Can you imagine yourself doing something else

I think your poll is rather limited. Can I imagine myself doing something else, yes. Do I imagine I'd like it better than nursing? Some days yes, but most days no. Would I go through the bother of changing careers to do something else? No. Unless I can become fabulously wealthy by writing novels about being a nurse.

Like Ruby Vee, of course I could see myself doing something else.

But I love what I do and primarily because I believe in it. We get the immediate gratification of impacting others, we know we are helping them. It may not always be big dents but even a little dent can make something better.

There are many roles in my field from hands on patient care to teaching new hires to quality management to supervision to community out reach to business growth to collaborating with other entities.. Anything from helping people from a clinical role to management and marketing. I can and have done them all from my starting point of a staff nurse.

I could find ways to do all of the above in an entirely different field but why would I? I got it all in what I do already.

I can and have worked in other industries besides healthcare and nursing. I loved them too. I can always imagine myself doing something else because I see the benefits of having a life that is informed by many different skill sets and ways of thinking. This is one of the reasons that having a background in the arts is so important to science. We need thinkers who can draw from other disciplines, not only to enhance our understanding and compassion, but to create new ideas and new questions.

As you consider your education, don't be afraid to do something that is wayyyy outside of nursing. You will be surprised by how often that experience adds to your creativity as a nurse, and your ability to connect with your patients.

It's not all about what you do; it's a lot about who you are.

I wish you the best of everything on your journey!

I have worked in non-nursing jobs before becoming a nurse and, yes, I can definitely envision myself doing something other than nursing.

For me, nursing is a tolerable means to an end. However, I would not shed any tears if I was suddenly told I could no longer be a nurse as long as I had another way to earn the same income.

And therein lies the catch. It's a decent income, and it's difficult to suddenly find a job earning the same income when you have no education or experience in that other field.

Psychotherapist. Nice, private office, self-employed. Spiritual growth/focus

I can imagine myself being paid to travel the world but, alas, no one has offered me such an opportunity yet. If I hit PowerBall, I'd quit my job or go per diem tomorrow though.

Lord, yes.

Can I imagine myself finding a similar level of income and schedule flexibility doing anything else with my existing educational and work history? Nope.

Nursing has its perks (see above re: pay and flexibility) and there are moments of profound satisfaction but it's very hard work in frequently very harsh conditions. I do love those occasions when I feel like I've truly helped someone or been able to use my hard-won experience to make the right call in a challenging situation but there's a lot of daily grind that is not moments like that and I will not lie to any student to tell them that there isn't a very high rate of burnout and sketchy employment practices in nursing that I do not find are entirely compensated for by the moments of profundity or feeling of being helpful.

I stay a nurse because I have a lot of time, money, and effort invested in it as a career path and because I've constructed a life that is built around the benefits of nursing (the reliable income and the schedule and employment flexibility- experienced nurses can reasonably expect to find nursing jobs wherever they go, and for family reasons I have to move every few years). That is most of what makes it worth the stress and demanding nature of the work to me. If I could obtain those benefits in another career field- if they were, say, hiring archivists starting at $50K/year on a PRN schedule in every town and I could retrain for free? I could definitely see myself in another job!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Exotic dancer

DO NOT GO INTO NURSING!!!

I have been a nurse for three years, and I plan on leaving the profession as soon as I pay off my student loans. I do not think it is worth all the stress and liability.

If you want to gain more experience into the medical field, I suggest you explore options like phlebotomy, a nurse tech, or telemetry tech. These fields do not pay a lot but it will give you a glimpse into what nurses do and they will be more substantial job experiences to put on your resume. And, if you do end up becoming a nurse, this will help you out on your skillset.

My response was no. I have been in healthcare for over 20 years and worked from a front office medical receptionist in private practice, to an auditor at a major health insurance company. After several personal loses, I was at a crossroads in life. I always knew that I was meant to be a nurse since working for my 1st Dr at a young age but I had too many personal obstacles from completing that goal. I also made the huge mistake of listening to others negative comments about how hard it is and that I could never go to school and work. Well, fast forward 20+ years and I am a current working Nurse (LVN). I am almost ready for my RN program to MSN and eventually NP. I no longer care what anyone says and I am successful because of my drive. Nursing is difficult and not for everyone but there are many aspects to nursing. I wouldn't change my profession for a thing, after all....I fought to be here.