I'm a recent Bio grad, not very fulfilling because of a heavy cellular focus and i wanted something more medical. I also had dreadfully boring teachers which didn't help so it kindof deterred me from becoming a doctor, however i did enjoy my labs and wouldn't mind lab work. I took a Nursing pathophysiology class and LOVED it. It was my first medical class, something I had been craving and probably why i enjoyed it a lot. The instructor was a NP and made the course very engaging and interesting. So i decided to become an NP.
I'm an introvert and I worry about going into nursing because i still have more of a scientific mindset which seems unusual versus the "touchy feely" characteristic perceived widely in nursing. I like nursing because of the patient care aspect, critical thinking and the invaluable experience you gain. However I really do believe nursing could be a very rewarding career for me, even though people often tell me I resemble more of a doctors personality.
So here is my question
1. Are their nursing jobs that combine patient care and laboratory type work? (I.E collecting and testing specimens "blood, urine, tissue". My ideal job would be working in a hospital 4 days a week ( 2 days in lab and 2 days on the floor) or splitting shifts between the floor and lab. Is this practical?
2. Are their certain specialties more scientifically focused?
DoeRN why are you trying to get out of nursing? OMG that statement seems like the norm these days. Is the field that bad or does respiratory interests you more. I really want to know, since i plan on becoming a NP
DoeRN why are you trying to get out of nursing? OMG that statement seems like the norm these days. Is the field that bad or does respiratory interests you more. I really want to know, since i plan on becoming a NP
I have no interest in respiratory therapy. To be honest I should have thought about attending nursing school long and hard before I applied. It just isn't for me and I'm really just coming to terms with it. Everyone's situation is different though so don't base your choice on me.
I thought Nurses did CNA type (and didnt use their brain) tasks and Doctors did nursing duties. Like i mentioned earlier I never met any nurses until i started expressing an interest in it. However once i get in the field I plan to do some major PR, many are misinformed about this profession
Well you still haven't answered my question. I agree many are misinformed but I was trying to find out how they get that way. If you don't know how people get misinformed then you are just guessing that major PR would have any effect.
Mavrick because doctors are presented and perceived as the main ones doing the patient care. In movies, books, magazines and even when conversing with them. Nurses aren't widely presented in society as anything than mere maids or receptionist, there not known for there knowledge and lifesaving skills I think this contributes to the lack of gratitude and respect from society and other healthcare professionals, well at least from what Ive read on this website and then of course there's sexism as well. Prior to my interest I never knew any nurses so my perception was exactly that. Society teaches that doctors are all knowing, powerful and the brains and HANDS behind healthcare but yet doctors learn from nurses during residency (but that's something you probably wont ever here them say lol). If i ever desire to become a doctor again it would have to be a surgeon. Nothing beats the experience and combined knowledge a nurse has.
It boggles my mind to think that anyone in this day and age would assume that doctors are the ones doing most of the patient care tasks.
I think the only ones who perceive healthcare in that manner are ones who are in no way involved in healthcare.
The professions are completely different, and I'm so tired of reading posts by people who try to say "doctors are better than nurses" or "nurses are better than doctors". I like the analogy of a conductor and the orchestra. You can't have a concert if you are missing either one of them.
Tangerine would benefit from getting off a forum asking for advice, and actually shadowing a hospitalist for a day or two and then shadowing a nurse for a day or two. Would definitely benefit from becoming a day shift PCA/CNA before making career defining goals.
I was a PCA for a long time before going to medical school and had no idea the crap that nurses put up with daily. I personally would not be able to handle it and enjoy my work. Medicine on the other hand is something that I love and am willing to put up with BS for.
Mavrick because doctors are presented and perceived as the main ones doing the patient care. In movies, books, magazines and even when conversing with them. Nurses aren't widely presented in society as anything than mere maids or receptionist, there not known for there knowledge and lifesaving skills I think this contributes to the lack of gratitude and respect from society and other healthcare professionals, well at least from what Ive read on this website and then of course there's sexism as well. Prior to my interest I never knew any nurses so my perception was exactly that. Society teaches that doctors are all knowing, powerful and the brains and HANDS behind healthcare but yet doctors learn from nurses during residency (but that's something you probably wont ever here them say lol). If i ever desire to become a doctor again it would have to be a surgeon. Nothing beats the experience and combined knowledge a nurse has.
What?? Lol. Nursing school is notoriously hard to get into. I've had many people tell me they could never be a nurse and do what a nurse does. I would have never entertained nursing had I thought a nurse was a maid or receptionist. If I wanted that, I would have stayed in my marriage because that is exactly what I did for 15 years.
Nurses are one of the most highly respected, trusted professionals in any career. While it's true that a nurse may not see that always on the job as they are dealing with very sick people who are scared and miserable at that time, when a patient recovers they will remember the care they got from the nurse because that is who they interact with the most. They see the physician for maybe 10 minutes and it may or not be their physician. It's whoever is making rounds that day. The nurse is generally in their room at least once an hour if not more. Patients are demanding especially when they are sick but when they get home and fully recover, they remember their nurses during their stay and are generally appreciative of what they do for them. That is why nursing is ranked up there. It's why you see so many people trying to get into the profession right now. People think that they will be respected, thus giving them immediate job satisfaction. I've been around long enough on these boards and know from my daily life that statement to generally be true.
Please do not ever believe one thing Hollywood puts out there on the perception of health care. Hollywood still wants to delve into the sexy nurse and commanding doctor. Sex is what sells at the box office. Having a hot, commanding doctor-type person is what sells to middle-aged housewives and hot, sexy nurses, is what sells to middle-aged men, or so Hollywood thinks. These people don't generally think outside the box when making a movie. And why should they if they rake in millions of dollars each weekend at the box office. But Hollywood never mirrors real life, even in the so-called "reality television" sector. That reality tv is all scripted because real life is what people live day in and day out. They watch tv to escape from that. They don't want to watch their own life up on the big screen. What fun would that be. Books and magazines don't sell because they tell people what they already know. They sell because they sell a fantasy. A fantasy that people can get lost in and come back wanting more. People want to think this fantasy life could be real and they could achieve it, so it is sold under the guise of reality or nonfiction. But don't confuse them, because that could be your downfall.
I'm a nursing school student and am also quite introverted, I'm thinking research is my best bet as well after reading what everyone hAs to say. I feel like I'm in the exact same boat as OP when it comes to loving science but pursuing the nursing profession.
I didn't read the whole thread, so this is probably repeating.
Yes, you can be scientifically minded. Do some research into...tada...research nursing!
You don't have to be a super sensitive people person who just wants to give everyone hugs in order to be good at direct patient care. I am not at all! I am an introvert as well. Nursing helped me learn to be able to do small talk and all that kinda stuff. I still don't like it much, but I can do it and my patients like me. I do a hug occasionally with my long term clients but usually I just give a pat on the back or hand and tell them I will see them in 2 months.
There are other areas of nursing that might better suit you as well, such as case managing, delegating RNs. You may have to start off in acute care to do many other areas, but that is not always the case.
Young Tangerine
57 Posts