At a crossroads, need advice

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Feb 13, 2014

I really must take exception to your characterization of nursing as having any sizable component of "sitting around ... girly talk and gossip." Even taken as exaggeration for effect, it betrays a real lack of the reality of what many of us do.

If you want to have more doors open to you down the road, consider getting your nursing degree and follow it up with a master's in microbiology (or biomechanical engineering, or physics, whatever medically-related lab-based science suits you). You could then have the best of both worlds. Clinical research, while it may involve some contact with actual people (as opposed to strictly bench work), may offer you what your faculty likely envisions as a higher intellectual plane. :: insert dripping sarcasm icon here::

Why would you want to be a technician when you can have a profession that offers you more options that involve autonomy? Your call, though.

loriangel14, RN · Feb 13, 2014

Having passed all the prerequisites does not neccesarily make you a "shoe in" for admission. what difference does it make what your professor thinks? it's your life and your decision. good luck with wwhat ever you choose.Y do agree with Grn Tea. You need to do a lot more research on what a nurse does. Sitting around gossiping really has nothing to do with our day.

mjobrien · Feb 13, 2014

I should rephrase as I see that struck nerves..I was referring to more specifically during lunch breaks and down time, etc. Maybe it was just the settings that I was a CNA in, but a lot of what I heard apart from health talk was trash talking, bad mouthing and just overall gossip amongst the nurses, LPNs, and RNs alike. About eachother, about their significant others, about the higher ups. I'm sure it was just the facility I was working in, but I've been having a hard time shaking my experiences there from my mind. I meant no personal offense.

As far as the shoe in thing goes, there's not much of a waiting list at all. Class size of 25 and only about 10 predicted to actually apply. I wasn't trying to sound arrogant there, but there truly is just not a whole lot of competition lol. I guess more of what I dislike though is the variables that come with human interaction, especially when your job depends on it. You just don't know who's going to have a problem with what patient wise, especially as a male. I've spent time working construction and I've spent time working as a CNA and I can honestly say I prefer the quiet, sometimes monotonous work of the construction to the constant bicker and drama I experienced around me in that nursing home.

I just like the idea of being able to show up, work quietly and efficiently, and still make a difference. I don't mind the idea of research though. There are many things I could look at after completion of the lab tech program.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Feb 13, 2014

The nursing pre -requisites also apply to ultrasound technicians x-ray techs, , etc.

Nothing wrong with changing your focus. You've worked in the area as a CNA and know what's up.

Do some research , find out what your alternative opportunities would pay.

Good luck, keep us posted.

allnurses Guide · Feb 13, 2014

Humans and women work in the lab too and they also have lunch breaks and down time. If your goal is to avoid having to deal with people when you are not on the clock you are not going to find any job really that fits that bill. Every time I go to pick up blood from our lab they are having a riotous good time in there, talking, laughing and joking with one another. It is a tight-knit group with a good mix of all sexes, ages, ethnicities, what have you.

There is nothing wrong with changing mid stride if you want to. But the reasoning you gave is flawed. If you don't really want to be a nurse, that is ok. No justification needed.

sbostonRN · Feb 13, 2014

I worked as a medical technologist in a hospital clinical lab before I became a nurse. It may be different in different hospitals and in different areas of the country, but at that time, the pay was a fair amount less than starting wages for nursing. ($24 vs $29 at that particular hospital in 2008, both were starting salaries). Medical Technology requires a BS degree with a certification exam for entry into practice, so in that regard, it's similar to nursing.

Nursing will give you more options for advancement. In nursing, if you don't like a particular area, there are a ton more options: med/surg, home health, dialysis, outpatient offices, rehab centers, wound care, IV nurse, ER, OR, critical care, pediatrics, mother/baby, school nurse etc. etc. If you decide to get an advanced degree, you can be an NP, clinical nurse specialist, nurse manager, nurse educator in a hospital, nursing instructor or clinical instructor at a college. If you want to get away from the bedside, you can work for an insurance company, or case management, or telephone triage. There are a ton of career options once you get a solid base of experience behind you (which is not always easy to get, mind you).

I switched to nursing because I felt that being a Med Tech didn't give me any advancement options. There are only so many areas to work in (Chemistry, Hematology, Microbiology, Immunology, and a few others), and you can cross-train between those areas, but you're basically still a tech. It's a well-paying, stable job though. The hours are similar to nursing in a hospital (they have to staff the lab 24/7/365) but can be more flexible if you work for a send-out lab (like Quest Diagnostics), which takes specimens from several hospitals. If you decide you don't want to work at the lab bench anymore, you can become a supervisor but your options are more limited. Generally, lab directors are all doctors (pathologists) so it's not a simple step up to become one. You could work in research but research tends to pay a little less and be less stable than clinical because it's based on research funding. I don't know too much about being a research tech. I worked Monday to Friday day shift, no weekends or holidays because my lab was a small clinical lab and most of our specimens came from outpatient visits. I didn't feel fulfilled in my position there and that was one of the reasons I changed careers. But many of the people I worked with loved it and I think it's definitely an underappreciated role in the hospital. I wish I had explored more options in this career before making the switch to nursing. I love being a nurse but it's a very difficult job and I think I viewed it through rose-colored glasses.

If you have any questions, let me know.

mjobrien · Feb 13, 2014

Realistically it's not so much the fear of coworkers lol, I've had many amazing coworkers and some really good groups over the years. I think I just struggle most with the fact that I will inevitably be surrounded by A LOT of women. Don't get me wrong, I love women and a lot of the people I'd consider my closest friends are in fact of the opposite sex..but I just find it difficult to constantly relate, especially when you're the only guy. Apart from that, I have good social skills but I do find it hard to express sympathy and to come off as honestly empathetic. I feel like this is a very important factor in care taking. It's not that I don't care, I do, but expressing it is different lol. I am thinking I'm just a better fit for a lab.

OCNRN63, RN · Feb 14, 2014

Yeah, I know where I worked we used to always talk about which salon did the best Brazilian waxes. :rolleyes:

Aurora77 · Feb 14, 2014

Yeah I know where I worked we used to always talk about which salon did the best Brazilian waxes. [/quote']And the experience in gory detail, right?

OCNRN63, RN · Feb 14, 2014

And the experience in gory detail, right?

But of course!

Biffbradford · Feb 14, 2014

....
Nursing will give you more options for advancement. In nursing, if you don't like a particular area, there are a ton more options: med/surg, home health, dialysis, outpatient offices, rehab centers, wound care, IV nurse, ER, OR, critical care, pediatrics, mother/baby, school nurse etc. etc. If you decide to get an advanced degree, you can be an NP, clinical nurse specialist, nurse manager, nurse educator in a hospital, nursing instructor or clinical instructor at a college. If you want to get away from the bedside, you can work for an insurance company, or case management, or telephone triage. There are a ton of career options once you get a solid base of experience behind you (which is not always easy to get, mind you).
...

Flame shields up: Have you actually tried changing specialty areas? Try it when you're over 50 and burned out on what you've been doing the last 15 to 25 years. Not going to happen. (head on over to Indeed and read the forum posts for nursing). Even getting your NP is no guarantee these days. Initially you'll take a big cut in pay and probably not work in the area you want.

Learn from others' mistakes and forget nursing.