What is your particular specality? How long have you been in the specality? What made this area of nursing specail to you?
I do Endoscopy, Out Patient Day Surgery and Pacu. I've been in one of those 3 areas at various times over the last 23 years. I am not overly fond of "long term" nursing care and I like the past pace of those areas. It let's me do my thing , and move on to the next patient.
Since I'm not done with school yet; I'd have to say mine is a Pina Colada, with a small scoop of orange sherbet, and two teaspoons of sugar blended in. I also make a good Tom Collins!
I have given it some thought, but I don't think I will have any way of knowing until I'm done with school. I still have a long way to go to get that done first!
What made you choose those? I can see why not long term care.
Well if you notice all 3 areas are basically Monday thru Friday day shift positions. My son was 2 or 3 and I was the Head Nurse (yeahs that is what they called unit managers back then) on the 3-11 shift in Labor and Delivery. I knew I needed to be off the evening shift before he started school and I hate working weekends, a position came up in the Recovery Room and I jumped on it. I have worked a total of 1 day on a MS unit since the day I finished school, not my cup of tea.
I guess you can say I am a jack of all. During my profession as a nurse I have done a little bit of it all. I work ER for several years, got burned out. This happens sometimes in ER. This is a great place to get good clinical skills. Fast paced, never knew what was coming in the door. You treat em and street em!!!!! But no way to develop attachments. I left ER and went to LTC for several years, as DON, too much stress from staffing shortages. Plus state and federal regulations determine how many you must staff. Never enough to sufficiently take good care of residents. But loved the residents--family I could do without sometimes. Broke my heart when they died. I guess you can say, I'm a softy. But being a compassionate nurse is the only way to practice. Then I worked Med Surg for several years and now I am in management, but still miss the nurse patient contact. Hate the staffing ratios.
The nice part about nursing is there are lots of choices, if you find an area you don't like there is always another area to try.
Keep looking you will eventually find your niche!!
Specialty?!? I kind of like the Margarita one!! LOL! I moved from charge nurse of CCU to psych and home health, to medical fraud investigation, LNC and auditing where I started a corporation in 1991! Then two years ago we added an on line exclusive website technology business! Now I think my specialty is TRAVELING!! :-)
I will be finished with LNC course soon. I have been a nurse for almost 30 years and like you have done just
about everything.
Enjoyed reading about your success.
After 26yrs. I have had the opportunity to work in many capacities within nursing. Not my favorite; but certainly the most rewarding was long term care.During that time, we literally "practiced medicine" as we were to follow a standing order book. If that didn't sharpen your skills! As for the young nurse writing about her concern of germs...I peeled off my clothes just inside the front door, bagged them and put them in the washer. That was even before HIV. Then of course there was the adrenalin junkie phase of trauma surgery. I guess that would compare to the ED induced adrenalin junkies. For most of you just starting in Nursing it will get you sooner or later Another area of my practice has been in Home Health. If you ever feel under appreciated, go do some home health. What a blessing! That, my friends, is some feel good nursing. I must say that Perioperative Nursing has my heart.
MICU/CCU with general surgery patients thrown in. When I first started our Trauma Center was just getting going so our patients went from being MVA's or GSW's to TRAUMAS! Found that whole scene very depressing because we had so many young people with head injuries. I honestly think sometimes we don't do some patients a favor by saving them, in fact I have had a few say that a year or so after their accident. So in 1995 our units split and open heart/trauma stayed and MICU/CCU went one floor down. 95% of us went. Gee wonder if the surgeons had anything to do with our decisions?????? Been a nurse for 10 years and started in Critical Care.
I absolutely love the variety, fast pace, and adrenaline of the job. Don't get me wrong, the job is really stressful too. I have my days where I fell completely burned out and jaded, but I still go back. I have been in Emergency Nursing for about 7 years. I am drawn to the specialty because of the autonomy I have as a nurse, the collaboration between myself and my nursing peers as well as with the attending docs, and the encouragement to be as good a nurse as one can be. A great ER nurse is one who knows alot about alot of things and is very effective in their job. I want to be a teacher, a healer, and a scholar.....In essence, I want to be an ER nurse!
I've been in the prehospital end of things since '89 as a firefighter/paramedic. My expertise and experience naturally is extended to the ER since that is my area of greatest familiarity. Like Shortbus, I haven't completed school yet. I'm leaning towards ER nursing at the moment but only time will tell. Currently, while in RN school, I'm working as a paramedic in an ER and really enjoying it.
