Did You Settle for Nursing?

Acosmo27 · Jul 21, 2008

Why would you settle for anything in life?

beachgirl17 · Jul 21, 2008

I feel that I have faced this same question of "settling" in my previous profession, so I had to give my two cents. I am registered dental hygienist and worked in private practice for three years, before going back to school to become an RN. I went back to school to be an RN for more career options. Anyway, I have gotten asked alot about why not be a dentist or physician? My answer is that I am still educated because I have a bachelor degree in science of dental hygiene and I will soon have a bachelor in nursing. I chose these routes because I do not want the liability and responsibility of running my own practice (malpractice is scary!), employing staff (overhead for staff and supplies is enormous), and I genuinely enjoy being with the patients. Think about when you go to the dentist for your regular 6 month cleaning and exam, you spend 60 or 70% of your office visit with your hygienist. He or she is the one who is doing patient education and giving the majority of the care. The dentist just comes in to do an exam in the end. I feel the same is true in the hospital setting. The LARGE majority of the care is given by the nursing staff, while the doctor drops in to evaluate the patient. Of course, what the doctor and dentist do is important! It is just very different as to what each person is responsible for in providing care for the patient! As nurses we have alot of autonomy to make decisions on our own and I am proud that I am responsible for making quick decisions based on my assessments. As a RN or dental hygienist, I can work as little or as much as I want when I want to raise children and I will make as much if not more money than my peers. I did not settle for being a dental hygienst and I am certainly not settling for being an RN.:)

Jo Dirt · Jul 21, 2008

The OP was proud enough to put RN in her "name", but is undecided as to major and feels like nursing would be settling.
As in "going all the way", it's the attitude and implications that set everyone off, not the honest curiosity of a young student.
Nurses and nursing students come here to be free and find support. I don't always get support on the outside. People look at me funny when I say I'm in nursing school because I'm 40 (almost) and they think I should have all my ducks in a row and be planning my retirement or something!

I think the OP is yet another victim of believing the medical world is like "Grey's Anatomy." I also think anyone who believes it is "settling" to become a nurse (LPN or RN) is only cheating themselves out of a good education and a chance to attain what some people are only able to dream about. Yes, to some people their life's ambition is to be a nurse.

Would you give something you thought so little of your all? I think a person with this attitude would not last long in a nursing program.

I think some people have a lot of growing up left to do. It sounds like there are a lot of fantasies and unrealistic expectations of what nurses do and the role they play. I know that many words cannot convince someone who is either not willing or not ready to listen yet, but the best thing (I think) for a young person to do is go through an LPN program and see if they like nursing. A year is not a long time. It may be an eye opener to get out in the real world and see what nursing is really about. Then, if you want to go RN school you will make much better money working part-time as an LPN than you will at the mall, and you will make yourself a nice little income while you are going to RN school (or med school, whichever you choose.)

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Jul 21, 2008

I never wanted to be a doctor. Never even crossed my mind. Although I've known some excellent doctors, it seems like docs are all about the science.

Nurses aren't quite so limited. We deal with the whole person. I'm proud to be a nurse. I've saved lives and changed lives for the better.

Yes, I know docs save lives and change them for the better, but I'll leave you to ponder which requires more skill -- a delicate surgery or the right intervention at the right time that prevents the need for that surgery?

As far as being "poor" -- that word confused me a bit. We nurses always complain that we don't get paid enough to do what we do, but that's not quite the same thing as being "poor."

queenjean · Jul 21, 2008

For crying out loud, don't be a nurse if you don't want to be a nurse. Be a doctor. If you can't cut it in med school, try PA school. If that's what you want, why do something different?

ERGirl83 · Jul 21, 2008

Why be so hard on the OP? He/She is a,18 years old and entitled to wonder. What if this is the only contact he/she has with nurses? I think it is very reasonable to wonder if we settled or if we do it for the love of the job. She could just as easily go to a MD board and ask a physician if they settled by not becoming a surgeon. If we are truly proud of and secure of where we are, then this shouldn't be taken as an insult.
To the OP:
Did I settle? Yes and No.
I went to college right out of high school, but between boys and other things, I just didn't have the will or maturity to go to class and put school first.
Before I knew it, I was married, pregnant and raising children of my own. I always knew that I wanted to go back to school, but I didn't want to neglect my family. I had always dreamed of being a physician, but by the time I was truly ready to devote myself to school, I was a little older.
Luckily, I have a husband who is very supportive and financially stable. However, I always worried about what would happen to myself and my children, should he not be a part of our lives for whatever reason.
With his encouragement, I chose to go back to school. I decided on nursing because I knew it wouldn't take me nearly as long and steal as many of those precious years away from my children. I also knew that if something were to happen to my husband that I would be able to provide for my children. I might not necessarily be able to maintain the lifestyle that I am accustomed to, but I would be able to survive, with a rather flexible schedule and job security.
Do I still wish I had of become an MD? Yes and no. My job is very rewarding...my patients love me and I am the one who makes the difference. The docs may tell me what to do as far as certain procedures and meds to give, but my care goes way deeper than that. I also work 3 days a week and I don't have to worry about my pager going off at 3 am for a Tylenol order.
Would I like the prestige and recognition that comes with being a doc? Yeah, maybe, but right now I am perfectly content being who I am and doing what I do. I am also 33, with 9 and 11 yr old children, who still need me and I am not ready to sacrifice my life for med school.
I

