4 answers
Savannah
Student
3
Questions
Updated
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What is the best nursing job to have?
Hi my name is Savannah and i have wanted to be in the Medical Field for a while now. I went from wanting to be a pediatrician to a veterinarian but now i just want to be a nurse. The type of nurse is what i'm struggling with, i've heard about some but i want to know the pros and cons of them and which one would be the best to pick.
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4 answers
Theresa Khan MSN, FNP-BC
Nurse Practitioner
3
Answers
Nashville, Tennessee
Updated
Theresa’s Answer
The nursing field is very broad. Visiting a hospital and shadowing a nurse on the floor, in the operating room, in the ED, in a nursing home , and an NP in different areas would help you decide future potential areas of interest. The best thing about nursing, is if you go an an area that you decide not to like, you can easily change to another area. Another good point, if that the nursing field is always changing, improving healthcare.
The down side, is for the first 6 months of any position, you are "new" and have to adapt to that specific area/ specialty and coworkers. Depending on how quick you are to learn, than can mean nothing or make it a little harder to start. Another negative, nurses are easily overlooked by other health care professionals, so you have to learn to have a thick skin and speak up for what is wrong/right.
The down side, is for the first 6 months of any position, you are "new" and have to adapt to that specific area/ specialty and coworkers. Depending on how quick you are to learn, than can mean nothing or make it a little harder to start. Another negative, nurses are easily overlooked by other health care professionals, so you have to learn to have a thick skin and speak up for what is wrong/right.
Thank you for taking the time to help.
Savannah
Hailey Hamilton
Nurse
96
Answers
Canton, Georgia
Updated
Hailey’s Answer
There are so many options for nurses. In my career, I’ve worked with patients as young as newborns as a pediatric nurse, to dying/elderly patients in long term care and hospice. I’ve worked with and had friends who have loved working in the float pools of office groups and hospitals. This allowed them to have some variety of where they worked without getting bored and burned out. This could potentially be a great avenue for you!
Thank you, Hailey for the advice.
Savannah
Erin Lee DiCiolla
registered nurse
6
Answers
Arlington, Virginia
Updated
Erin Lee’s Answer
Hi Savannah,
I wasn't sure what kind of nursing I wanted to do and when I ended up in school, the clinical rotations we did really helped me decide where I wanted to apply. I ended up working on a medical/surgical floor for many years which I really enjoyed because we got to care for people experiencing a variety of health problems. I believe the years I spent on med/surg gave me a strong foundation and many skills that have served me and will continue to do so. It was during my time on med/surg that I became drawn to caring for people experiencing mental health conditions and am now in that specialty. I agree with some of the other comments on your question post - keep an open mind and be curious about what clinical rotations you feel are exciting or energizing for you!
I wasn't sure what kind of nursing I wanted to do and when I ended up in school, the clinical rotations we did really helped me decide where I wanted to apply. I ended up working on a medical/surgical floor for many years which I really enjoyed because we got to care for people experiencing a variety of health problems. I believe the years I spent on med/surg gave me a strong foundation and many skills that have served me and will continue to do so. It was during my time on med/surg that I became drawn to caring for people experiencing mental health conditions and am now in that specialty. I agree with some of the other comments on your question post - keep an open mind and be curious about what clinical rotations you feel are exciting or energizing for you!
Dawn Boisvert
RN, BSN, CHPN, NC-BC, Freelance Nurse Writer
6
Answers
Cary, North Carolina
Updated
Dawn’s Answer
Hello Savannah,
Nurses are so needed right now, and I commend you for wanting to join this helping profession! Fortunately, as stated prior, this is a VAST profession with so many specialties to work in. In nursing school you will be exposed to some of these specialties during your clinical rotation, and may decide that you like one of those, and want to work in that particular setting. If you don't like any of those, or decide the hospital is not where you want to be, there are clinic positions, free standing medical centers, urgent care centers, retirement communities, case management, home health, Telehealth remote positions.. gosh, I can go on and on! You get the point ;)
There are pros and cons to every job, and a "pro" to one nurse may be a "con" to another nurse. For example: Home Health nursing. My friend is a home health nurse and likes the "flexibility" (pro) of being able to pick up her child from school during the day. However, because she likes the flexibility during the day, she takes a lot of charting home with her and works late most evenings (con). Personally, that wouldn't work for me, but it does for her. Does that make sense? So, everyone is different.
I invite you to think about why you want to pursue nursing, what is it that is drawing you to become a nurse, and what it is that you want to contribute to the profession and your community. I also invite you to keep an open mind in nursing school. You may surprise yourself and be interested in something you see or hear about and want to learn more about that. Either way, take your time as you don't have to make a decision first!
I have worked a lot of different specialties over 20 years to "find my niche", as it turns out, they are all my niche, and all great experiences to have :)
I hope this helped a little. Good Luck!!
Nurses are so needed right now, and I commend you for wanting to join this helping profession! Fortunately, as stated prior, this is a VAST profession with so many specialties to work in. In nursing school you will be exposed to some of these specialties during your clinical rotation, and may decide that you like one of those, and want to work in that particular setting. If you don't like any of those, or decide the hospital is not where you want to be, there are clinic positions, free standing medical centers, urgent care centers, retirement communities, case management, home health, Telehealth remote positions.. gosh, I can go on and on! You get the point ;)
There are pros and cons to every job, and a "pro" to one nurse may be a "con" to another nurse. For example: Home Health nursing. My friend is a home health nurse and likes the "flexibility" (pro) of being able to pick up her child from school during the day. However, because she likes the flexibility during the day, she takes a lot of charting home with her and works late most evenings (con). Personally, that wouldn't work for me, but it does for her. Does that make sense? So, everyone is different.
I invite you to think about why you want to pursue nursing, what is it that is drawing you to become a nurse, and what it is that you want to contribute to the profession and your community. I also invite you to keep an open mind in nursing school. You may surprise yourself and be interested in something you see or hear about and want to learn more about that. Either way, take your time as you don't have to make a decision first!
I have worked a lot of different specialties over 20 years to "find my niche", as it turns out, they are all my niche, and all great experiences to have :)
I hope this helped a little. Good Luck!!