The nursing profession is a wide open field with many career paths. In today's increasingly specialized world, it is becoming more common for nurses to specialize within their field. The decision to specialize in the nursing field is not one to take lightly. There are advantages and disadvantages, but for an increasing number of nurses it is becoming necessary.

Because of the relatively new practice of choosing a specialty field, each field has different requirements for specialization. There are also some that have no requirements at all. Certainly, a nurse who has worked for thirty years in the obstetrics department should consider that their specialty, but that is not the case when compared to a nurse choosing their specialty field after graduating from nursing school.

Not all nursing fields have formal specialization programs. Some, such as pediatrics, have a national certification program. Even in fields that do not have a national certification process, many hospitals have guidelines for working in a specialized field. Many hospitals recommend that a recent nursing school graduate should work for at least one year on a general medicine floor before moving into any specialty. Nursing schools provide students with intensive training, and the year spent working in the hospital setting should provide invaluable experience in helping the young nurse refine skills and gain confidence.

Once you feel competent in general nursing, you may want to consider choosing a specialty field. Specializing often makes it easier to find a job in your chosen field, and it is possible to draw a higher salary by having skills that are in demand. Once you work in a specialized field, it may become difficult to gain employment outside this field, because employers may be concerned that your skills in some areas may not be up to date. For this reason, it is important to think carefully about what type of specialty you may want to work in before you commit.

Know what is required

Be sure to consider all sides of a specialty before deciding if it is the one for you. While many nurses think they want to work with babies, in reality, the NICU, while full of babies, is a stressful place to work, especially for a young nurse, who may have young children at home, or be thinking of starting a family.

Other nurses may want to work with the elderly, and while this can certainly be rewarding, it often requires a great deal of physical strength to help elderly patients with day-to-day tasks, so it is important to take that into consideration before making a decision.

Work in Different Areas

The best way to learn what is required in each nursing specialty is to work in different areas. Even if you do not work in the area that you are considering specializing in, you can still gain insight into the differences between the available nursing fields. Many hospitals hire “float” nurses that rotate through a variety of positions, filling in on different floors as needed. This is an excellent way to gain a variety of experience.

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