Hello and welcome back to another controversial post… Honestly, this should not ruffle that many feathers, but I’ve seen where it does. If you are on track for nursing school, in nursing school or a new graduate nurse I am sure you have heard this age-old advice. “Spend a year in Med/Surg so you can build experience”. I wholeheartedly disagree and here is why…

This post is not meant to bash anyone who works in Med/Surg. Every specialty is important and have to deal with a lot.

From what I can see, it seems that this advice has been passed down over the years in nursing. I also tend to hear this a lot from older nurses around the hospital I work at. I have noticed; however, with the newer generation of nurses coming in there is a shift in perspective. This post is not to speak on that perspective shift, let’s focus on the topic at hand.

If I could offer one piece of advice to new graduates it would be to go into whatever specialty you want! Do not feel bound to Med/Surg nursing because this is what nusing school sets you up to be. You have your entire career to explore so many specialties! I have met so many nurses in specialities who have never worked a day in Med/Surg nursing, leaped right into their specialties, are doing quite well and are extremely happy with their decision. I think we need to put aside this toxic mindset of “suffering through” a job we hate for no reason.

When transporting my patients upstairs, I see so many new graduates who decided to do this and they are miserable. Listen to your gut. If you want to be in an area that is not Med/Surg, apply to a new graduate residency program in your area. You truly will never know what may happen! In my area, I have seen new graduates being hired in the Operating Room and even the Ambulatory clinics where I work. If you are not accepted into your specialty, do not be disheartened.

Do what you love, whether that be Med/Surg or any other specialty. Treat your nursing career like a project. Piece it together the way that you want! Nursing is one of the few jobs where you can truly veer off into unique paths. Build you own way. At the end of the day, what you do with your license is your business!

Thanks for reading. I do plan on sharing some tips for nursing students and new graduate nurses who know they want to work in a specialty. If you have any thoughts, feel free to share!