considering RN as career move, fears/concerns/questions

llg, PhD, RN · Mar 30, 2011

I encourage you to do a little more research on the realities of nursing (and the nursing job market in our area) before taking the plunge. Some of your assumptions are not very accurate.

For example, you seem to think that there are millions of jobs in nursing and that finding a job as a new grad will be easy and that you will have plenty of choices. That is not true today in most areas. It may be true in the future, but it is not true now -- and may not be true when you graduate. You also may be limited in your job opportunities if you get only Associate's Degree in Nursing rather than a Bachelor's Degree (though that varies from specialty to specialty and with geographic location.)

You may also want to look closely at your assumption that nurses do a lot of diagnosing. What type of diagnosing do you mean? Nursing diagnosis is nothing like medical diagnosis -- and you might be in for a big disappointment there if you are expecting to do a lot of investigating and diagnosing as a staff nurse.

And yes, you'll have to "suck it up" and learn to tolerate the body fluids, etc. The best way to know if you can do that is to try. Can you do some volunteer work in an environment that would have you interacting with patients with physical problems?

I suggest you spend some time on this site and read many of the threads about new grads, job availability, etc. See what types of jobs new grads are getting. Explore the particulars of the job market in your area, etc. and be sure that your expectations match reality before investing.

elljayo · Mar 30, 2011

forgive me if i sounded like i literally meant "millions of job." It's more of a subjective experience. When I type in "Clinician" for mental health jobs it's literally impossible to find a single job that does not require a license that isn't hours away from where I live and typically under really horrible conditions for less pay than it would take to actually get to and perform the job. When I look in other states (and licensure is not reciprocal in my field) the situation is just as bad.

Whereas, when I type in "RN" in the same area (say, using craigslist) I see 20-30 or more jobs pop up in the same city. They may not be great jobs, they may not even be jobs i'm interested in -probably most aren't. but they exist, and to me after almost three years of unemployment/working out of my field (like, walking dogs) to pay the mortgage, it looks like a vast field of ripe fruit and baskets of fresh bread. NOt to mention that, like I said, it's pretty much the ONLY way I will ever be able to advance with the employer I have, and that I can double my pay immediately, assuming I never move.

i'm sure nursing diagnosing is nothing like mental health diagnosing, any more than it's like MD diagnosis, either, but the the basic skills of diagnosis are (i'm pretty sure) the same. You look for clues, and then you draw a conclusion based on those clues. I'm sure the amount of diagnosis performed depends on what type of nursing you are doing, and what level of position within a given department. But assessing a situation and making a decision how to respond is diagnosis, no matter how you slice it.

Thanks for your thoughts and I hope my response clears up any miscommunication.

lizv · Mar 30, 2011

job listings are for nurses with EXPERIENCE. Look up the ad's and they will usually say. At least 1 year or 2 years experience. It's the same as you described, like a catch-22. Just type in new grad nurse job. You will see how bad it is in some areas... I believe mass (if thats where you are) is hit pretty bad too...just saying. I'm nervous for when I get out....

elljayo · Mar 30, 2011

yeah... mass is pretty awful. we've been decimated by the recession probably since earlier than most of the country. we got hit by the dot.com implosion and barely started to recover from that when the housing bubble burst. I have never, in thirty years, literally been unable to find any job, but i've had that experience here. three careers and here i am looking at maybe starting a fourth. very hard to keep moving forward but what else can you do.

hopefully what I can do is get the RN and then move into a different position within my hospital, get a couple of years of experience, and then be more mobile (would love to move south when my hubbie retires; got my eye on Austin). Still - seeing a host of RN jobs, even those requiring experience, even those unrelated to psych nursing, is a lot more encouraging than seeing three clinical jobs, all of which require a degree I don't have and a license I can't get (and realizing most of them are already filled internally). Tried searching for mental health jobs - any jobs - in austin or san antonio, it's like they literally don't exist. Well, there's always florida, st. pete is a gorgeous area!

of course, what I always manage to do is get people talking about everything EXCEPT the question I actually wanted to ask... which is... did you have any gross-out fears/factors going into your clinicals, and how did you personally overcome them?

newRNstudent02 · Mar 30, 2011

Have you considered medical school and specializing in psychiatry? I really don't think it makes sense getting an associate's degree in your situation. Most employers want to see a BSN especially in Mass. That's just the reality of the situation, but of course, there are always exceptions.

lizv · Mar 30, 2011

It's just a warning. I went into it thinking there was so many jobs in nursing. A lot of people have that misconception. But then with the recession people go back into nursing, some put off retirement, and new grads are churned out every year. It's costly to train new grads who then just move on...its just reality, hospitals would rather hire people with experience. Just saying. We can only hope the job market gets better.

