MSN in Nursing or MS in counseling?

March 20, 2012

Dear nurses,

I do not feel like a nurse anymore. I used to be a great nurse, even cardiac critical care, then I took a break from nursing and returned back as a supervisor. I have had numerous nursing jobs and I either get laid off of I leave. I feel like my skills are not adequate and I feel dumber than a new grad because I don't even remember book knowledge. I am tired of nights, weekends, twelve to 16 hour shifts and no respect for the 12 years I have put into nursing. I look young and cannot seem to progress in nursing because I don't look the part. I feel like I've paid my dues and should be offered a day shift position and/or would love to work in hospital nursing. I'm thinking about going back to school to get my Masters in Nursing to be a nurse practitioner for women's health but worry I wont' be able to get a job and will be seen as incompetent in that too. On the other hand; I've considered getting a Master's in counseling because I feel that at 38 and having gone through divorce, adult rape, incest, panic attacks, agoraphobia, depression and raised a teenager; I might be good at counseling other people. Which degree should I go for: I love both idea's! Any input from current nurses...have you ever felt unable to keep up with pace/huge patient loads and/or out of touch with the field? What did you do about it? How do I know if its time to try something else? Jobs are so scarce in michigan...