Choosing a nursing specialty is an important step in defining the direction of your career, but for many students, it can be a difficult decision to make. With over 100 nursing specialties to choose from, it can seem impossible to pick the one that will provide you with an enjoyable, rewarding career? That’s where Eastern International College comes into play. We prepare our students to make that decision throughout their journey to earning an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing. Here are a few of our top tips for deciphering which of the many nursing specialties may be right for you.
Set the Foundation
Before you can select where to put your skills to work, you must develop the foundational knowledge necessary to become a professional, competent, and empathetic nurse. You can achieve just that with Eastern International College, where you’ll benefit from a supportive learning environment led by passionate, highly skilled educators. During this time, you’ll be exposed to various courses that can help you determine which of the numerous nursing specialties you are most interested in. These courses include:
- Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing
- Obstetrical Nursing
- Pediatric Nursing
- Pharmacology
- Adult Health
Gain Real-World Experience
Another helpful aspect of choosing a nursing specialty entails gaining real-world experience at a hospital, doctor’s office, or another medical facility. During your Associate of Applied Science in Nursing degree program, you’ll have the opportunity to earn six-semester credits during an externship, thanks to our Senior Clinical Practicum course. Not only can you apply your nursing knowledge in a real-world environment, but you’ll also work hand-in-hand with a tenured nurse instructor. This type of experience goes a long way when debating between various nursing specialties down the road.
Explore Your Options
Without any foundational education or practice in working with patients, navigating the many available nursing specialties would surely be a challenge. But through your coursework and hands-on experiences, you’ll discover which aspects of nursing you truly enjoy, enabling you to explore the nursing specialties you find most appealing. Just a few examples of the direction you can take your career in include:
- Ambulatory care
- Burn care
- Dermatology
- Developmental disability care
- Emergency room
- Family
- Home care
- Hospice
- Labor and delivery
- Nurse for a camp, school, correctional facility, etc.
Talk It Out
Having knowledge and experience on your side will surely help you narrow down your nursing specialty options. Still, chatting with people who have been in your shoes is often the most helpful thing to do. By participating in the Associate of Applied Science in Nursing degree program, you’ll have access to passionate instructors who rely on their career experiences to help guide you to the right decision. They’ll also connect you to their network of industry contacts, who can answer any specific questions you may have about nursing specialties, as well as what it’s like to work in the sectors of nursing you are most interested in.
Begin Your Nursing Journey
With so many nursing specialties to choose from, the Associate of Applied Sciences in Nursing degree program at Eastern International College will equip you with the knowledge and experience to point you in the right direction. Learn more today by contacting our admissions specialists and scheduling a tour of our Jersey City or Belleville campus in New Jersey.