considering switching to nursing school

[onthefence]

Hello. I am in the middle of an MA in philosophy and always thought I would move on to PhD. Seeing the poor state of the job market, the constant posturing among my peers and the low odds of actually reshaping the discussion in my field, I began to consider other options. Since my wife is about to enter Medical School and has been volunteering I have begun to think in the direction of nursing. I see that she gets a lot out of volunteer work and I also would like to actually be helpful to people in a non abstract way. I think that being there for patients is incredibly powerful. I will probably volunteer in one of the ERs over the summer.

I wonder what kind of programs I could get into, if my academic background is at all helpful, and what kind of prerecs I would have to take. I did not take very much science in college. I graduated BA with only a 3.5 but in grad school I have kept around a 4.0. What would your advice be in terms of seeing if I like the field? In terms of getting into schools?

[RNYC]

I think its quite interesting they have these advance practive nursing and direct entry MSN programs...either way the graduates have no experience when they graduate. To me, if in 3 yrs I spend one year getting the BSN-RN and two years working Med Surg vs 3 yrs in school, the degree isnt getting me what I want which is extended opportunities to be in an ICU, travel nurse etc (that comes with actually being an RN). The only significant "APN" nurse that makes more money over and beyong BSN to start is CRNA...and there you still need at least 1 year experience in the field working in critical care (good luck starting out as a new grad in CC these days).

[dandelyon]

I hope you read my post. Let me tell you my story, you need to read it before changing your course.

I had a great job for a great company. I worked there for a very long time....close to 20 yrs. Unfortunately, because there was no more room for me to advance I became bored and thought about going to nursing school as it would provide challenge, a steady job and decent pay. (Although I made more then what nurses start at my other job.) This past summer I left my job to begin school. It didn't take very long for me to figure out I made a big mistake and that this profession is not for me. In so far as school itself, it is VERY, and I mean VERY demanding. I had a 3.6 gpa going into this program and I am struggling at times. I have become very depressed as the hospital is not a very happy place to work. You will be dealing with very ill patients that at times can be rude... understandably of course. You will have to do many things you may not like to do. Such as clean poop, pee, vomit, etc. It has also been my experience that working in an environment that is mainly women you will also deal with a lot of petty issues such as power trips, back stabbing and flat out meanness that extends from fellow students to clinical instructors and even to the nurses at the hospital you are there to help while at clinical. Now before everyone on this site yells at me, I am just giving MY story. And I have read many like it right on this site. What I am trying to tell you poster is this: if you have an interest in nursing PLEASE go and volunteer at a hospital for 2 full weeks to see what you will be getting into. Or, get a nursing assistant job. Its a shame as I have made good decisions all my life except for this one. I plan to graduate but look for a job in my old field. Good Luck.

[onthefence]

Thanks to everyone for their insights. There is a lot to think about on this thread. I really appreciated the idea that

I think that nursing is very special in that it offers very specific tools and structures to actually carry out the tasks of compassion, which is very nice.

Hope that is helpful!

I think this is what I really look forward to in the profession. I also will take to heart the ideas about shadowing and volunteering. However I do think it would be awkward to do CNA at this stage. I hope I am able to say that without minimizing their contributions to health care and understating how important their job is. I also appreciate the comments about both the job market and some people's negative experiences which will help me make an informed decision with my eyes open. Thanks very much to all of you.