Need honest opinion. Best area for new grad to start

I need some honest opinions. What do you think is the best area for a new grad to start out in? I have heard that there are some areas/specialties where it would not be prudent for a new grad to start out in. Initially I wanted perioperative, but I did not get in to that internship. I was offered a position on the cardiology floor. My only worry about med-surg is that in clinicals, I was conscientious but felt slow and overwhelmed. I worked in the medical field for years, just not with patients... I pushed paper. Will the skills and time-management just take some getting used to, or is it sometimes just not a good fit for certain people? I am very caring and good with patients, but I am nervous about having to take care of 5 to 6 patients when I felt so overwhelmed in clinical. Any advice on how I can prepare myself for this position, or are there other areas for new grads that might be a better fit for me. I know this experience would certainly be great. Thanks.
Hi, I work in a rural hospital where I do Med-Surg, OB, and ER. We also do some pre and post op stuff. The only other place I've worked in was a nursing home. It might be a good place to start because you get exposed to so many different things and could decide which thing you really liked doing most.

In this market, I would take ANY job you get offered. If you wait for the "right" job you may be unemployed a year from graduation. Study everything you can about cardiac, and hope for a good preceptor and orientation period. Cardiac will teach you a ton of things you can use in any area. I work in sub acute rehab and call on my clinical rotation in cardiac often. Best of luck, whatever you decide!

I think med-surg is a great place to start. I worried that I would feel overwhelmed, based on how I felt in clinicals, and I was right. However, you're going to feel overwhelmed no matter where you start. If you have a good preceptor, and adequate orientation, you will develop a good routine that works for you. I work cardiac/PCU and I learn something new every day, and think I'm developing great skills and a good foundation of knowledge to build on. I agree that unfortunately, right now, you kind of need to take what you can get or you might not have any options. Good luck!

Take the job that interests you. Med-surg is not nursing with training wheels by the way. It's definitely more than a place for new grads to get their foundation. It's very demanding and if you truly don't don't want to work there, don't.

Quote from SharonH, RNTake the job that interests you. Med-surg is not nursing with training wheels by the way. It's definitely more than a place for new grads to get their foundation. It's very demanding and if you truly don't don't want to work there, don't.

Quote from jillpaigeIt's not that I "don't want to work there". That wasn't my question. And I do see Med-surg as very demanding and most likely a challenging place to work. I gave my background about being slower in clinicals because it was foreign to me (working with paper instead of people all of my life). I asked if there was anything I could do to better prepare myself for this position so that I could be good at it. Will the skills and speed come with time? I was just looking for honest replies. I'm trying to do some self-examination to figure out if I am cut out to handle this type of floor...... it's not that I don't want to work med-surg.

Med/Surg is great but can be a bit overwhelming to a new graduate. Depends on what type of preceptorship program your facility offers. The longer the better but with the economy, that's not really cost effective. Thank your lucky stars if your hospital offers a long program. Have you considered Skilled Long Term Care? They have lots of the things you need to feel comfortable (IV's, treatments, wound care, medications, feeding tubes, g-tubes etc) but in a slower paced environment. Most patients are transitioning from acute care but not ready to go home. Lots of rehab too but you get a chance to know your patient a little better and there's usually a mix of patients instead of ALL acute care and high anxiety (for you and the patient). I think if you'd do that for a year or so, you'd have a better idea of what you like and feel much more confortable with nursing 'basics'. Good Luck and have a long and happy career.

Quote from fancyhenMed/Surg is great but can be a bit overwhelming to a new graduate. Depends on what type of preceptorship program your facility offers. The longer the better but with the economy, that's not really cost effective. Thank your lucky stars if your hospital offers a long program. Have you considered Skilled Long Term Care? They have lots of the things you need to feel comfortable (IV's, treatments, wound care, medications, feeding tubes, g-tubes etc) but in a slower paced environment. Most patients are transitioning from acute care but not ready to go home. Lots of rehab too but you get a chance to know your patient a little better and there's usually a mix of patients instead of ALL acute care and high anxiety (for you and the patient). I think if you'd do that for a year or so, you'd have a better idea of what you like and feel much more confortable with nursing 'basics'. Good Luck and have a long and happy career.

Quote from jillpaigeHow do I find Skilled Long Term Care positions? Are these considered nursing home jobs? I've heard of Skilled LTC but wasn't quite sure what it was. Thanks!

Emergency Department..hands down. Think about the experience you'll get in everything! From there you can easily make a decision if you want to specialize. That's what I did over 5 years ago and have excelled more than most. Bonne Chance!!

I have to say congratulations for thinking things through before making such an important decision. I would say that LTC is a good way to start to get familiar with Geriatrics which is a large part of the population in Med/Surg. It helps to learn time management and basic old people meds and conditions. However, you could start in Med/Surg many new grads do well there. I would not compare it to school/clinicals, it is much different when you are on the job. I learned so much during Orientation. I felt that orientation on the job is where I learned all the things I wish I had learned in school.

I went into Med-Surg straight out of nursing school (I graduated May 2009) because I did not feel I was experienced enough clinically to be able to save lives in a specialized area such as ICU or ER. While it is true that you probably will initially feel overwhelmed anywhere you start out at, its also true that there's a reason why they make you do orientation/preceptorship rather than just throwing you into the deep end. On an average day on my med-surg floor, I'm the RN in charge of 12 patients. I have a LPN and a CNA on my team and together the three of us take care of these 12 patients' needs. Over the past year I've worked there are only a handful of days I have felt overwhelmed, but I have never said to myself, "I can't do this, its too much for one person." Time management and prioritization are skills that you learned in nursing school, and they are skills you will hone on the floor as a nurse. On days when I feel overwhelmed (usually when I have a mix of things going on that -I- -have- to attend to, such as pts getting blood, getting chemo, going bad, etc, all at the same time) I have to stop and make a list of things I have to do right now, things that need to be done before the shift is over, and things that need to be done but not necessarily by me (these pts want pain medicine - hey, dear sweet LPN, can you do this for me please?). When you feel overwhelmed the best thing to do is get organized, go down your list, don't get panicked, and ask for help. There's no shame in asking for help, ever!Starting out in a "non-specialized" area like med-surg will help you fine tune all those skills you breezed over in nursing school. You'll see a little bit of everything.