Ortho and Trauma: The Long Explanation

I appreciate all the feedback. It was a hard decision for me. I felt like I was deciding my fate when I made the choice; I said as much to fellow students registering. Mostly they looked at me like I was crazy. Am the only one nervous about this?

In September I start a one year intensive program to earn my BSN. I mostly can't believe I got in, but here I go. The problem is that I'm not sure what kind of nursing I'm going to end up wanting to do. When I wrote my essays for the application (three of them) I concentrated on pediatric nursing. I think I'd still like to do that, but one of the wonderfully daunting things I've discovered is that a BSN degree is so so broad. There are so many types of nursing out there and a BSN qualifies one to do many of them. Everyone once in awhile I think about going to do nursing in under-developed countries. In fact before I decided that I wanted to apply to my program, I specifically looked at Medecin san Frontieres to see if they wanted nurses too. (They do, but for longer commitments than doctors.) It seems that having some good experience in trauma might help with that-- and the ability to think quick and fast on one's feet.

I also think I could do oncology for all its sadness. Actually I started out thinking I wanted to do pediatric oncology or the PICU. But I think I could adults too.

And then there's public health also, which I think I might really love. I adored that Microbiology course. I understand public health would be considerably different. But the idea of nurse epidemiologist sounds fun too.

Of course there's always labor and delivery, which I also admit sounds great. I thought I'd wait until I went through it myself to see if I might like it. I have to say I loved everyone of my nurses in L&D. But why limit myself to hospital nursing? There's the RE nurses-- totally different-- but don't you think you would have loved a nurse who really knew what it was like to go through IVF?

The thing is I think right now, knowing me, I might like to go back for some advanced practice type of degree. But mostly I want to enjoy doing my work. It's daunting then to pick a clinical when I know the scope of things out there. I want to be a good nurse; knowledgeable, empathetic, gentle (but firm when I need to be)-- but I don't know what field. I have one short, crammed year.

I ended up choosing after asking a current student in the program what the different clinical instructors were like and she noted the one for Ortho and Trauma was pretty laid back, concentrating more on the student's particular "experience" rather than paperwork. This could come back to bite me in the ass when I get an instructor who's heavy on the paperwork, but I'm nervous enough. I love the idea of someone focusing on experience and who's easy going. Ortho and Trauma were already on my short list (the other real viable choices for me were bone marrow transplant and oncology or general surgery, but I nixed general surgery because that's at the same hospital I'll be doing maternal health at-- I want to get mixed hospital experiences also.)

To say I'm anxious is an understatement. Mostly I try to not think about it too much, but I keep having to complete compliance requirements and it keep reminding me. I can't be the only one feeling this way...