Specialty Nursing Care: 6 Considerations When Choosing Your Career Path

• Choosing an area of specialty nursing care for your career can be overwhelming. 
• You might have to explore several specialties before finding the one that’s right for you. 
• These six tips can help you make your choice. 

You’re finished with nursing school — now what? With the abundance of nursing specialties and job opportunities available, it can be overwhelming when it comes time to choose what area of nursing you want to work in.  

Just because you choose a particular specialty out of nursing school, doesn’t mean that’s where you have to spend your entire nursing career either. The only way to truly know what nursing specialty you enjoy best is to explore your options and try the ones that interest you the most.  

As a licensed nurse for 10 years, I explored several areas of nursing before finding the right specialty. I have worked in psychiatry, physical medicine and rehab, developmental disability, and long-term care. My exploration ultimately led me to a career in long-term care.  

I’d like to share the advice and tips I learned through my explorative phase with new nurses who may be struggling to find their nursing specialty.  

Reflect On Your Nursing Education

While you were in school, did a particular subject matter interest you? Perhaps there were a few?  

While I was in nursing school, I was particularly drawn to psychiatric nursing. I had a nursing class called Psychosocial Nursing where we learned about mental health and studied the different mental health disorders patients may be diagnosed with. It also educated us on how to provide quality mental health care for this population. After finishing the course, I knew I wanted my first nursing position to be in the field of psychiatry.  

Once I graduated, I accepted a psychiatric nurse position at an in-patient hospital and gained valuable experience. The experience I gained in that specialty has aided me in all nursing positions I’ve held since. 

Consider Who You Are

What is your personality like? Are there certain areas that you instinctively know would not be right for you based on your likes, dislikes, or personality traits? Is there a certain specialty you worked in during your nursing clinical experience that brought out the best in you?  

The moment I realized long-term care nursing was for me was when I reflected on how I felt working with the elderly population. The elderly population brings out a confident, strong side of me. It is an environment where I feel free to be completely myself. It may sound cliché but working in elderly care feels like home. My shifts feel more like fun than work.  

Notice how you feel when you are in a particular specialty. What personality traits come out? Do you feel comfortable? Do you look forward to your shifts? The answers to these questions play a significant role in finding the best specialty for you.  

Fast-Paced vs. Slow-Paced Environment

Do you relish an adrenaline rush? Some nurses enjoy the hustle and bustle of a fast-paced environment where there’s nonstop action their entire shift. Others enjoy a slower environment where they can take their time with a smaller group of patients throughout their shift.  

There’s no wrong answer, and deciding which pace you prefer is another factor to consider when choosing a specialty.  

Availability

Regarding schedule and work/life balance, what kind of shifts do you desire? Do you want to work in a clinic from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or do you prefer evenings or nights?  

Also consider eight-hour shifts versus 12-hour shifts. Nurses who accept 12-hour shifts usually work fewer days per week than a nurse on eight-hour shifts. Are you OK working weekends or holidays? In long-term care, you’re typically required to work some weekends and holidays. This is also true for most hospitals. From my experience, if you genuinely love your specialty, working a few weekends and holidays will not bother you as much. Work/life balance is a key factor when choosing a nursing specialty. 

Career Growth

What are your long-term goals? Do you want a nursing position where there’s an opportunity to advance to a management or administrative role? Deciding whether you want to be a floor nurse long-term or if you have goals of furthering your education or advancing your career is crucial. You do not want to have a goal for management and accept a position that won’t be able to offer that to you in the future.  

Additional Certification

Some nursing specialties prefer candidates to have additional certification or nursing education in a particular area. This does not mean you have to necessarily go back to nursing school; however, it may be helpful to enroll in additional education online and receive certification in your desired specialty. 

The Bottom Line

It can be overwhelming to decide which specialty nursing care trajectory is right for you when you first graduate. All nurses find their preferred specialty at different points in their career, so if you have been a nurse for a while and are still struggling to find your place, don’t feel behind. Considering the factors above will make exploring nursing specialties a little easier and hopefully take some of the pressure off.  

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