Anyone else juggling careers?

[David's Harp]

Hopefully this topic hasn't already been explored, but...

Is anyone else a "latecomer" to the field of nursing, and therefore already involved in another field, and possibly experiencing some wishboning between the two?

My bachelor's is in music, and I still get work periodically in this area. Whenever possible (read as "seldom"), I still practice on guitar and piano, partially to keep chops up but also partially as Music Therapy after hours of going at careplans or rewrites of lecture notes. I've been a little reluctant to tell fellow students about this "other identity" of mine, partially because of the quizzical looks and "so, why on earth are you doing _this_ now?"-type responses. Sometimes on the wrong day, when my confidence is a little on the shakey side to begin with, other people's skepticism can get under my skin more easily than on a good day, and while there have been a lot more good days this semester than last, it's still something I'm a little guarded about.

Personally, I think that in a very indirect way it enriches both sides of me - I find that other professional musicians can be a little narrow-minded, a little too music-focused and not as in-touch with other aspects of life as they ought to be. One result of this is that their creativity gets stunted, and their only source of inspiration is from a musical standpoint. Now, not that I want to write the "Septicemia Sonata" or anything, although that does sound catchy now that I think about it :roll , but you know what I mean! I also think that the musical/artistic side, again in an indirect way, can at the very least provide a different perspective in a profession that seems to demand a critical-thinking, multi-faceted, culturally relevant, and let's face it, occasionally improvisatory mindset. Or, failing that, the therapeutic release that we all need from time to time.

Any thoughts?

[EMTandNurse2B]

Absolutely! I total agree with you. I play the violin and piano and sing. These both enrich my life and make me a better nurse (student for now), as well as my nursing enriches my music. I think that (other than stress relief as music is great for) music makes us, in a sense, more human. I also think that nursing enriches my music by not only expanding my experiences, but by bringing out the compassionate, human side of me, it allows me to play my music more passionatly, with more feeling. I feel like music and nursing fit together very, very well and am proud to do both.

[Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN]

Long-time singer, guitar / bass player, tinkler on the synth here. Have a small recording studio in a spare bedroom upstairs.

Haven't played in a band since starting NS, and rarely even get the chance to pick-up the six-string. That will change after graduation in June.

Can't wait to start messing around again with my 16-track digital recorder!

Though I searched, never found anyone in school that had any kind of music background. That would've been really cool!

Miss the creativity!