I have done 11 years of peds and 4 of outpt med onc, breast cancer specifically. Both very rewarding but for different reasons.
Peds was little ones, up to age 3. Those little peanuts are amazing, seem to recover from almost anything!
The breast cancer pts were almost all metastatic. I worked as a primary nurse for a female med onc who was absolutely fantastic and she had a real interest in this that spurned my interest in it. Very rewarding, and interesting. Not cookbook medicine at all and I had total independence and support from her in looking after my pts.
I've been an RN for over 30 years now (wow, am I old!)and have done a variety of different types of nursing, but my favorite has been Occupational Health Nursing. I had the opportunity to work for Ford Motor Company as both a per diem nurse and staff. For 5 years, I actually ran the medical for 2 plants next to each other, one a Paint Plant and the other a Vinyl, Knit, and Plastic Plant. I was able to do all aspects of occupational health njursing as well as teach CPR and Safety classes. Then working 20 years per diem, I worked at many different types of industrial plants within Ford Motor Co. I have also worked for the Detroit Newspaper Agency, my favorite site was the Free Press Plant on the Detroit River with a view of the Ambassador Bridge. In Occupational Health, you are a combination of med/surg/ER nurse, teacher, friend, mental health contact, priest, mother, Physical therapist, massage therapist, etc. We did a lot of hands on care as well as referrals for our employees. Sometimes it seemed that we were the only ones they could come to with their concerns and then
would refer them to others that could help them with their personal and familty problems. It was a very satisfying job.
I'm currently in pain management although critical care has been my speciality. It's a nice change to make people feel better immediately...usually I don't get to see the end result. I'm doing this as a project for my masters program..but am enjoying the change.
I work inpatient oncology. We don't receive BMT's but cover surgical intervention as well as patient's for medical management. I see a good variety of diagnoses, symptoms, etc. I admire the strength, graciousness and wisdom my patient's exhibit.
I have worked as an LPN in the "Women's Center" of our hospital taking care of just about anything a woman can go thru. I truly enjoy the mom's and baby's, but recently in clinical for the ADN program I'm in, I got to go on a home visit for a mom/baby check-up. It was interesting to see what kind of environment they lived in once they left the hospital. I think I might like to do that when I graduate. I like to interact with the patients and teach all I know to help them have all the knowledge they need to provide a good life for their babies. So I guess I'll find my "niche" in life eventually and do something I enjoy!
Right now i'm working at county hospital, inpatient psych, i'm an lvn...been there for only 3 mos. before that i worked in detention, juvenile hall i've been an lvn for over 17 years, worked as: s staff nurse, permanent night shift, pulmonary inpatient ward, VAMedicalCenter, for 6 years, medical clinic, urgent care, and "flexi-nurse" @ Kaiser, registry nurse, working pm shift, med-surg, at Highland Hospital (Alameda County), in Oakland, CA....i could really use some input from experienced psych nurses
i'm a sicu nurse at a large level 1 hospital in boston. at first i was extremely excited, the lights whistles and bells, but quickly it hit me that i was being paid to wash corpses. we have a lot of patients who probably should have died last week on vents, antibiotics, cvvh , you name it. i always wondered why in our christian-judeo society where we preach from every mountain top the beauty of the afterlife, the pearly gates, angels with harps, why we are reluctant to let go in the end. it's a crime how much time money and effort is expended on the those we haven't got a snowball chance in you know where to save, yet millions go hungry, without proper vaccination or shelter. but i digress....
I don't really know, my mom told me I was special but kinda left it at that.
Seriously though I am in my last year of School, I finish in May and when I am done will be putting all my effort into cardiac nursing. I have had 5 placements on a cardiac floor now, and have enjoyed it leaps and bounds above everything else.
I love long-term care. Never really wanted to do any thing else. I've been a nurse for 5 years, 3 years as a Charge RN for a Skilled Medicare Unit and 2 years as an Assistant Director of Nursing for the same facility. It is tragic, rewarding, frustrating, stressful from minute to minute. One thing I think we should do in our screening process for admissions is have access to the entire family. We seem to do a great job of meeting the needs of the patient, but some of them have such "whacko" family members that it would be nice to have a firearm.
Anyway, gotta love the seniors. They have so much to offer. Try it, you'll like it!!!!
Since graduation in June of 2002, I have worked on a telemetry unit with occasional float days to ICU and a few rare float days to Med/Surg. Although I have been told that I am "totally crazy" for staying on the floor that I am on (know to some as the "portal of hell" because of its hectic pace), I like telemetry very much and want to continue my education in cardiac nursing.
