i am currently a lawyer but have been becoming increasingly bored. sitting and reading most of the day does not seem to do it for me. i have bee n exploring other career options and have considered nursing, mostly because I imagine that I would be moving around alot, using my body as well as my mind, and learning an entirely new field. I am concerned about the high level of dissatisfaction in the field. However, much of the dissatisfaction seems to stem from the high pressure environment and overwork, etc. - not the monotony and boredom of sitting at a desk all day - which is what i am trying to escape. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

No, boring and monotonous it's not. Could you handle the pay cut though? As well as the drop in perceived status? (I hate to say that, but it's true). Lot's of other considerations, but first, what attracts you to nursing?

i think i can handle the pay cut. i have not been earning a high lawyer's salary for a long time - i worked in public interest for a while at a more reasonable salary for a while as well (and didnt like that too much either). the status of being a lawyer is not important to me. the most important thing to me is to like what i do.

what attracts me to nursing is twofold - it seems that it is a combination of movement (moving from one person/patient to another and doing things with your body), thought and the constant urgentness. At this point i think i may be interested exploring becoming an ER nurse. The actual medical field interests me to a degree but, honestly, i dont know much about it. I have had introductory bio and chem courses in college and worked in a doctor's office so that part is an unknown.

We had a nurse where I used to work who was an attorney and I think she did some part time lawyer work too, she seemed to enjoy nursing, but that was way back when the germ theory of disease was still a theory.

There IS a growing nursing legal consultant area that may be PERFECT for you. Maybe not..... Whatever , You have to find your dream and go for it. Forget about perceived status and pay, if they are not important to you. Do what feels right! And welcome to the boards!:)

If it is monotony that is the problem ER sounds perfect for you. I work a general pt care floor and although my patient population is about as diverse as you can get i know exactly how my day is probably going to go down to the hour depending on which patients i get. Good field, my mother brainwashed me so ill tell you what she told me. You will ALWAYS have a job, you will ALWAYS have pretty good healthcare, you will have a decent wage, you can work in a ton of different areas that are sometimes nothing like each other so it is hard to get bored. The dissatisfaction i think is from pt to nurse ratios and the increasing amount of work required of an individual. Also the nurse consultant role could be an option later.

it sounds like boredom is not an option for a nurse.

As an ex-paralegal, I would say "run like the wind" in some other direction. Find some area of the law that incorporates more physical activity than you now have (and I do not mean ambulance-chasing).

If you think you are micromanaged and treated like a bubble-headed, incompetent child now, just take a look around and see how nurses are treated. And hospitals are NOT interested in any of your, or my, or anyone's, logical arguments and explanations.

The posts on this BB are NOT fabrications--believe it.

You sound like me two years ago...except that I had been a science major and was doing science education work (behind a desk, not in front of students). Sitting at the computer for hours at a time was *killing* me! I wanted to move around, see people, and have some variety in my day.

Now, I'm not a nurse yet (looks like I'll be starting school January 8th, though...yippee!), but I'm very confident that nursing is going to be a great fit for me. However, it took me a little while before I came to that decision. If you aren't in a desperate hurry to change careers, I'd strongly recommend picking up a volunteer gig at a local hospital. (It was actually a volunteer stint in the ER at the local children's hospital that turned me on to nursing...it made me appreciate what the profession was all about.) Anyhow, I learned a lot about nursing from watching them in action, and overhearing bits and pieces of their conversations. What I learned at the hospital I worked at was that there was a lot of frustration and dissatisfaction there, but that there were still plenty of others who took a lot of pride in what they did and wouldn't trade it for anything else.

Now, all of that being said, I'm going to school with the aim of becoming a nurse practitioner...and a some of that is because I knew I wouldn't be happy with hospital working conditions (mostly because I like structured hours, but a little bit because of lack of respect, etc. etc.) So take my encouragement with a grain of salt. :)

Best of luck in the future!

Nursing is so hard and as you know there is so much potential to be a target for lawsuits. Have you considered that? Everything you do makes you a target. Long hours, weekends, holidays and such.

renerian