Careers Related to Nursing

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Hello!

What other career in the medical field would you have pursued instead of nursing and why?

Also, what do you like and not like about nursing? What motivates you to keep going to work?

I'm a first year in college interested in nursing.

Thank you!

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

I entertained the idea of being a dental lab technician or medical lab technician, but the pay was too low. I also trained to become a medical assistant five years before I became a nurse, but could never secure employment as a MA.

As far as nursing is concerned, I am motivated to continue working due to the steady paycheck, flexibility, advancement opportunities and educational mobility.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

Biomedical statistics ... or something related to field of analyzing health care quality.

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Specializes in mental health / psychiatic nursing.

Still in nursing school... For much of my childhood I really wanted to become a veterinarian. When considering career options before starting nursing school I looked pretty closely at teaching, social work, and psychology.

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Still in nursing school... For much of my childhood I really wanted to become a veterinarian. When considering career options before starting nursing school I looked pretty closely at teaching, social work, and psychology.

Can I ask why you decided to go for nursing?

I'm considering those fields of work as well, but I'm leaning more towards nursing.

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Specializes in mental health / psychiatic nursing.
Can I ask why you decided to go for nursing?

I'm considering those fields of work as well, but I'm leaning more towards nursing.

Short answer is that nursing combines much of what interests me about those other fields into one field. It also avoids some of my biggest hesitations with those other fields (e.g. needing a PsyD to really do anything in psychology). I also like how open and flexible nursing is – if I decide I don't like the specialty I'm in or the job I'm at – changing to a new specialty or job requires some work but is very possible to do. I'm someone who strives to be a lifelong learned so being a profession that requires continuing education, and which leaves open the option of advanced education down the road is ideal.

I also had the opportunity to talk to people from all of these fields about their day-to-day work, the positives of their profession, and their biggest frustrations, and nursing seems to be the best fit for me in terms of eventual job satisfaction and longevity in career.

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