Registered Nurse (license, secretary, degree, jobs)

[windsurfingiskewl]

So I've been thinking about a career change. I'm in my mid 20s so I still have plenty of time.

Anyway...this past week I came across an article on how great a job being a registered nurse can be.

I looked into it a little bit - googled some schools for it, youtubed some career path videos.

Can anyone give me some information on this career path? Suggest any schools?

Thank you.

[sean98125]

What do you do now? Take a look at hospital websites and see if they have jobs that you can do with your current skills, like unit secretary or nutrition services or whatever. And check to see if they have a tuition reimbursement program - the hospital I work for will pay up to $5000 a year toward a nursing degree.

Nursing pays well, but keep in mind the kind of work it is. You are dealing with people that are sick, injured and dying. You have to have a certain level of compassion but you also have to be able to deal with the fact that your "customers" may die or may be in severe pain. You're going to be wiping the bottoms of people you don't want to see naked, poking them with needles, and dealing with family members who feel protective of their loved ones and may respond aggressively when they think their loved ones are being hurt or ignored.

I see a lot of people going in to nursing that don't have a passion for helping others. They see the good rate of pay, and the fact that you can get paid pretty well with a two year degree. It can be one of the most rewarding careers out there, but if you don't have a passion for it you're not going to be doing yourself or your patients any favors.

[windsurfingiskewl]

"wiping the bottoms of people" - is this common?

[luv80s]

I don't know about wiping bottoms but yes, they can be all in your business "down there". I had a c-section and the nurses would constantly come in the room to check my bleeding and even helped me get into this big diaper pad thingy because my legs were still numb. I was embarrassed but for them it was no big deal. I'd imagine you would see quite a bit of gross stuff being a nurse.

[MJJersey]

I've been an a nurse for over 2 years now and I really like it. Although I'm not going to stay a nurse forever, it's the first job I've had where, most days, I actually like going to work. The pay and job security is good, but as the other poster indicated, you really have go because you want to do that kind of work. There are many different areas of nursing. Although you will probably have to wipe people from time to time (or during your clinicals), it might not be common in your unit. For example, you could eventually work on an IV team, code team, work with outpatients or do some other kind of semi-clinical work. I'm an ER nurse, so I see a lot of blood and vomit. I don't usually need to wipe people, but I have had to on occasion. I would recommend doing some volunteer work in a hospital so that you can see what nurses actually do; it's much different than what you see on House or Grey's Anatomy.

[windsurfingiskewl]

Thanks for all the info.

I see you wrote "Although I'm not going to stay a nurse forever". Please explain. Do you not like it?

Also, what school did you attend for nursing?

[MJJersey]

Originally Posted by windsurfingiskewl

Thanks for all the info.

I see you wrote "Although I'm not going to stay a nurse forever". Please explain. Do you not like it?

Also, what school did you attend for nursing?

I went to UMDNJ in New Jersey, but it really doesn't matter where you go for nursing. I would recommend somewhere that has a long-established program. I'm not going to stay as a floor nurse forever because it's physically demanding. It's a lot of moving, pulling, bending, pushing ect. I can do it now, but I don't want to be doing it when I'm 60. Furthermore, I had a really great opportunity to go to law school, which is something I always wanted to do. I debated between doing that and going to get an MSN. Even if I make it through school and pass the bar, I'll still keep my RN license and might work per diem.

[sheri257]

Best career decision I ever made. However, I live in California where nurses have unions and the jobs generally pay very well ... I make $110K a year.

However, in states like Texas and Florida the working conditions and pay isn't as good so, it can also depend on where you live.

[windsurfingiskewl]

MJJersey - How physically demanding can being a RN actually be?

sheri- how much nursing education do you have?

[sheri257]

Originally Posted by windsurfingiskewl

sheri- how much nursing education do you have?

I have an associate degree (although it took four years anyway ... would take longer today with the waiting lists to get into nursing programs)

But am now working on my bachelor's.