Chronic hemodialysis.. My niche. Love the hours... Either 4 on 1 off 4 on 5 off. Or Wed Fri Sat on Sun off Mon Tues Thus on with FRI SAT SUN MON TUES off every other weekend.
I love the techie part of dialysis .. Setting up machines, sticking people, troubleshooting accesses, putting out "fires" nephrologists and bonding with a fairly stable group of people.
No floating, new admissions now and then but not all day. I know my patients well and can manage their care.. Starting a very sick scared patient and watching them "bloom" in 6 to 8 weeks is rewarding. I can be a mother sometimes and scold them a little..I think they like it sometimes.LOLL
Yep that's my niche Chronic hemodialysis..Traveling making $35/hr ...Can't beat it...
Cardiovascular , Operating Room, Vascular, Neuro and I dibble in Plastics which is always fun. Traveling and International travel as well. I love seeing whats new out there and meeting many along the way.
Z
I've been critical care for the past 25 years (first 2 out of school were in med-surg). I like CC for a number of reasons...the main one being autonimy. We have a lot more say in the patiens care and consulting with physicians than med-surg does.
also have enjoyed the intensity. However, as my career progresses, I'm begining to wind down!
I'm currently in a NP family practice program. looking forward to the change.
CVOR is it for me! I have been an ORT for 4 years and am now a first year nursing student. I have been on the open heart team for the last 1.5 years and love it. I was the first non-RN they accepted on the team, so I suppose I feel special?? Or stupid?? <g> Anyone else out there scrub CABG's before being an RN?
Nope.. I wish sometimes I could do that but I hate blood...Wait what am I saying I do hemodialysis..But that's different..We keep it pretty much contained..
So tell us more..But don't get too gorrie ( sp)...
There in the usual blood from the initial dissection of tissues/sternotomy, and during cannulation (if you are doing an on-pump case) there is a lot of blood when you puncture the aorta to insert the aortic cannula. The venous cannulation is fairly bloody, but retrograde and antegrade aren't so bad. Once you are on bypass and the heart is arrested, there isn't much blood. But, while making the pericardial well, there is always a chance of hitting the annominate vein and having so much blood fill the field it takes 3 separate wall suckers get a clear field of vision before your surgeon can get control. Or, if you need to emergently put in a balloon pump and perf the femoral artery and bleed out in the belly, then there is a lot of blood! So, hemodialysis doesn't sound so bad, eh?
What exacly did you see? Maybe they were already on bypass and the heart was arrested? If that's the case, then it is pretty controlled. If it was an off-pump case, then the grafts are done on a beating heart and there is blood but it's controlled with shunts on the distal anastamosis, and a heart string or partial occluding clamp is used on the aorta for the proximal anastamosis. The use of cell saver and a pump sucker help keep blood loss to a minimum and can give the blood back to the patient. If all goes as planned, it is a very controlled procedure. It's only when you get into trouble that your patient can bleed out in a matter of seconds.
ER full-time for 7 years then took a management position in a skilled LTC facility (what was I thinking?!?!?) back to ER and now I work on a clinical trial for a pharmaceutical company and PRN in the ER and Nuclear Medicine.
I'm in Out Patient Medical Oncology and have been for 17 years. We do a lot of patient/family education while they are receiving their chemo treatments. also do phone triage and weekends on call to help patients get through their rigerous chemo treatments. We're having lots of trouble getting nurses in our area. could any of you give me a reason for this?
I am a geriatric nurse in a LTC setting. I did work for 9 months in Acute Care in our local hospital. I didn't like it, only because you never get to "know" your patient. Anymore they go home so soon....In LTC, you get to know your resident and their family fairly well. I love them all from the sweet ones to the crabby ones. The most trouble I have is with the administration!!! If SHE worked the floor, instead of dreaming up things, everyone would be better off.
I'm in OB/GYN at our hospital we rotate between L&D and postpartum/gyn. I usually do 5 days L&D to 1 of Postpartum in a 2 week period. We do vag deliveries and circulate of c-sections, tubals, D&C and cercalages. In post partum we also have the undelivered moms there for whatever reason, the post partums and all the inpatient gyn surgery. I've been in peds before for 5 years and home health seeing about every type of patient but I saw all of the babies/kids our agency had did that for 4 years now in L&D where I wanted to be. Now I"m looking into traveling next year in L&D. I've been with the same hospital since 1992.
