How did you pick your specialty?
I'm currently in critical care, but it's really starting to wear on me š I'm curious how everyone else found their specialty. I'd love to find an area of nursing I'm truly passionate about.
I was all over the place, started out in Med/Surg, got overwhelmed (was only 22 and immature!), went to a clinic and grew up, back to Med/Surg and did better this time. Then I wanted a position on my Med/Surg floor where I was per diem because I needed benefits. No positions available so I put my name on the list to be interviewed by any unit with an open position. Ended up in ICU Stepdown. It's not my "calling", I mostly stay because I love my coworkers and most of my patients. But step-down is stressful some days... basically no job is perfect but having a great team makes a big difference. I envy nurses who feel they are in their dream specialty but I am OK with enjoying the parts of my job that I do and getting through the parts I don't.
I've always been fascinated by technology and love helping people, so telemetry seemed like a perfect match! Still love going to work each and every day.
I have worked in Womenās Health my whole career. I wanted to be a nurse from early in life, no specific area as a child. Once I got into nursing school I knew it would be L&D or critical care. Once the calling for OB came I knew that was it! Initially planning to go on to be a CNM , that dream was cut short 3 years into nursing with a back injury. After 17 years of trying to stock it out in that line I retrained to do everything but deliveries, as a Womenās Health Nurse Practitioner.
You give me hope. Iām recovering from a back injury and going back to work next month after being off for one year. Iām also looking to go back to school for my NP
I started with several years of med/surg. Having a good fundamental base will help you tremendously. Then I did several years in a family practice medical clinic. For the last 20 years Iāve worked in geriatrics, dementia specific. I love my job. My greatest wish is that I could have known these wonderful people in their prime. I so enjoy giving them good experiences even in their diminished capacity. Youāll know when you find it, it will be like you were born to do what youāre doing. Best of luck in your career.
I started in step down. Loved it, but was a stressful environment. I left to be a stay at home mom and just couldn't see myself going back there and fell into public health nursing at the Health Dept. Started out during H1N1 pandemic administering vaccinations and ended up as a school nurse. I LOVE it! We do so much. Hurricane shelters, now working the Covid test sites. My dream job. You will find yours.
I basically fell into hospice 7 years ago. It took me close to 40 years to find my niche which is home hospice
I started my career in the ICU in a trauma 2 hospital- a county hospital. I really did not feel comfortable to handle the stress until the end of my second year. It was then everything clicked and I fell in love with what I was able to accomplish. Stick with it if you can....it will be well worth it.
Nursing is not easy especially now, you have to find what fits you! I worked in multiple areas and am currently a family practice NP with very complex patients and some days are better than others!
Desperation! š¤£ I had worked at the county jail for a year when I was attacked by an inmate. When I returned to work after taking 2 weeks off I had a hard time with anxiety and started having nightmares. After a week back I gave my 2 weeks notice... but had no job lined up. My dad, a prostate cancer survivor, told me to apply at the place where he received treatment but I was resistant because, in my mind, all the patients would be sick, emaciated, vomiting and dying. I went and applied anyway because I needed a job... the first day I worked in oncology I knew I had found my place in nursing. 14 years later I am certified in oncology and Care Coordination and Transition Management and can't imagine doing anything different.
Iāve always loved children. Even before I chose healthcare, I wanted to be a school teacher. Nursing school rotations just confirmed it for me!
I bounced between ER and OR for 7 years, took a year off to be home with my kids and while home, got a call asking me to be the school nurse at my kids school. While I donāt recommend becoming a school nurse during a pandemic, I have found my home.
Oncology is my niche. I cared for my great aunt when she was end of life in hospice when I was 10, she passed away from lung cancer which is where my Oncology nursing interest started. My first nursing job was in Oncology. I ended up leaving oncology to work in PICU...then did hospice home care, then discharge planning, then clinical nursing education, which lead me to my current role as an Oncology Nurse Navigator. I brought all of my experience to my current role and I get to do program development, patient education, care coordination, and I do many transitions to hospice as I specially care for stage 4 patients.
