Congratulations on your recent graduation from nursing school. You’ve probably been thinking about life after graduation and wondering which type of position and what kind of work environment is right for you. If you’re not quite sure where to go next, here are some career paths to consider.
Med-Surg Nursing
We’ll start with one of the more traditional nursing jobs. Medical-surgical nursing is probably the go-to nursing specialty and if you choose this profession, your skills will be highly in demand. The work is primarily with adult patients with a ranging caseload of illnesses. It’s a great intro to the world of practical nursing because of that variety. Typically, in these roles, you operate outside of an OR, whether it’s an ambulatory surgery hospital or another type of facility. Your job is often to monitor patient care after a procedure. It’s a good place to practice bedside manners as well as basic clinical skills that serve as the underlying backbone of your skills. You’ll find that, out of all the career paths we’ve listed, the med-surg nursing role most closely aligns with what you learned in school.
Hospital Nursing
Hospitals have big budgets, so not only can new nurses employ higher salaries and better benefits, but the innovations in technology, research, and clinical workflows can be higher than in a smaller independent medical practice or another type of organization in healthcare. New nurses are exposed to the best training and the best tools as well as experiencing hands-on clinical tasks from maintaining IVs to wound care, and much more. Hospitals also offer nurses a variety of patient care scenarios from COVID to congestive heart failure, infants to the elderly. It’s a great foundational job that can lead you just about anywhere later in your career.
Mental Health Nursing
There has been much written about the mental and behavioral health crisis caused by COVID and the opioid epidemic, as well as other factors affecting this area of healthcare. Psych nursing jobs are demanding but rewarding. They are also hugely in demand for qualified nursing staff. You can handle a variety of mental and behavioral health cases, forming strong therapeutic relationships with patients and their families. It’s a demanding field but pays well and is highly rewarding.
Eldercare Nursing
The demand for nurses to work in eldercare facilities is rising in direct proportion to the baby boomer population. One healthcare provider describes the work in this way, “Choosing to work with the elderly is compassion on a whole different level.” Working in a senior living facility allows you to use all of your clinical expertise but also requires the desire to know that you’re making a big difference in someone’s life beyond dispensing medications. Long-term care and senior living facilities are filled with people who have lived their lives and seen some amazing things. As an eldercare nurse, your work will go beyond caregiving to include learning about the lives of your patients and the amazing things they’ve lived through and seen.
No matter which type of nursing path you start on, AG Glove Services has a job for you. If you’re ready to make the leap from school to nursing practice, check out our jobs to get your career started.