I presently work.. Wed Fri Sat have Sun off then on Mon Tues Thurs.. Then OFF Fri Sat Sun Mon and Tues.. LOVE IT..
Only work Sundays around Xmas and T-day.. No Mother's Day, No Father's Day, No Easter Sunday.. And we had our Xmas party with the WHOLE staff.. Have in on a Sat night...Just some of us come in and help out to dialyze the Sat people so that staff can get out at 1800 to get to the party..
How many staff nurses get to have the whole crew to any party???
WR,,, three commas for Becca
Hemonurse..Who do you work for?? Are you a traveler? etc...
I'm in ICU/CCU currently. I've been in this specialty for 2 years at 2 hospitals. I recently started traveling again after stopping to get ICU experience and making that transition from med-surg and tele. Before that I traveled for 3 years in med-surg tele which I really enjoyed the traveling, just was getting burned out in med-surg. I didn't like the ratios and feeling like a waitress with perks. Before that, I did long term care mixed with sub-acute care (rehab).
I like the ICU environment and gravitated toward it because whenever I had to transfer a patient to ICU from med-surg I always wanted to hang around and see what was done and what happened to that person. I did an assignment in Endoscopy and really enjoyed that as well. I liked the turnover of patients and learning about the procedures. I guess I would like ER, too for that reason. In the ICU, you're generally stuck with them which can be good or bad or both at the same time.
Anyway, before I keep rambling.....there's my 2 cents.
I wrestle with this issue as well, and hear ya all the way!! Thanks for saying it! I don't know the answer... except I believe everyone should have a living will that is explicit. Families tend not to let go when the decision is left to them.
This is my first post, I'm 45 and have been an RN since 1986, i have 5 kids...I have worked ICU, M/S, ORTHO, URO, Home Health, and was in long term care both as staff nurse and ADON (argh). Now I work in psyche on an ACT team. It's a 3 ring circus. we have 5 people on our team and we have around 40 clients. They are the most indigent, ill, and difficult to treat people in the system. We treat them in the community, literally chasing them in the street sometimes. Getting cats out of trees and riding with less than pleasant smelling hallucinating individuals in storms is routine parts of the job. .... and i like it? It's very stressful, but never EVER routine. the paperwork is way too over the top though.
ER CCU ICU PACU IVT
I began my career in a telemetry step down 30 yrs ago, after two years I took a chance and "tried" ER when a shortage arose in my community hospital. I loved it and stayed for 13yrs, became trauma certified and passed the CEN. Then burn out hit. I took a Critical Care position, a combined ICU/ER , where I thrived for 14yrs, working shifts in IV therapy and PACU as a temp replacement . I then met travel nurses and got the bug.
I have travelled for the past 16 months and really love nursing again. My assignments have been in a 6 bed ER in rural Pa coal fields to a 14 bed ICU/CCU in a community hospital outside Philly. I have learned a few things and met wonderful people.What an experience!I wish I had started sooner. Jeanie
I am an LPN and have been a nurse for 21 years.I have done hospital med-surg, doctors' offices, agency staffing, and have been in hospice for the last eight years. It is by far the greatest thing I have ever done. I see people in their homes,where I assess their pain and symptom control. If there is an issue it is addressed and the appropriate changes made to allow them to live their life to the fullest. The agency I work with also has a residence that I do shifts for. I love my job, and the people I work with are the best I've ever known.
I hav been a nurse for 12 years. My first year out of school I did Oncology, the rest have been in long term care. I am the third member of the Nursing Administration team as the MDS and Care Plan Coordinator in a long term care facility. I have definitiely found my niche in doing MDS's and I thoroughly enjoy doing the assessments and care plans. There is enough resident contact to keep all skills sharp but not all the stress of charging a floor. I wouldn't go back to a hospital now, I love my long term residents.
I am not finsihed with school yet(4 more weeks) and I hope to work as a rehab nurse(brain/spinal cord injury, stroke, pediatric etc.) I interviewed for a job and hopefully I'll get it. I love to teach and I would have a lot of opportunity to teach patients and families.
