what can I use my BSN outside of nursing?

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Im thinking of getting out of nursing but dont know where I can use my degree outside the field. Has anyone done this before? Im completely dissatisfied with nursing. I dont see it being me. If I would have known what im getting myself into, I would have done something different other than nursing. I know of others who are waiting for the economy to get better so they can do something different. I dont think I can wait that long before I pull all my hair out of stress.

I understand the feeling. I wanna get out too. The worse part is I only have 3 months exp.

I was thinking about waiting for the economy to turn around too. But what if it takes 10 years. I can't wait that long. I'm slowly losing my sanity.

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Why don't you try working in Critical Care? I hated working the floor and always felt unfulfilled. When I transferred to an Intensive Care Unit, I felt very good about what I do.

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Specializes in ICU.

Look into the hospital it department.. Medicare management documentation program

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what are your thoughts on respiratory therapy if i dont get into nursing

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Specializes in Peri-op/Sub-Acute ANP.

Have you considered that it's med-surg nursing you don't like rather than nursing in general? There are many, many different specialties out there and not all of them are for everyone. It's very common for 1st year nurses to get burned out on the floor. Before you change careers completely try to take a step back. Talk to other nurses in different specialties and see if anything else appeals. Talk to your hospital about moving to another department or shadowing in another department. You may just have not found the right nursing "fit" for you and it would be a shame to have you leave nursing when all you know is med-surg. Med-surg is great, but it's not for everyone.

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Specializes in ICU.

As you might expect, sales is a tough job right now. I was speaking to someone who has been selling medical equipment for a MAJOR company the past 20 years ... and he can't sell anything right now. In fact he's thinking of changing careers. :confused: FWIW.

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What about sonography? You will only have to take a few more classes and you should be able to do them at a CC

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Specializes in med surg, icu.

One of the two diabetes educators at our hospital is a BSN... that seems to be a bit different from doing floor nursing. Have you considered working outpatient? Med surg is tough, and it can easily burn a person out.. I've seen quite a few nurses-- new and experienced-- burn out on my floor. Maybe you just need a break or a change in what kind of nursing you're doing. Infectious Disease in our hospital system also uses RN's, and I'm sure being a BSN would help... that also looks like a different way to use your nursing degree.

When I was a CNA, the guy who taught the CNA course I took was a BSN. I believe one of the PT's at work is married to a BSN who does the same thing... if you're willing to stay on the floor but in a teaching role, that's worth a try...

A lot of SNF, hospice, home care reps that come and go in our hospital are RN's... not sure if they're BSN or MSN, but that's something you can also look into. They do a lot of the administrative stuff and don't look like they do any floor work at all (especially if they show up at the hospital in miniskirts and three inch stiletto heels).

I know of a few nurses who also work as consultants (medical/healthcare-related) on the side as well...

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for something completely different (but maybe not so), consider being a veterinarian tech. you could be giving shots to dolphins at marine world!

i used to be a clinical specialist, wearing a white lab coat over street clothes generally. once a month or so i would book myself in the staffing list and do a shift of patient care just to keep my hand in and maintain a little credibility with the unit staff, since it was a new position and i moved to the area from far away, and they didn't know me well. i'd be going down to the cafeteria in my scrubs, and i'd hear, "oh, you look like a nurse today!" and i would say, "i look like a nurse every day." right now i'm in shorts, a tank top, a hawaiian shirt, and flip-flops, and i'm prepping for a deposition on a legal case i'm working on. i look like a nurse today.

you, too, may not like what you are doing in nursing right now, but there are a bazillion things you could do with a nursing degree that aren't what you are doing now. or, to put it another way, you aren't doing what you could do with it. get on it. just going to the ana site that lists the different nursing certifications might give you some insight into other things you probably haven't even heard of.

here's a few lists and they don't list a lot of them i know, including two of mine:

http://nursingpathways.kp.org/scal/learning/rncert/list.html

http://www.nursezone.com/edu-prof-development/certification.aspx

and here's a longer one from the redoubtable wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/nursing_credentials_and_certifications

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I work at a mail-order pharmacy and we employ a lot of RNs for out off-site infusion clinics and on-site to do phone counseling with patients about their medications.

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