Where did you start working right after getting your RN license?

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Did you start off at a nursing home? Hospital (ER, ICU, etc)?

People judge me for wanting to start off in a nursing home. They say it's not challenging enough.

I want to start there because I don't want to start off in a hospital yet, I'm afraid of messing up and getting in such huge trouble. Lives depend on you and the thought of messing up the first day or so, is a living nightmare for me right now

I start nursing school this spring 2016. But just thinking ahead makes me so nervous and having small anxiety attacks

How was it the first month or so where you worked? Have you ever messed up? Tell me some stories and advice :)

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

I started in a hospital OR, throwing away the conventional wisdom of the time that all new grads should start in med surg.

I am of the opinion that each nursing specialty is, well, a specialty and shouldn't be considered as a jumping off point. If one type of specialty appeals to you, go for it!

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You may change, OP. You aren't even in nursing school yet.

I started out in Good ol' Med Surg, nights, and looking back, wouldn't have had it any other way.

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Cardiac floor. If you want to work in a nursing home, you should pursue it if you are excited by it and you have a decent offer. But don't avoid hospitals out of fear. Many of your clinicals in school will be in hospitals. Patients can code as easily on the floor or in an LTACH just like they do in the ICU. Be brave, pay attention in school, practice nursing safely. This will help you no matter what sector you go into. Don't let anyone make you feel "less than" if you choose LTACH. I got flak because I went to the floor instead of ICU or ED. There will be nitwits in school, at work, everywhere. Tune them out and do what you enjoy.

Additionally, anyone who thinks LTACH nursing or SNF nursing is "easy" because of the patient acuity doesn't know what they are talking about. OK, so the patients aren't on vents and you don't have to titrate drips but you may hvae 16 tota care patients. Nothing easy about that.

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Specializes in Operating Room.

I started in a PICU because I thought both peds and ICU was my dream. Turned out it wasn't, at all, and I was let go after 3 months. Terrible fit for me. It was too overwhelming for me to learn how to be a nurse, navigate an ICU, and effectively work with children from newborn to young adult. I went to an adult med/surg floor (orthopedics) and did much, much better. Worked there for 2 years, took maternity leave, and will now be starting in the OR in January and could not be more excited! The OR is something I've been interested in since nursing school and I considered working in one after graduation but I'm glad I didn't. Who knows, I could've had an experience like the PICU. My 2 years of med/surg experience was invaluable and gave me plenty of time to think about what I really wanted out of my career.

Keep an open mind OP. You never know where life will take you.

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I got a spot in a new grad residency program, working in a CVICU, with both post-op hearts, post-op lungs, and other cardiac issues (AMI, rhythm problems, arrests, etc.)

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I started off Peds ICU and really it was too much. I didn't have time management skills, I didn't have a lot of experience working with families in hard situations, and I was very slow at getting meds because I was still learning them. I lasted a few months and then went to step-down. I wish I had started off somewhere else and learned those basic nursing skills and then worked my way up. It was so very stressful and shattered my confidence as a nurse for awhile. Good luck to you. Follow your heart.

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8 bed ICU...

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Specializes in Psychiatry, Forensics, Addictions.

I started off in forensic psych and am still there. I have absolutely no interest in medical nursing.

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Specializes in General Surgery.

I started in a nurse residency. Spent weeks on units like (trauma/surg ICU, medical ICU, CTCV, medicine, and postoperative).

I now work at the same hospital in general surgery... hopefully transitioning to CTCV and ICU real soon.

Your opinion may change by the conclusion of nursing school. It may change whilst you're a practicing RN.

Good luck!

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Lives depend on you just as much, if not more, in a nursing home. I know what you mean though there is usually just less intensity and acuity in most nursing homes.

If you really want to work in a nursing home that is fine. Some nursing homes are almost equal to med/surg with vents, IV's etc. But a nurse with only nursing home experience may have a hard time transitioning into other areas of nursing in the future.

On a scale of 1 - 10, with 10 being the most terrified I was a 10 when I started working in acute care. I had absolutely no prior hospital experience.

You should (I know saying "you should" is bad psychology) but anyway getting a CNA license and getting familiar with bedside care, whether it is in a nursing home or an acute care hospital may help ease your just starting out jitters.

There are many threads on Allnurses about the anxiety of being a nurse.

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Specializes in Pharmaceutical Research, Operating Room.

I also started in the OR. Don't believe your instructors that say you absolutely must have M/S experience before doing anything else - I mean no offense to any of our M/S nurses here, bless you all for all the hard work you do and crap you put up with on a daily basis - that is a job that I knew in school I did not want. Since I didn't want to do that, I didn't! I loved surgery, just not the politics and toxic work environment.....

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