I have worked labor and delivery for 3 years and Post Partum for a year before L&D. I LOVE L&D!!! As crazy as this sounds I'm not all about SICK people!! My patients aren't sick (usually) they're just PREGNANT!! There is also a little adrenaline involved with my job. You never know what's going to roll up next!! Will it be someone who is already crowning or someone that has a backache??? In my opinion there is nothing more gratifying than helping a patient through one of the most special times of her life. To see a new father cry when he sees his child is worth all the attitude that patient gave me during labor!!! Granted there are some really SAD times in Labor and Delivery. But, you're there for that patient and their family. They will always remember you. I run into people all the time shopping and they say, "Look at little so and so, he's almost 2. You were my nurse". I say, "Yeah, he's adorable". And it bothers me a little that I don't remember them as much as they remember me!! I love my job!!! And most patients can tell!!!
where are you looking to travel to?? A friend and I both work L&D and we are hoping to travel in August. We have never travelled before and are clueless about agencies and stuff. Do you have any advice???
Don't you LOVE L&D????? How many babies do ya'll deliver a month???
I hope to go to Fla (maybe Hawaii first). Yep I do love L&D. I work at a small hospital we have 4 LDR rooms, 2 observation rooms, 1 OR, 1bed recovery, 18 bed PP/OB/GYN unit. We float back and forth betweent L&D and the PP I work more in L&D which is fine with me but the PP is a good break now and then. We do 70-100 babies a month. We do lots of NSTs, aches and pains etc. We do LOTS of inductions. The majority of our patients are induced. We also do all the PPT's in our OR and all the c-sections unless we have an emergency one come in and we're already doing one then they go to the main OR but that doesn't happen but once every 4-6 months at most.
I don't have any travel advice I'm just learning from here and delphi forums trying to look at all my options as I can't travel until my 17 yr old graduates next may..I don't want to pull him from his Sr year of highschool.
I have done 8 years total ER. BCEN and trauma nurse specialist (Same as advanced trauma course for doctors). 5 years in CCU/CVICU the unit was combined where you did both (Cardiac has been my greatest LOVE. Give me a good cardiogenic shock on a IABP with a ton of drips, and god bless if they are on the vent, I will be as happy as a clam). Some Cardiac cath Lab and SICU. When I worked in one place full time, I worked anothers part time. Many of my jobs overlap by 1-2 years. Now I am the Week end option nurse for outpatient services. Some weekends I may only see 2 or 3 people for injections or IV antibiotic.
I will not work GI Lab or surgery. They will not let me work OB/GYN (Think it is for my own good)
My goal is, "As I get older, I will do less, for more money."
I am presently working on an inpatient hospice unit. I have been doing end of life care for 6 years. I absolutely find this the most rewarding job for me in nursing. It's not a depressing role, like others think. It's a relaxing atmosphere, no crisis oriented stuff. I encourage my families to be present for their loved ones death. Everyone is present for the births. I have time for patient care and educating families and loved ones on the process of death and dying. It is truly a remarkable field.
Hello all,
I do apologise if I havnt posted this in the correct thread. Im brand spanking new to this site and form so Im sure you'll forgive me my ignorance....wont you?
Anyway, I came across this site and thought what a great way for nurses to communicate with each other.
Im a community nurse in Southern England and I just thought it would be wonderful to compare nursing roles on both sides of the Atlantic. I dont even know if the US has community nurses do you? Could someone let me know please
My name is Nicky and I only qualified two years ago, and absolutely love my job.
Reckon thats all for now until I get the hang of this posting business.
Finally another L&D nurse. I am trying to do a little research to find out what is good about your department. Now our department is really unhappy with so many aspects. We are 40% under staffed and more keep leaving all the time.We can't seem to come up with any new ideas to keep nurses and staff in our department. Why do you continue in your hospital L&D? Issues with our dept...we hate floating to other departments when they are busy and we are not. Especially since there is no other departments skilled in our nursing to help us when we are swamped. We have to take call but the other departments in our cluster do not. There are so many more issues that go on and on. Need fresh ideas.
We have closed our unit since July. It has good and bad points. We do have a minimum staffing and persons might have to take manditory low census if nobody volunteers for it. We have PDO's so if you have no PDO's you might be short on the paycheck. If busy we have to get people to cover ..which we had to anyway as you say nobody else can do it.
We rotate between L&D and PP (we also have GYN, hyperemesis etc on the PP unit back hall) some work more PP some more L&D some evenly divided. We do our own c-sections. We do mostly inductions so we have a limited number of elective inductions that can be done per day and the doc has to call and schedule it (of course if they want a date and it's full they say well they're coming anyway and make a reason but not too often)
Have a wonderful boss (who I just nominated for great boss on a local tv station contest and she's a finalist they came to tape her today so when it's time to vote I'll post and you all can go vote for her to win the prizes!) also who would not ask me to do anything she wouldn't do herself she takes call, works holidays, relieves for lunch etc. Most of the co-workers work really well together with only a few slackers (but those couple slack for everyone)
Only 3 people work 8 hr shifts everyone else is 12 hour.
contact me directly here with any specific questions/ideas I can always use more myself...we are actually a couple nurses overstaffed on our unit cause nobody leaves.