Thank you so much for this kind, well-thought out, insightful post. It reads a lot like my own life, though I'm still planning on medical school at some time. A great response, through and through.

JB2007, ASN, RN · Jul 21, 2008

I did not settle for being a nurse. I wanted to be a nurse from the 3rd grade on. I use to read books about nurses everytime I could get my hands on them when I was a child. Unfortunatly, I was not able to go back to school to become a nurse until I was 30 years old and my youngest child started school. Being a nurse was a life long goal of mine and I am proud to say I am a nurse.

Yes, there are days when it seems that a lot of people do not respect the nursing profession, but I decided that these people are not educated on what it takes to become a nurse.

Here is my advice to you and you can take it or leave it. If all you are looking for in a job is money, glory and respect from other people you are going to be very unhappy with any job choice you decide on. You have got to respect yourself because in life too many people will dump on you no matter what you decide to do. Money is not everything. I have seen some very wealthy people that are very unhappy with their life. In contrast, I have seen some of the poorest of the poor that are very happy with their life. As I tell my children all the time, find what will make you happy in life and go for it with all your heart.

Final note: As long as you do not get yourself too far into debt, you will not be poor as a nurse. I make more as a nurse than I did working in a factory. Good Luck with whatever you decide to do.

SunnyAndrsn · Jul 21, 2008

Nope, I chose nursing in my 30's as a second career. It's a good fit for my personality. I want to be in healthcare--and I wanted "in" with a relatively good salary quickly. Nursing fit all of these things quite nicely for me.

As for poop, it happens, and no, I don't spend my days cleaning it up. Even working in long term care.

Talk to some dr's and nurses and see what they do every day. Then make a decision about what career is right for you.

Blove86 · Jul 21, 2008

Wow, what an interesting post. That sucks that people dump on Nurses. Im still a student, havent started clinicals yet, but even I know that importance of a nurse just fromt going to the hospitals for family member's. My best advice, just follow your heart!!

amberb · Jul 21, 2008

I really want to be in the medical field. I've thought about becoming a nurse, but I really think I would hate settling for it. My life's dream is to become a doctor. Ive been in the hospital before and they seem to get all the glory and respect from everyone around them and make all the decisions. I also really want to make good money and have a great lifestyle like they do. However, i'm scared about how long i'll have to be in school and how competitive medical school is. I'm thinking I should just go into nursing and see how I like the medical field first. I know it will be terrible pay and cleaning up poop all day. That scares me. I don't want to be some doctor's helper and be belittled all day, as well as being poor. Have any of you first went into nursing, then onto medical school?? Any suggestions? I'm really at a crossroads here.

I believe RN's get more of the glory on a daily basis than the doctors. The glory I'm talking about is when you have made a terminal patient laugh until they cry, when you are the one a patient returns to visit after their 8 month stay and close to death and the RN's "nursed" him back to health, RN's are able to make a positive difference in many patients and their families lives everyday and that is all the glory I need to be satisfied with my career. The medical field is about teamwork and I don't see doctors belittling the nurses. I hope that is the kind of doctor you would settle on being!

:up:

djc1981 · Jul 21, 2008

If you feel like nursing is "settling", then by all means don't do it. You'll only make yourself and everyone around you miserable. Also, the nurses I know are far from what I would ever consider poor.

amberb · Jul 21, 2008

I believe RN's get more of the glory on a daily basis than the doctors. The glory I'm talking about is when you have made a terminal patient laugh until they cry, when you are the one a patient returns to visit after their 8 month stay and close to death and the RN's "nursed" him back to health, RN's are able to make a positive difference in many patients and their families lives everyday and that is all the glory I need to be satisfied with my career. The medical field is about teamwork and I don't see doctors belittling the nurses. I hope that is the kind of doctor you would settle on being!

OOPS! I meant to say I hope this is NOT the kind of doctor you would settle on being!