Want to get out of nursing, what can I do with my degree????

Therese2974 · Jul 2, 2011

I was never one of those people who liked Med/Surg nursing. I hated it while I was in nursing school and I had no desire to do it. However, the year I graduated, many of the specialties would not take a new grad without at med/surg experience. I "did my time" on a Medical/Surgical Oncology floor for a year. By that time, I had had it. There were very poor staffing ratios and I often felt like it was unsafe. I went to HR and told them that either I was going to the ICU, going to the O.R., or I was going to work at a different hospital. The O.R. nurse manager (I had worked as the O.R. secretary/nurse tech on weekends while I was in school) called me and told me she would train me as an O.R. nurse. It was overwhelming for quite a while, there is so much to learn. I left and went back to floor nursing as a "travel nurse" because I "missed patient care". I still hated it. I finished that assignment and went to work in the ICU...liked it, but the schedules at this hospital were terrible! I could not work nights one week, days the next week, nights the next week, etc. So, I went back to the O.R. I have been in the O.R. for most of the 12 years that I have been a nurse. I am certified, I have done a lot of travel nursing, I have seen a lot of things. There are days that are really stressful, but it is nowhere near as bad as it was for me on the floors. There are people who love Med/surg nursing and who are excellent at it, and I don't know how they do it, but I know it was not a good fit for me. In the O.R., you can never have more than one patient at a time. You may have 1 patient your whole shift or you may have several, depending on the cases you are doing. If you are looking to get into a specialty, your best chances are to go to facilities that are medium or large in size that offer training programs for the specific specialty you are looking for. It may mean that you have to work at a less than ideal (i.e really busy or not so great place) for a year or two, but you will get the experience you need to go work somewhere else if you so choose. I learned a lot during my oncology days and the assessment skills I learned then have always helped me in the O.R. There are patients that I met as I new grad that I will never forget, but I am much better off and much happier in the operating room. Don't give up, just finish a year on the floor and start looking for those specialty internships! Good Luck!

Faeriewand, ASN, RN · Jul 2, 2011

All thru school I said I would never work in med/surg. I've been doing that for two years now and am so happy with it. After about 6 months on the floor I felt more competent, the same with the one year mark. :heartbeat

I encourage you to stick it out for one year because it does look really good on your resume. You see so much in med/surg.

After that you might want to consider adult day care. I visited a couple and really liked them both. It's a good day job that is not physically taxing and you are still doing good in the world. :)

kalevra, BSN, RN · Jul 2, 2011

Since you are a fresh BSN it means you have already knocked out all the pre-req courses for the Physicians Assistant Program at University of California Davis (UC Davis). So here are all the stats the you would want to look at.

http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/fnppa/req-edu-require.html

I have a friend who is now finishing the transfer units to attend UC Davis. The 1000 hour of clinical experience shouldn't be all that hard to accomplish prior to applying for the program.

kaubrey · Jul 2, 2011

I think you will see the general response is "hang in there". Nursing is horribly difficult the first year or so. The key to surviving and loving what you do is finding the proper environment. Ask yourself what pulled at you to enter nursing in the first place? I doubt it was the physical and mental challenges you are now experiencing. But if you hang in there and learn all you can, do your best, and put yourself in others shoes you may actually find it rewarding. Organization and calmness will carry you far in this field. Is there a more experienced nurse nearby that you can talk to? Get a mentor!!! They can give wonderful advice on survival. Unless your patient is crashing, take your bathroom breaks. Just make sure appropriate person(s) knows to cover your patients:)

nurseaig, ASN, BSN, MSN, NP · Jul 2, 2011

Kitty Hawk thanks for the response. I am giving Med/Surg until the end of this year. Really want to work in SICU.Thats where all the guys that I know goes. I can deal with 2 very sick patients than 10 patients that at times I don't think really belongs in the hospital.

suanna · Jul 3, 2011

i dont get that quote???

It's likely due to your age- be thankful. It's from "Airplane" a comedy movie from the earily 70s.

inforn43 · Oct 9, 2014

Can anyone actually give some real advice here? What if she does hate it. I have hated it since I started and I hate it now six years later. It has only gotten worse. The economy is so bad now that we have to be grateful to have a job so we get treated even worse. I know jobs are scarce, but has anyone ever heard of anyone that got out and was able to transfer their skills to something totally different?

I made a huge mistake by becoming a nurse. And I am glad to finally admit it.

SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN · Oct 9, 2014

Can anyone actually give some real advice here? What if she does hate it. I have hated it since I started and I hate it now six years later. It has only gotten worse. The economy is so bad now that we have to be grateful to have a job so we get treated even worse. I know jobs are scarce, but has anyone ever heard of anyone that got out and was able to transfer their skills to something totally different?
I made a huge mistake by becoming a nurse. And I am glad to finally admit it.

You realize you're posting on a thread that's over 2 years old, right?

I think all the advice to be given has already been given here. If you want to start a new thread and get fresh answers for your circumstances, that's probably your best course of action.