thinking about going to school for nursing...looking for advice

[Kaybee]

A good nursing web site with a lot of information for you is
www.allnurses.com. They also have discussion boards too.

 

[mhopset]

Thanks for giving WORM the encouragment there FKJ2. I am sure she appreciated it.

 

[ladypoo]

I, too, say that if you want to be an RN go for it. It is backbreaking, sometimes depressing and also heart wrenching work. Underpaid and over worked, but it is a very fulfilling profession. I have been a Pediatric RN for almost 20 years, same hospital, different shifts and different categories, but still working within the Pediatric population. Our group of Nurses has changed slightly over the last years. We have nurses that are fresh outof high school into college, and those that have almost raised a family before returning to college.
Nursing school was hard. Way back then I started right out of high school,went a year, messed around and got pregnant, stayed out a year with her, went back and finished when she was 18 months old. I wouldn't change my career choice for anything.
I have finally settled into a supervisory position on our floor. My daughter is grown and has a daughter of her own.
Your age shouldn't make any difference, the Nurse that works with me is now 32, and has been out of Nursing school for one year. She took both her nursing and core classes at the same time and finished in 2 years.
Good luck with your decision.

 

[fkj2]

Thanks for giving WORM the encouragment there FKJ2. I am sure she appreciated it

Anyone considering committing 2 to 4 years of training should be aware that not all aspects of a perspective career are positive.

There are a lot of nurses leaving the profession and anyone entering it should do so with eyes wide open. I won't be a cheerleader for anything just because the money and benefits are good, especially if I know a lot of nurses would leave the profession if they could. And I do.

Just today in our local paper, a physician was quoted as telling his children not to enter the field of medicine because of the problems with reimbursement and medical malpractice insurance, among other issues.

If someone plans on committing thousands of dollars in tuition, countless hours of study and preparation, not to mention the personal sacrifice, I see nothing wrong in encouraging them to investigate their intended field of study. In fact, I would encourage WORM to spend time working in a hospital, office, nursing home environment to make sure she gains a full perspective.

 

[WebmasterAlex]

I see FKJ2's point. DW has been a nurse for over 20 years. She makes very good money but she pays a price. Her hospital has never had forced overtime or any of that nonsense, at worst they draw straws (literally) to see who will cover a last minute sick out. BUT even after 20 years she has to work every third weekend and switching it is a MAJOR headache. The work can be nasty and back breaking.
It has gone downhill incredibly far since managed health care came in, that really took a lot of the joy out of the job.
As an entry level floor nurse you will have patients that would have been in the ICU 10 years ago and more of them.
I don't think WORM should neccesarily be encouraged or discouraged but given information to make a smart decision that applies to her. If she understands the issues and the environment and wants to go for it then she can have a great career, but it is right that she understands it before investing a lot of time, effort and money.
BTW someone mentioned online research for salaries etc. Most of the stuff I have seen online is WAY off. I would take it with a huge grain of salt.

 

[worm761]

thank you for all the advice. it really is helpfull.

kaybee~ thank you for the website. i will be sure to check it out.

FKJ2~ thank you for giving me the otherside of the story. before i commit to something i want to know as much as i can. kevins mother is a nurse so i will be calling her and talking to her about this too.

 

[fkj2]

Angela, you're welcome. The expression goes, been there, done that. Realistically, if nursing was a panacea, there wouldn't be a nursing shortage. The same could be said for the clergy; I understand many of them are changing professions as well. Some people are better at serving the public than others but when the service comes at a high personal expense, well, everyone has their own priorities. At this point in life, I am looking at paying the bills but living as contentedly as I can and the nursing profession was costing me too much.

 

[Trinity721]

fkj2, point well taken. I also know many nurses that work very hard, are underpaid and underappreciated. It can be very grueling work, no doubt. I have talked to and watched many nurses who were worn out by their work, yelled at and blamed by doctors. But I've also seen a lot of positive things and talked to nurses who've had good experiences in the field. And I know that this is what I want to do, I've always wanted to work in the medical field. Just like any job, there are ups and downs.

But I think the main point here is, just know what you're getting into and if you know it's what you want to do then go for it, 110%.

And if you decide not to do nursing but want to stay in the medical field, there are tons of other jobs: pharmacy (also very much in demand right now), medical technicians, physical therapy, respiratory therapy, MRI techs.... the list goes on and on, so just know that there are a lot of opportunities for you out there. I know I said it before, but good luck

 

[fkj2]

Trinity, that's the thing; know what you're getting into.

And you're right about there being other fields in medicine desperate for staffing also. Physical therapy, which can be either facility or home based, will probably be a rapidly expanding field because--dare I say it-- we're all getting older and these parts wear out and get replaced, and a friend who's an ortho nurse in the OR, says Medicare is having knee replacement patients out of the hospital 3 days post-op and hip replacement patients out in 4 days (or vice versa), probably to a rehab facility. They need to get rehabbed somewhere, although I have read a newspaper article recently that somewhere, hidden in the new prescription drug bill, is a provision that may limit the reimbursement for rehabilitation of some of these patients.

The one great advantage I had having worked as a nurse was that I have been able to look after and care for my folks as they grew older and infirmed, and that has been important to me. Families, going forward, will have to bear a greater burden of responsibility in caring for their aged members as the money just isn't going to be available to provide social services through governments, either state or federal.

Sometimes you take paths in life that, knowing what you know now, you'd not take again but realize there may have been a reason for it that beyond present understanding. My advice for Worm was what she got out of it; just investigate thoroughly a potential field of study and try to choose something and live well.