By: NurseGuides.com
There are dozens of different specialties that one can choose from when they have chosen the career of a nurse. You can become an OB/GYN nurse, a nurse practitioner, a registered nurse, or even a nurse anesthetist. These are considered to be high field specialties and usually require more schooling. In the lower field of nursing you can choose from forensic nursing, telephone triage nursing, correctional nursing, or you can apply the science of nursing to legal proceedings. Each area is different from each other and each have their own pros and cons. So how do you know exactly which one to choose?
The first thing you want to ask yourself is what kind of level of stress you can handle. Every job can be stressful at one point or another and the way we handle the stress is a big point. People handle stress differently and what some people consider stressful others consider to be a part of the routine. For example some people enjoy the hectic pace and the idea of always being on call for the operating room; while others hate having their free time interrupted.
To give you an idea of what to expect in the area of choice try talking to someone who has been doing it for 5-10 years. Ask them how the job can be and what you can expect if you were to choose it.
Stress is not the only thing to worry about when it comes to how well you will mesh with your new job. You want to make sure that your personality type will be able to adapt to the way things are run. Do you like working with other nurses and being able to share camaraderie with them? Will you be able to handle the amount of cases you would have to deal with in one night if you were to work in the emergency room or would you prefer the slow pace of a community hospital? These are important questions that you have to ask yourself.
The higher field of nursing that you choose the more likely it is you will have to be going back to school for more training. Many specialties of nursing like an anesthetic nurse or a registered nurse require specific qualifications and certifications. Some of these requirements may not be as hard or take as long to get.
For example Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation certification is enough to get you through working on the medical/surgical floor – but in order to work in the emergency room you need to obtain your Advanced Cardiac Life Support training. In order to work with cancer patients you are going to need training at the Oncology Nursing Society. Now you have to ask yourself whether or not you will want to continue your education.
