Wondering whether to specialize after completing degree or to do a year med/surg?

Are there any areas that you have done rotations in that really appeal to you? This should be your first choice to check out..............or if there are areas that you think you may be interested in but do not get a chance to do a rotation in, see if you can shadow a nurse in that area for a day.

Good luck............ :balloons:

Thanks for the advice....Shadowing a nurse for a day is an excellent idea. I will definitely look into arranging this. :)

Try and get into a good FYP program then hopefully you will be "poached" or you can approach the NUM of unit you like. If this isn't the case then a year of med/surg will give you a heap of experience, and you might be able to decidede where to head after that.

Hi Vanessa,

I don't think it hurts to do a medical/surgical rotation to consolidate your skills and get the time management thing together. Then you can go chase what really interests you. I started out this way and have been working in ED and Remote in recent years.

Hi Vanessa,

I don't think it hurts to do a medical/surgical rotation to consolidate your skills and get the time management thing together. Then you can go chase what really interests you. I started out this way and have been working in ED and Remote in recent years.

Hi, thanks for your input.... I love to hear what everyone has to say. I am thinking on doing what you suggest. Have a good look around whilst consolidating my skills (which I have really enjoyed learning). I am very attracted to psych nursing, but I also enjoyed other praxis as well. I think it would be good to see the "real thing", I know on praxis we only see snap shots, and are often shown lots of "interesting" things which detract from the day to day reality of the job. I feel like a kid in a candy store, lots of things to look at and to choose......Cheers :)

Hi Vanessa,

I don't think it hurts to do a medical/surgical rotation to consolidate your skills and get the time management thing together. Then you can go chase what really interests you. I started out this way and have been working in ED and Remote in recent years.

Hi, thanks for your input.... I love to hear what everyone has to say. I am thinking on doing what you suggest. Have a good look around whilst consolidating my skills (which I have really enjoyed learning). I am very attracted to psych nursing, but I also enjoyed other praxis as well. I think it would be good to see the "real thing", I know on praxis we only see snap shots, and are often shown lots of "interesting" things which detract from the day to day reality of the job. I feel like a kid in a candy store, lots of things to look at and to choose......Cheers :)

Hi Vanessa - I don't know what state you are in but consolidation/experience and all that is best gained through a FYP or BP year - there are a number of different names but getting into a program where a hospital employs you and then has you rotate through different locations is one of the best ways to gain exposure and begin to identify where your nursing preferences lie. I am a CNE for Central Coast Health in NSW and we have a new grad program that has 5 rotations of 10 week blocks - med/surg/rehab&aged care/peads/ed/mental health/ot - not every new grad sees every area but at least you get a range of experiences. You need to be a good general nurse before you become a advanced practice nurse in a given area.... give yourself time - 12months rotations, 12 months in a specialty - then if you still enjoy the specialty look to postgrad work (ie grad certs, honours, masters - whaterever you like - there are lots of options)

Cheers and good luck

Peter

Hi Vanessa - I don't know what state you are in but consolidation/experience and all that is best gained through a FYP or BP year - there are a number of different names but getting into a program where a hospital employs you and then has you rotate through different locations is one of the best ways to gain exposure and begin to identify where your nursing preferences lie. I am a CNE for Central Coast Health in NSW and we have a new grad program that has 5 rotations of 10 week blocks - med/surg/rehab&aged care/peads/ed/mental health/ot - not every new grad sees every area but at least you get a range of experiences. You need to be a good general nurse before you become a advanced practice nurse in a given area.... give yourself time - 12months rotations, 12 months in a specialty - then if you still enjoy the specialty look to postgrad work (ie grad certs, honours, masters - whaterever you like - there are lots of options)

Cheers and good luck

Peter

Hi Peter

I live in Queensland. After much reflection I have decided to apply for a general nursing graduate program once I am able to. I agree that experiencing rotations in different areas of nursing is the best option for me, then I will look around and specialize. I believe that it is too early for me to make a decision when all I see is snapshots when on praxis.

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my thread....

Cheers

Vanessa