Help - trying to decide if I really want to be a nurse

ICUnowOHN · Nov 30, 2004

Yes, volunteering will give you a better perspective on nursing. I did just when I was in my 1st semester. I like cardiac nursing, so I chose the stepdown unit. If it was me, I would try volunteering at your Public Health Dept. If you are thinking of trying Peds or OB, volunteer there and see which specialty you like. You can always go do something else (i.e. my name :) ) Try all of them out. It can't hurt ( if you have the time ).

I also think you have made your choice, but just haven't realized it yet

You could always try an ADN program, won't take as long. I don't know about Texas, but here you could walk in anywhere right now and get a job.

Good Luck

I finished an M.P.H. in may of this year and I have had my heart set on nursing for awhile. I have applied to several accelerated BSN programs, but after reading some of the horror stories on here, I'm just not sure.
I am interested in community/public health nursing. I absolutly love public health and I am really good at it, but I have really wanted to have a more sceintific background to go with my current background. Plus, it would be really nice to have better job security (since public health folks mostly work on grants that end after awhile) and the flexibility to live almost anywhere. I would love to work for the CDC, NIH, or WHO, but I would also like to work as a lobbyist, a beltway bandit, or in clinical settings with women and children.
I ahve read that working in labor and delivery is really hard to get into becuase everyone wants to do it. Does it make any difference if you have a BSN, and two other advanced degrees, and from places like Johns Hopkins? Is pediatrics and/or OBGYN as hard to get into?
Also, I have public health experience, but not much clinical experience. I am starting as a volunteer in a hospital and in my current positions teen health clinic, do you think volunteering will give me what I need to make a good decision?

kim93079 · Nov 30, 2004

i think do what makes you happy. as for the horror stories...you will have them in any career and they always are fun to tell but none of us would be nurses if that was all we encountered. imo the good moments far exceed the bad and make it all worth and the bad experiences give you something to laugh about years later!!!!:rotfl: :rotfl:

akcarmean, LPN · Dec 1, 2004

This is an excellent site to vent out our days with people who understand what we mean and say. When you come home to your husband or whoever after a bad day at work and you vent on them then they are asking well what does this stand for and what do you mean by that. It's worth more trouble. Here everyone understands and can empathize with you. Nursing has bad days but there are great days also. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I guess that is why I am almost 32 yrs old and going back to further my education. Every job is going to have bad days and horror stories. Just find out what you want to do and go for it. Good luck.

Angelia

anc33 · Dec 13, 2004

See if you can set up a share day with nurses in different environments so you can get a taste of the variety of experiences out there.

GLORIAmunchkin72 · Dec 14, 2004

My sis is a nurse practitioner and I would love to follow her footsteps but the thought of all that paper work ( and dealing with families) are the only things holding me back. I will stay in the medical field but maybe in a different direction.

I finished an M.P.H. in may of this year and I have had my heart set on nursing for awhile. I have applied to several accelerated BSN programs, but after reading some of the horror stories on here, I'm just not sure.
I am interested in community/public health nursing. I absolutly love public health and I am really good at it, but I have really wanted to have a more sceintific background to go with my current background. Plus, it would be really nice to have better job security (since public health folks mostly work on grants that end after awhile) and the flexibility to live almost anywhere. I would love to work for the CDC, NIH, or WHO, but I would also like to work as a lobbyist, a beltway bandit, or in clinical settings with women and children.
I ahve read that working in labor and delivery is really hard to get into becuase everyone wants to do it. Does it make any difference if you have a BSN, and two other advanced degrees, and from places like Johns Hopkins? Is pediatrics and/or OBGYN as hard to get into?
Also, I have public health experience, but not much clinical experience. I am starting as a volunteer in a hospital and in my current positions teen health clinic, do you think volunteering will give me what I need to make a good decision?