Does it seem like EVERYONE is trying to be a nurse?

[mrs.tt]

I've been contemplating going back to school to do prereq's for nursing. All of a sudden it seems like everyone I know is going to be a nurse! Does anyone else see this? Four girls I work with, about fifteen friends on Facebook, and at least 1 or 2 random people a week.

Do you think this has to do with the recession? Are people just all going back to school to get a healthcare career for more job security? I can't think of why else this would be happening so quickly??

[guiltysins]

You also have to keep in mind that certain classes are classes that only nursing students and other health professions take as someone pointed out. You won't really find a journalism major in A&P and the poster before is right, you notice things a lot more once you're actually doing them which makes sense. I didn't give nursing a thought until I wanted to do it so maybe there were a lot of nursing majors that I just never paid attention to.

But there is an increase in people going into health professions because of the job security so it may be that as well.

[peas&carrots]

Well, if this makes it any better, I have decided against Nursing. I am still here b/c I am taking pre-reqs. But, after talking to my husband and doing a lot of soul searching, I am headed towards applying to Pharmacy school (just need Organic Chem 1 and 2 and I am currently re-taking A&P b/c mine is old). My fall-back option is going to be Clinical Laboratory Sciences (Medical Technologist) or MLT if MT is not available. Love, love, love the science of the human body, but I have decided there is a certain limit to my ability to be a people person - dealing with other HC professionals in a hospital lab or pharmacy would be ok, and retail Pharmacy would probably be a good upper limit for me. Nursing might make my head explode.

So I am one less person you all will be competing against for a coveted slot!

I will say over half, probably 3/4 of my A&P class have stated that they are taking it as a pre-req to get into a Nursing program. (its an online class and the first discussion question was to introduce yourself and why you are taking the class).

I work in a pharmacy as a tech and if you are thinking about being a retail pharmacist you will definitely have to be a people person. The amount of time I have to spend explaining insurance to elderly people, dealing with angry people who can't get their pain medication and just phone call after phone call asking if their medication is ready will really wear on you. If you don't have the patience to call doctor's offices/insurance companies and be geniunely nice to people who don't deserve it pharmacy is going to be hard. I'm not trying to discourage you and I hope you find your dream career.