?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

The places are really very different.

The Medicine Unit: probably a Medical Unit where you would see only Medicine cases (ie not surgical). Probably a lot of severe pneumonia, GI bleeding, cellulitis, renal problems, diabetes, but it does depend on how the hospital breaks it up. If its a small hospital and this is the only place medicine patients go, then you will see a lot of different stuff. Good to ask what the typical patients are.

I feel as if I am spouting off a bit, but since you are unsure of which area you like and what you want to do- I'd ask the recruiter to set you up in three different med-surg areas for interview (remember they may have new openings that have not appeared yet on the web!). Be sure to take a look around the unit (they should actually give you some time to see the unit and speak to the nurses working that day). And then I'd go with the area that you think you like the best, and felt like would give you a lot of support.

(first impressions can be wrong, but they are better than no impressions!)

You know, I am sure you are going to do well in your first position!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Med/surg. You will get a variety of cases, post op, pneumonia, cellulitis, cdiff all of that fun stuff!!!!

Please, help me, what is the best department to start with for a new RN grad with NO experience at all ( even as a cna).

I don't know what i like, just so confused.

Some people say ICU or ER, but i'm so scared.

I'm planning to submit my application this monday, but i feel terrible.

Also, everybody says i need resume, but there is nothing to put on it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Does ortho/trauma have to do with spinal cord injury and fractures?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Yes, also spinal fusions, as well.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment