[duhlahin]

hi everyone, im new here and im not yet a nurse. actually i'll be starting school soon and i would like some info as to what i should expect as a pre nursing student. any kind of info would be greatly appreciated. i've already made up my mind to do my degree in nursing but im just a bit anxious ( cant wait to start) im from the caribbean and im hoping to do the nursing course in the united states.

im not sure if im posting this the right place. correct me if im wrong.

[Susan103161]

I'll never forget years ago when my sons were little...there was a little guy the same age as my guys...the son of a Neuro Doc in this area....One Sunday in Sunday School they asked all the kids what they wanted to be when then grew up....the son of the doctor came into church after Sunday School and was in tears...when his mother asked what was wrong, he stated, "Someone actually wants to be a doctor...they will never be home, never see their children...." Although it was kind of funny at the time, it really showed that children of doctors often suffer from their mothers and fathers never being home...I never forgot that....maybe something to think about....

[jzzy88]

I'm now half way done with an accelerated second degree BSN. My first degree was in molecular and cell biology. I am now considering med school after working for a year, because my interest in the science aspect of health care has been renewed. But I worry that it will be so much work and time that it won't be worth it. Has anyone else had this dilemma?

[HealthyRN]

Yosemite, before making such a major decision, I would suggest that you spend some time actually volunteering or working in a healthcare setting. Also, try to job shadow as many different healthcare professionals as possible. There are lots of other options out there beyond medicine and nursing.

I was pre-med at one time and I completed all of the prereqs (o-chem, biochem, calc, etc.) and graduated summa cum laude. I decided to get a BSN while taking all the prereqs. I thought that nursing would give me some exposure to healthcare and allow me to have a part-time career to take away some of the debt while in med school. By the time that I graduated, I was torn between NP and med school, so I decided to take a year off to practice as an RN.

To make a long story short, this was the best thing that I could have ever done! I discovered something pretty quickly- I really dislike direct patient care. By becoming an RN, I saved myself at lot of misery that I would have experienced from putting in 4-years of med school, 3-4 years of residency and discovering that I don't enjoy patient care. Yes, there are other things that one can do as a physician, but the vast majority still involve patient care. From my experience in observing and working with physicians, I would have been very miserable indeed. On the other hand, there are many things that I can use my nursing degree for that do not involve direct patient care. I was very unhappy for my first few years as a nurse, but I now have a job that I enjoy and I am pursuing a master's degree in a subject that I am passionate about- health policy.

I wish you luck and I hope that you will take the time to seek out some shadowing experiences.

[jjjoy]

The original post was in 2001. Yosemite may well already be a nurse or in med school... Yosemite, are you still out there to tell us what you decided to do and how it's turned out or is coming along?

[Natingale]

Originally Posted by canoehead

If you want to get rich nursing is your worst choice. If you want to care for people it is the best. Your personality is part of your treatment, and you get to know people at their worst and best. We see some real characters in the hospital, and you will be ringside for all of the drama and emotion. You must pick your hospital carefully though as with a patient load of 10-15 you won't have time to enjoy your career. I love my job and would never change it, but I have good staffing and a supportive hospital community. Make sure you plan on giving yourself the same advantages.

If I could snap my fingers and be a multimillion/year plastic surgeon, I would take that money and go to nursing school to feed my soul as well as my wallet.

Well written, well said

[Dancin'Mom]

I am also in my mid-thirties and just finished accelerated nursing in Dec of '07. Once upon a time I was a pre-med major. My first degree was in Biology/Medical Technology and I worked in the lab doing patient testing for 12 years. I decided to go into nursing because I wanted to be more involved in patient care and wanted to apply my knowledge from the lab. I think in making your decision about medicine vs nursing you might want to consider in what way you want to help patients. Nurses spend all of their time helping patients, they really get to know their patients while doctors, who are responsible for the overall care of patients, buzz in and out, write orders, come around when things go bad. I guess consider in what way you want to help patients. I think that is really the difference in nursing vs. medicine. Good luck in your decision!

[TheCommuter]

This thread is 7 years old, since it was originally created in 2001.

Therefore, bestowing advice upon the OP (original poster) might be pointless, because I'm quite assured that he/she has made a decision about schooling and career pathways a long time ago.

[LifeSupport]

Well for med school I believe it's 4 yrs then if you specialize it can be up to another 4 yrs - putting you in your 40's. If you just become a general practitioner, completing your 4yrs of medical school is enough and if this is enough to satisfy you then go for it. Another alternative to general practitioner is the NP programs. If you plan to specialize there are many other option also in the NP programs.

Have you checked out the direct-entry MSN option where you can obtain your NP?

Being an NP you can prescribe medication and work independently while for a PA you need the doctor's approval for your actions. Also for NPs, your liability is less than that of a doctor but more than a PA's. I would say if the amount of years (and finances) is preventing you from becoming a MD, maybe NP is better for you if you want similar responsibilities. I think there are more financial help/grants for those going for their graduate degrees but it might be limiting depending on the area of graduate work.

Hope it works out for you!

[ProLogic]

Originally Posted by canoehead

If you want to get rich nursing is your worst choice. If you want to care for people it is the best. Your personality is part of your treatment, and you get to know people at their worst and best. We see some real characters in the hospital, and you will be ringside for all of the drama and emotion. You must pick your hospital carefully though as with a patient load of 10-15 you won't have time to enjoy your career. I love my job and would never change it, but I have good staffing and a supportive hospital community. Make sure you plan on giving yourself the same advantages.

If I could snap my fingers and be a multimillion/year plastic surgeon, I would take that money and go to nursing school to feed my soul as well as my wallet.

If you rely on just the salary of a nurse, then yes, you will probably never become rich. But if you invest wisely, anything is possible.