Thanks Udali,
Your Public Health nurses, do they visit patients in their own homes? If so, then that is your equivalent of 'community nurses' over here.
Our caseload can be very varied from clip/staple/suture removal, incontinence assessments, catheter care, wound care, leg ulcers (90% of our case load is bloody leg ulcers), ear irrigation, blood taking etc. Would that be the sort of thing 'public nurses, do?
Nicky
Patti9,
My partner, John is as Macmillan nurse here in England - a specialist palliative care nurse in the community.
He deals with palliative care patients needs on every level from psychological care and chiefly pain control along with other cancer related symptoms. He loves his job, although it can be very demanding physically and emotionally. But he gets such reward from it also. Personally, I wouldnt do it as it is very draining taking on not only the patients' needs but also being a means of support for the patients family too. So good on you, you have to have a vast knowledge.
Nicky U.K.
I have done Long Term Care, Skilled Nursing, Rehab, Medical, Surgical, Telemetry, Step-Down, Secondary RN in ICU, ER, and relief House Supervisor.
I go round and round with travel companies each time I go to get a job because they want to know what my specialty is. They want me to pick one, and then they'll say, "What have your assignments been?" Once again, pick one. I have had FIVE assignments, on FIVE different floors.
a student nurse in australia, commencing second year of 3 years but quite like rural and remote nursing. so much variety and a great life style away from the rat race!
I did oncology for a little over 5 years, but then I made the jump to information systems/informatics. Better hours. Better Pay. & Less Stress!! I do miss interacting w/ the patients, though.
How long did you work in L&D? Did you enjoy it? I am considering a career in nursing and would be interested in L&D. But I also have children (ages 3 and 9 months) and want to be able to be home with them as much as possible.
I wouldn't start a nursing program until my youngest is in preschool but I am just kind of getting my feelers out there to see what a career in nursing would be like, especially with a family.
I started school with a 1 1/2, 2 1/2 and 4 yr old. It just depends on how you handle things,how much support you have, how much you need to study etc how you do in school that's with our without kids. New grads in general don't get dayshifts (at least not around here) evenings are good with little kids but not once they get in school. Nights are hard with preschoolers but not as bad once they are in school as you can sleep while they are in school then have the evenings together.
I have a question and I am not too sure anyone can help. I am an ER nurse and am looking into the cath lab for a job change. I just recently found out that I am pregnant 10 1/2 wks. I am not too sure how that would work, cath lab and being pregnant. If anybody has any ideas or answers please let me know. Thanks
Hello there,
I've been an RN for 10+ years...worked in med/surg, tele, stepdown, occupational health, and private practice. Nursing is such a broad career path....I hope to be doing something like you're doing in Endoscopy etc.. How do you like it? Any advise for a wanna-be? Do you have your BSN? I hold my ADN, but wonder if it's going to serve me well in the next 20yrs?
There are far too many ADN schools still out there cranking out graduates for ADNs to be phased out anytime soon. It too forever for hospitals to start paying more (and many still don't) for BSNs.
Your ADN will serve you quite well as long as you keep your license and your skills current. They are not going to be phased out anytime soon.
There will be more nursing opportunities in the next two decades than you ever dreamed possible.
I have done pretty much all areas of adult med/surg. I currently work in adult medical oncology and love it. I got chemo certified two and a half years ago. The patients are complex and need quite a bit of care and present with any number of problems, some cancer related, some treatment related, some not related to either. It is always a challenge to try and figure out what is going on and why. I have cut my hours and am going to take a camp nurse job for half the summer and can't wait. I did that one summer when my daughter was an infant and loved it. When I went through my three pregnancies I did whatever job I happened to be in at the time. I didn't really care to change things as things were changing fast enough for me personally anyways! Looking back, though, I guess if you really feel it is time for a change, best to do it now. It might be too overwhelming to adjust to a new baby AND and new position! Good luck.
Another area of my practice has been in Home Health. If you ever feel under appreciated, go do some home health. What a blessing! That, my friends, is some feel good nursing. I must say that Perioperative Nursing has my heart. 
Yeah, Traveler! Foundation. Incognito
