Help! Is it better to start in med/surg as a new grad or correctional nursing? I feel like correctional nursing has a better work/life balance but med/surg will benefit me more long term and open more doors for other opportunities. Pending offers now

What’s your 3-5 year goal? If you want ICU or CCU you need to start with at least a year in Med/surg.. If you want admin/management maybe you can do 3-5 years in correctional. There’s a good book, “Novice to Expert” that talks about things seen in most RNs at 3-5 years, at 6-8 years experience. It includes “left to marry & have children”. Good luck finding your own path! Deborah

Firstly, Congratulations on your achievement in becoming a professional registered nurse! That takes years of hard work and dedication to the profession.

I’ve been a nurse for 28 years now and have always regretted not doing med surg right out of college because I didn’t get the chance to use the skill sets I learned in school or had to learn after graduation on the job.

I started working LTC and rehab but hardly ever had an IV or anything like hospital nursing. I never got the opportunity to work in a hospital setting because I had a few years experience but now I actually needed med surg to be able to work in a hospital so it wasn’t a good choice for me.

I also think it looks better on a resume and employers are looking for that kind of experience.

I hope this helps and that you succeed in whatever you choose to do. We have so many amazing opportunities to choose from!

Kind regards and best wishes to you!