Looking for Career Adventure

[hsamuel]

Dear allnurses membership,

I am about to embark on my final semester of this whirlwind that is nursing school, but neither the classes nor NCLEX are my concern for today. As my graduation (December 2014) and the NCLEX swiftly approach I am looking towards what the future will hold in my career as a nurse. Where you come in, I am looking for an adventure and I need your help to find it. I see organizations like Doctors without Borders, read about refugee populations, and watch news on the ebola outbreak and want to be out there in areas if extreme need. I am only 27, I'm a single male, and I feel like now is my time to go out into the world and experience that "once in a lifetime" that I may not be able to do if I was connected by a house, relationship, etc. If you could go back to the beginning and had nothing holding you to where you are, what would you have done? Can you recommend where to look, how to prepare, who to talk to..?

Allow me to give you a little more background on myself in case it may help your suggestions. I'm an Eagle Scout and service has been a large part of my life. I was an assistant teacher for grades 1-8 at my Temple throughout high school. Before college I wanted to serve in the military, but was born with a congenital foot reduction meaning I have to wear a prosthetic and am disqualified from service (even though I ran a half-marathon the day after I received my first running prosthetic). I've tried every branch, including the navy public health but no one would take me. In 2012, I received two masters' degrees in public health and applied anthropology where I focused a lot of my attention on PTSD and disability. During my master's thesis research I worked my way from volunteer to manager of a NPO developing and running educational/vocational programs for at-risk youth and veterans. While working with my group of 20+ kids I realized how much a mentor could impact someone's life and knew I wanted to play a bigger role in helping others. So I researched careers in medicine, an area that has long been an interest of mine, spoke to practitioners and became passionate about nursing.

At 25 I took my first step from the straight-and-narrow I'd lived in; I quit my job, got rid of my apartment, and applied to nursing school. If working a couple of years in a hospital means preparing myself and getting enough experience then that is what I'll do. I am interested in ER/critical care, pediatrics, and L&D. So, what suggestions do you have for a soon-to-be new nurse looking for that quintessential adventure?

Thank you all for your help

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

DWB/MSF requires 2-5 years full time experience before consideration. ER is one of the specialties considered. Language proficiency in French is preferred but not an absolutely imperative.

Your resume is impressive but you will need a couple of years of paid clinical nursing experience to be considered for DWB or other agencies. DWB lists their application criteria online to give you idea

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Did you know that the French Foreign Legion hires (male) nurses as 'paramedics' srsly. I'm not so sure on the "helping others" part, but you can't get more adventurous than that.

[hsamuel]

Wow! French Foreign Legion sounds like a great place to check out, thanks HouTx!

Thanks for the information JustBeachyNurse!

[JMFG]

I don't have a high enough status to PM you so... how did things turn out? Was it the Foreign Legion or something else?

I wished I had found this a bit earlier but you know hindsight. I too am from NJ, an Eagle Scout, an EMT and am currently in Florida at University of Miami's ABSN with 3 HESI's left to complete the first semester. Got that feeling that I'm not going to pass Pharm and it's shaking me all the way down to questioning what I'm even doing here. I'm 38 and feel that 5 years is a bit too much for me to give to the French (or even our own military). Interested in hearing what path you ended up taking.

Cheers.