Considering Nursing and Midwifery - Looking for Advice

[gouranga]

Hello nurses!

I am a 25-year-old recent college graduate who has realized she still doesn't know what to do with her life. I received an undergrad degree in Psychology, but most of the jobs I'm interested in require a master's degree. I recently learned about Drexel's accelerated nursing program, and this is something I'm seriously considering. I will have to take six science prerequisites at CCP first, so I wouldn't be able to actually start nursing school for another year.

What I'm wondering is - 1). What are the hours like?, 2). What are a nurse's responsibilities?, 3). Is it hard to find a nursing job in Philadelphia now?, 4). I want to work with kids, will I be able to find a job in a children's hopsital or pediatric ward, or are they hard to get hired in to?, and 5). What do you consider the pros and cons of your profession?

I appreciate any feedback.

[justashooter]

Hello nurses!

I am a 25-year-old recent college graduate who has realized she still doesn't know what to do with her life. I received an undergrad degree in Psychology, but most of the jobs I'm interested in require a master's degree. I recently learned about Drexel's accelerated nursing program, and this is something I'm seriously considering. I will have to take six science prerequisites at CCP first, so I wouldn't be able to actually start nursing school for another year.

What I'm wondering is - 1). What are the hours like?, 2). What are a nurse's responsibilities?, 3). Is it hard to find a nursing job in Philadelphia now?, 4). I want to work with kids, will I be able to find a job in a children's hopsital or pediatric ward, or are they hard to get hired in to?, and 5). What do you consider the pros and cons of your profession?

I appreciate any feedback.

undergrad in psych? would you like fries with that?

accelerated nursing programs vary widely in terms of cost and value, and what they teach. some are more respected than others. whether you enter one depends on your determination.

1. nursing is not one of those jobs you show up at from 8-5, m-f. as a new nurse you will expect crappy shifts and even rotations.

2. an RN has many responsibilities, from managing nursing assistants to charting medications and procedures, as well as administering direct care. no 2 days are exactly alike.

3. it's not easy to find a "grad nurse" job in philly now, as the positions that open tend to be taken by experienced nurses who have returned to work because their husbands have been laid off.

4. peds ward is a fairly closed community that is considered desireable. still, someone has to work there. watchign children die is not a fun job.

5. nursing is about changing the course of people's lives. it is more rewarding than fixing a machine or flipping hamburgers, but nurses seem to have more than their share of toxic personalities, probably because these people are not designed to handle the level of stress they are accomodating.

6. in regard to midwifery, i midwifed my 2nd and 3rd child at home without assistance long before i ever considered nursing as a career. children have been born since the dawn of time without a machinery based and carefully managed environment. what has changed about our physiology or anatomy in the last 50 years to require that all children be born in hospital under medical supervision?