Specialties in nursing…

I know a lot of my students tell me that they want to specialize right out of school. Rarely does anyone say that they want to be an RN on a med/surg floor their entire career. Unfortunately, this is where the true “shortage in nursing” lies. If you truly want to be highly sought after in the nursing community, you should choose med/surg. You will always have a job and if you are a great nurse, people will literally fight over you.

As to specializing right out of school, I tell my students what I was told when closing in on graduation. I wanted to graduate and go right into labor and delivery. I was told to do at least one year in med/surg. No one actually gave me a good reason why, but knowing that they knew more than I did, I followed their advice. I am glad that I did. I worked for a little over a year on a med/surg floor at a local hospital on the night shift.

The first year is when you do a ton of learning; skills, assessments, critical thinking and most importantly, your nursing habits. I learned how to problem solve and think for myself as a nurse and rely on my instincts and assessment skills. I also learned how manage my time, generally taking up to 6 patients per shift. I mastered some of the skills that might not otherwise be done in certain specialties. I also learned how to organize information that was given to me in a meaningful way that helped me master the nursing process.

I never have regretted my first year as a nurse. I learned a ton and I think it has made me a better nurse in the long run for doing it. You have the rest of your career to pick and choose different specialties, why rush?