well thats really a personal question you should ask yourself. I have been a caregiver for awhile. Doesn't mean I don't want to puke, turn away, and not do it. It's a part of floor nursing whether you like it or not. Colostomies, blood, bodily fluids. As a nurse you will see it. Whether in clinicals or in the future on the job. CNA's do a lot of the ADL's but that doesn't mean you won't EVER do it. You'll definitely be required in school. Bed bath's, changing dressings etc. If you can't get over being close to someone and looking at "gross" things you might be setting yourself up for failure.It's not a glamourous job by any means.

elljayo · Mar 30, 2011

Have you considered medical school and specializing in psychiatry? I really don't think it makes sense getting an associate's degree in your situation. Most employers want to see a BSN especially in Mass. That's just the reality of the situation, but of course, there are always exceptions.

not an option. student loans maxed (150k). i'm 45 years old, i've been working full-time and going to school part-time for 20 years. i'm exhausted and disillusioned after 3 attempts at 3 different career starts. i've been told my only other affordable option, an LADC/CADAC (substance abuse certification) will be next to useless since I don't have my license, and that given todays' economic realities, getting my license would be useless too. Taking another 50-150k in private student loans, even if i could find a cosigner, and spending another ten years in school, (pre-med, med, interning, getting hours) just to jump-start my career (again) - especially when it looks like i'll be moving to another state in the middle of it.... mmmm no doesn't seem viable. SO the bottom line is either ASN or just stay stuck in the bottom-rung job that i have, then move to another state and have even less to offer, if i'm lucky end up in a similar low-wage direct care job, if i'm not who knows. If i really can't cut being a nurse, even a psych nurse, well, that will be unfortunate but just one more unfortunate reality i get to face. i may not have my sanity, but at least i have my health.

it's funny but i'm getting much more positive feedback on the 2 year RN from local practioners than i am on this board, i wonder why that is! it's very interesting!

still hoping to hear about how you guys who had this problem solved this issue on the clinicals, thanks so much for posting, keep'm coming!

KFoss · Mar 30, 2011

You sound a lot like me but I am on the exact opposite coast. I have an AA, BA, and MA and am an MHP (I can diagnose and do psychiatric evaluations for state level funding not SSI) and not licensed because there is nowhere to go with a license but your own business, no thank you. I can't even get a job in a hospital because they want MSW's. We have the same fight out here between LMHC's and LMSW's.

Anyway, I digress...but have you thought about a direct entry MSN program and specializing in psych? The agency for which I work only has 1 psychiatrist and that is only because the law requires it. He is only here for a few hours a week and really only sees pregnant women who need psych meds. All of our other prescribers are Psychiatric ARNP's. That is where I am looking or maybe forensic nursing and working in the jails or in the ER with assault victims.

elljayo · Mar 31, 2011

i would, but it all boils down to cash flow. i just don't have any money. i can barely afford the community college classes. grad school is out of the question. plus, I really need to keep working while i go to school, most grad programs demand full-time commitment. thanks, though, it's a good idea and it's good to hear from someone with a similar background.

carlyfry · Mar 31, 2011

I agree with everything llg says. The jobs for new grads are very few. Good luck to you!

mgrn2b · Mar 31, 2011

I can offer only limited feedback based on the small amount of research I have done thus far. I have a similar situation. I am over 30 with a BA, MPH (Master of Public Health) and MBA. I was recently accepted into an ADN program and my plans are to get an MSN and then MAYBE a DNP. Anyways, I was laid off from a pharmaceutical company in November and had been looking at nursing school for quite sometime but could never bring myself to let go of the money. So here I am. There is more money available in terms of scholarships for grad school, especially in psych. In looking for money for the ADN, I have run across numerous grad school funding opportunities.

I have a fear of needles. Although it is much better than it used to be, I know that I have to get over my fear of "hurting" someone by sticking them with a needle. So I will practice and practice and stick whenever I get the opportunity. You might consider looking into a job as a PCT (patient care tech) in a local hospital. You will get to experience a lot and, depending on your schedule, you could work at night and go to school during the day (working your schedule around your classes, of course). I work as a behavioral health tech. I don't have to deal with body fluids like one would on a med-surg floor; but I have had to wipe a few behinds (due to charcoal from drug overdose), vomit, and other stuff. I wasn't thrilled about handling it, but you just do it and get it over with. I found the patients are more embarrassed than you are.

Set your goals...research your options...think outside the box...look for opportunities...fulfill your dreams....