career advice

[babiiprycess]

hi!

so i am kind of stuck here at this point in my life and i dont really know what i want. I just graduated from the university at buffalo with a bachelors in science of nursing last saturday but i am not too excited about bedside nursing, i think dont it is really for me so I started looking into graduate programs but i still dont know what to do. I am considering either Nursing/Biomedical Informatics or Health Care Policy and Administration. The one problem is that I have looked at what jobs are out there for these programs and lot of them require 5+ years of experience and if I graduate from these programs will I find a job, since I dont have that many years of experience. I am also scared that I won't like the program I am in and waste a semester. Any advice??

mel

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Sorry you are so bummed about your immediate prospects with your shiny new BSN. Hopefully, you are going to follow up to take NCLEX right away and not let your lack of enthusiasm get in the way. Just wondering - why did you slog all the way through your BSN if you don't like patient care? Whatever the case, nothing good will come of trying to force yourself to do something you hate.

The cruel hard fact is that nursing is a practice profession. You aren't going to get anywhere unless you have actual experience in caring for patients. Just like most things in life, there aren't any shortcuts that would enable you to move into an advanced role without really a deep understanding of what nursing practice means. Maybe you could try non-acute areas of nursing?

FYI, informatics is a very hot career field for nurses because they bring so much practical knowledge to the field. That's why experienced clinicians are being recruited instead of just relying on tecchies that can be hired for less. Same goes for any 'advanced' avenues for nurses.

[Jules A, MSN]

I'd advise you to get a nursing job, part-time, if nothing else. There are so many different areas that someting in your school clinicals must have looked ok, right? My experience with advanced degree nurses that haven't ever been a nurse has not been good.