As if nursing school isn't confusing enough.

There is nothing quite like working with nurses and having them at your disposal when you have questions about nursing school, nursing practice, or just nursing in general. For as long as I can remember, one of the nurses I'm most close with has been giving me advice about what to do with nursing. And at first, I took her advice to heart and really believed it. But now, the more into the nursing program I get and the more sure I am of the specialty I want to pursue, I really don't know if I want to take her advice.

I was talking to another nurse last night about how school is going, and she asked me what I wanted to do once I graduated. I told her, and I knew we are on the same boat because in her youth, she was a pediatric nurse and that's truly what I want to be. She worked in the level 2 NICU, and she said she absolutely feels that in all of her years of nursing, NICU and hospice work have been the most rewarding. According to her, our local children's hospital has a great NICU, and have a great rep for on the job training of new hires. Everything she was telling me was making me so excited, because it's exactly what I want to hear since it relates to what I want to do with my degree. But my trusty nurse said that I still need to get experience in Med/Surg first, to get my basic nursing skills down and to be able to make associates like "ok, patient's such-and-such is this, and so this is why the doctor ordered that" or something to that affect. Which I totally understand and get... but even the peds nurse was like "see, I don't necessarily agree" and here's why. Med/Surg in general will be good for me to know, but very little information I actually learn from there, I will take with me to a NICU. Or so says peds nurse. I don't know...

But if anything, I will work in pediatric Med/Surg. If anything. I have little desire to work with adults, and 0 desire to work with geriatrics. That's just not where my heart lies. I want to help babies and children, which is fine, right? Considering more often than not, I meet nursing students who do not want anything to do with peds or neonatal. There is a person for every job. The closest I want to get to work with adults is to be a Nurse Midwife.

So can you see that I'm super on the fence about this? I mean, I totally value nurse A's opinion about starting out in Med/Surg or a floor that will allow me maximum experience-gathering time, but at the same time, my heart value's nurse B's assurance that I don't need Med/Surg experience for a NICU.

...but I think I just need to shut up and just try to get through the first year of nursing school.

Anyway, I spent a shit load of money today and I'm happy because it's rare that I spend money on myself anymore. Chris and I went to the mall, and I'm super stoked because I bought me some Dansko professional clogs (in white) for school and work; they set me back $114 but they're seriously the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn. I'm wearing them right now. I can't wait for lab on Tuesday, so I can wear these babies with my school scrubs. I also bought:

• Incanto Heaven perfume - seriously smells amazing, and the bottle is so pretty.
  
• 4 oz. jar of Hope in a Jar
• A shirt and pair of earrings from shanalogic.com