Confused.. Nursing or continue Speech path Major

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Specializes in Home Care Volunteer.

Hello all! I am relatively new to this site. I remember growing up I wanted to be a pediatrician or a nurse but my mom had told me nurses work long hours and your dealing with sick people so that derailed me. When I got to college I opted to go the Teacher route and received an associate in Early Childhood education. Now I am in a four year college, and I am in the speech program but pediatric nursing/ labor and delivery is my calling. I have a 9 month old son, and I would really like advice from moms with children on my situation. I would really love to go into a field where I will enjoy working and that is nursing. Right now I am a teacher assistant and even though I enjoy the kids, I dislike the politics in schools.

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.

If you want to be a nurse, you should head down the nursing path instead of the speech pathology path.

Depending how far along you are, you might consider knocking out the nursing pre-reqs, finishing your original degree, and then trying to get into a second-degree program (of which there are fewer with the combination of budget cuts and the new-grad glut).

If you're not too far down the path, though, you might want to bail out now and just focus on pre-nursing and core sciences.

The best path for you has many variables including your academic skill, your family situation, your financial situation, where you live, and your ability to relocate.

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I come from a similar background - thought I wanted to be a teacher (my family has LOTS of teachers in it), and am a few credits short of an ECE degree. I discovered that nursing was a better match for my interests when I joined a volunteer doula program when my oldest was 2. Before that, I hadn't really been aware of nursing at all. I have no regrets about the decision - I can't imagine I'd actually enjoy teaching.

That said... if you're already well-invested in a speech pathology program, is there another path that would meet your goal without starting over? If you're working Per Diem for a hospital, you could likely easily work as birth/postpartum doula as well. SLP is one of the accepted health professions for becoming an IBCLC (lactation consultant).

Have you job shadowed either an SLP or a nurse? In different specialties?

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Specializes in Home Care Volunteer.

Hey Thanks for your responses. Currently I am only taking one Speech class. I am currently in Lehman college so I am going to try take some pre reqs during the summer sessions. I shadowed the speech teacher at school and even though she was great, I can't see myself doing her job.

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.

Is that a private school?

If so, and if the fees are anything like what I've seen at other private schools, I'd bail ASAP.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Hmm - is your Mom a nurse? Just asking to see if you have a realistic picture of how nursing is different from other jobs and the potential impact on your personal life. As the mother of a very young child, how do you feel about working nights, weekends, holidays? The working schedule is pretty rigid & the most desirable schedules are reserved for more experienced staff. Staff nursing is highly regimented and task oriented - at least until you have sufficient experience/education to move into a higher level position. We're the bottom of the health care professional hierarchy with very little authority & enormous accountability.

Just want to make sure that you are seeing the reality & understand that it will probably take you several years of hard slog to make it into your 'ideal job'.

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