Advice for nursing students: choosing a nursing specialty
You did it! Obtaining a nursing license is no easy feat. For the past few years you’ve had structure. You were told what to do, what to study, when to arrive for a clinical, when to sleep, when to eat etc. Well… let’s not go that far, but I’m sure at times it may have felt like it. Guess what? Now the real journey begins.
What path will your nursing journey follow? The choice is all yours! So after years of having been told what to do and how to do it during nursing school, how do you find your voice and make your own choice? The time has come for you to choose a nursing specialty!
We’ve all heard the famous saying “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know which one you’ll get,” from the famous Forrest Gump himself.
Well, choosing a nursing specialty can sometimes feel like that. You can see what the chocolate looks like on the outside: the toppings, the color, the shape. However, you don’t actually know what you are going to get until you take that first bite. Much like the many nursing specialties- we know the names, what colleagues have said, what you heard in nursing school, etc. However you don’t know what it will be like until you take that first step and try it. Here’s the kicker, if you try it and you don’t like it you can always try something else. Don’t limit yourself- the opportunities a nursing career affords you are endless!
Finding that right fit might take some research. What, you didn’t think the research stopped after nursing school, did you? A good first step might be to try and make a list of the top three specialties that you are drawn to or are curious about and go from there. After you’ve made said list, make another. I know, I know. Make a list of pros and cons for each of the specialties. For example, the emergency room. Some pros may be the many different patients and their complications that walk through the door. On any given day you never know what you may see. This sort of environment may be enticing to someone who likes adventure or who gets bored easily. On the flip side, the emergency room sometimes requires you to be quick on your feet. It is, as some may say, an organized chaos. If you are the type that likes a routine, this may not be for you.
Another way to try and get a feel of a specialty that interests you is to research- there’s that word again- the job descriptions of said specialty. Contact the human resources department and see if they offer tours of the department you are interested in.
There are so many ways to finding a good fit and a specialty that you love, but much like the lottery you got to be in it to win it. If at first you don’t succeed try try again!