if you could do it over again....

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi, i am considering a career change due to a car accident. im thinking of going from a hair stylist to a nurse. my questions are.. 1. whats the best way to go about getting into the field? ive looked at several websites and schools, and it seems you can start working for a hospital and get trained as a cna or pct, for free, is that true?

2. if you could take all the knowledge you have now, what area would you go into, ie. hospital, rehab, assisted living, pcp office?

Specializes in Oncology.

Nursing has given me less debt, more income, more free time, and far more interesting stories than the people I graduated high school with.

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You're leaving the hairdressing career for a nursing career because of a car accident? Is it because you can't do hairdressing anymore? Nursing is going to be much more physical than that, you're going to be on your feet an entire shift just like you were doing...

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Specializes in ICU.

I'm not understanding. You had a car accident and you want to change careers from hair stylist to a nurse. So is that because you are injured and you think nursing will be easier or you had an epiphany and you want to be nurse? If it's physical, then you should know nursing is more physically demanding than hair styling. If it's the latter then don't be under the impression that just because you work at a hospital they will pay for your schooling. That's not true at all. Some hospitals will pay for you to further your education, but just won't flat pay for someone to get their RN off the streets. I would do some research in your area and see what is available as far as education goes and then look at the financial aid aspect.

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Specializes in Psychiatric/ Mental Health.

I enjoy psych nursing, but overall, I hate nursing. If hadn't obtained employment at a psych facility through an agency, I would havw retired from nursing after 3 years of practice. Of I don't get into a PMHNP program in the next couple of years (hope I get in for the summer '14 :) ), then I will retire and take an entry level job somewhere.

I find it funney how nursing students and others not licensed as an actual nurse have so much to say to us REAL nurses when we say we HATE nursing. They don't know the half of it, yet they have so much to say, and so much advice to give us.

Okay...reasons I hate nursing? Well, here's a short list....

1. Way too much time charting/doing paperwork.

2. Not enough time at the bedside.

3. Back pain, sore muscles, blisters on your feet from walking for the entire 12-16 hr shift. Do you know a pedicure can't help these feet? I bet all nurses have ugly feet :)

4. Pts who think RN= hit me, kick me, spit on me, throw poop on me, call me every name under the sun except "nurse".

5. Docs who talk to you like you're he scum of the earth.

6. Lateral violence and horizontal violence.

7. Becoming a target for covert harrassmemt when you advocate for pts, or when you speak up for yourself.

8. Dealing with all that comes wih a female dominated occupation...gossip, clicks/groups, targeting co-workers because they don't go along with you way of doing things, nurses telling you how to be a nurses, going behind you and double checking your charting, etc.

Thats the short list.

I would just go to med school if I could do it over.

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Specializes in family practice and school nursing.

If you don't mind me asking what type of home business do you own?

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Specializes in family practice and school nursing.
I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I can't think of any other profession that would give me what I have now at my age (within 15 years of retirement), which is freedom to accept or reject work, my own business working out of a home office, a very decent living, and did I mention the freedom to do or not do what I want? And wonderful colleagues, and too much time to waste on AllNurses. :) I did have to work for this, but I have it precisely because of my nursing academic education and clinical experience.

If you don't mind me asking... hat type of home business do you own?

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If you don't mind me asking... hat type of home business do you own?

Legal nurse consulting, life care planning

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Specializes in Hospice.

If I knew then what I know now, NO WAY! Don't get me wrong, I love being a nurse, I love bedside nursing, but with all the CMS guidelines and upper management trying to save $, I feel like I am beating my head up against the wall. Nursing is not what it used to be. If I had to start over I would be a barista at a shoe store, because I love my coffee and my high heels. :inlove:

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.
If I don't get into a PMHNP program in the next couple of years (hope I get in for the summer '14 :) ) then I will retire and take an entry level job somewhere. [/quote']

Just so you know...many things on your list happen at the NP and MD level too!

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Specializes in family practice and school nursing.

Legal nurse consulting, life care planning

Thanks. sounds very interesting

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If I had to do it all over again, I would have gotten a Masters in Library Science, even though it would've left me with even more student loan debt.

I love libraries.

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Specializes in emergency.

RUN, DO NOT WALK away from nursing! If you are looking for a new career, investigate a business degree as the bean counters are the only ones with security in healthcare anymore. If you are clinical, if you even look at someone strange then you are getting pulled into the office. Nurses with experience, at least in my locale, are being replaced continuously with new grads. And don't even get me started on the whole ADN vs BSN issue.

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