i dont wanna be a nurse

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So apparently I'm not the only one! I feel soooo much better. I graduated with my bsn in 2003 and never took the boards. I know, why right? Well I guess I listened to everyone else and not myself. I did fairly well in school but that was a long time ago! What I wanna know is, what other jobs are around that I could use this degree? I'm open to all kinds of suggestions. It just seems like such a huge waste of time/effort not to use this by going into something that relates or involves the education I've received. So PLEASE!! HELP!! I NEED DIRECTION!! If anyone has ANYTHING they think would help, reply ASAP!!:confused::idea:

Specializes in Ortho and Tele med/surg.

It doesn't make sense. You still should have taken your boards. (It's not too late). You could have gone the masters route. There are soooo many endless possibilities with a nursing degree and license. You don't have to be floor nurse.

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Specializes in neuro/ortho med surge 4.

Hi Rayna,

Do you feel like you could give nursing a shot? You may feel differently once you are working as a nurse. You are now older and may look at things with a different perspective than you did at 22. I know there is no way I could have handled being a nurse at 22. I did not particularly care for clinicals as a student but I love being a nurse. There are some evenings I do not deal with families at all. There are some families who really try your patience and can be aggravating but those are few and far between. Also, there is night shift where you rarely deal with families. The key to me with nursing is working with supportive co-workers and managers. Nursing can be overwhelming but it isn't all of the time.

There are many avenues you can go down as a nurse. You can work in a clinic, school, ambulatory surgery center, research, teaching, education in a hospital, etc.

Just my 2 cents.

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Not too late? Do even have any chance to pass?

I know the floor wasn't my only option. It was really the combo of $, timing, and some unfortunate life events.

WHAT NOW?

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I may get fired because the pts don't like me. I give safe care, I'm smart, 11 yrs experience in my specialty, not late, not out sick, responsible, but mgr says I don't "click" . What gives?

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Specializes in neuro/ortho med surge 4.
Not too late? Do even have any chance to pass?

I know the floor wasn't my only option. It was really the combo of $, timing, and some unfortunate life events.

WHAT NOW?

There are courses that help you study for the boards. They are geared towards current students though. There is probably some type of refresher courses for nurses who have been out of school for a long time and want to take boards. I know that foreign educated nurses have to retake boards in the US. I am not sure how they study for this but there must be something somewhere to help. I would contact your states board of nursing and ask about this and/or contact a nursing program and ask.

I work with a LNA who was an RN in the Phillipines. She is 50 years ald and graduated many years ago. She wants to take her boards here and she was advised to take a course in pharmacology to start with.

I would start there and see what advice you are given by these sources. Maybe post a question on the nurse educators forum to see if they have any suggestions for you. You worked hard for that nursing degree and I would at least give nursing a shot. I do not think it is too late at all for you.

Best wishes.

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Specializes in CVICU, ED.

If you are contemplating taking your boards I would suggest Kaplan to help you study. It does not go over nursing material but focuses on how to read the questions and come to the best answer. It uses Maslow's Hierarchy of needs to deduct the best answer. Some questions you just need to know the answer i.e. differences between mysthenia gravis and guillain barre etc. A good study book for nursing info was an NCLEX review book by Saunders (It's been a few years, I don't remember the exact name but it was really good).

I took the Kaplan course to help prepare for the NCLEX. It is pricey but they guarantee your money back if you don't pass or you can repeat the course for free. I attended the live class (I am an auditory learner). If I had the book just by itself, it would not have been helpful for me.

On a side note, I hated, hated , hated my clinicals. I had a tough time my first year out of nursing school, thinking I made a terrible mistake becoming a nurse (I had been a paramedic prior, so I knew beforehand what I was getting myself into). Once I became more confident in my knowledge and skills as a nurse I started to like it. :nurse:

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Haven't you tried working as a nurse? Being a nurse is diverse and flexible there are lots of choices you can be an clinical instructor, professor, adviser, social worker, care giver, manager and a lot more.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

You sound like you'd be a great candidate for a research position. You love medicine, but aren't necessarily a people-person.

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Specializes in Adolescent Psych, PICU.

If I were you (since you asked lol) I would seriously consider taking the boards and getting your RN license.....I just think people might wonder why you have this great degree but no license. Even if you never want to work in bedside nursing (and I dont blame you) that license will really open doors for you.

There are a lot of jobs where you dont work with patients but need your RN. I just saw a job yesterday working as office job basically (but need your RN), there is research, those RNs who teach how to use new equipment in the hospital, organ donation places, etc. Those jobs may be harder to obtain but they ARE out there.

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Specializes in Psychiatric Nursing.
You sound like you'd be a great candidate for a research position. You love medicine, but aren't necessarily a people-person.

This is exactly what I was thinking, not sure how hard these positions are to come by but something you may what to look into. Good Luck, hope you find something you can feel passionate about!

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You sound like you'd be a great candidate for a research position. You love medicine, but aren't necessarily a people-person.

I didn't get a chance to read all of the posts but I was thinking the same thing too! Rayna, have you considered a career in research? I live in the Washington/MD/VA area and NIH hires RN researchers. I'm pretty sure other places do too but this was my first thought. Visit their RN researchers website: http://www.ninr.nih.gov/

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Not too late? Do even have any chance to pass?

I know the floor wasn't my only option. It was really the combo of $, timing, and some unfortunate life events.

WHAT NOW?

The good news is, it can be done! I graduated in 1999 with a BSN, took my boards for the first time in March 2010 and passed with 75 questions.

The bad news is, your degree won't go nearly as far without taking the NCLEX. Without the RN, a BSN is not a very marketable degree unless you have relevant experience for a position that requires a degree but doesn't care what the degree is actually in. Pharm or medical sales tend to want a degree and/or outside sales experience. I've known nurses who had the experience waived but they brought a different kind of experience to the table to compensate. Maybe you could go into research, I never looked at that path personally so I'm not sure. Even then though, having the RN as well as the BSN would only be considered an asset. I think HR is a stretch personally. A BSN isn't really an advantage in an HR position unless it is entry level and the fact that you have a four year degree is desirable.

Your best bet is likely going to be positions you are grossly over qualified for and likely will not have much interest in (CNA, secretary, various tech positions such as tele or EKG). Even with these positions, be prepared for questions regarding why you never took your boards and if you ever plan to do so. From experience, I'll say potential employers generally aren't that impressed with a BSN and no RN.

I would encourage you to take the NCLEX. You don't have to work at the bedside, but your BSN will be worth a lot more (to you and employers) if you are also an RN. If you aren't even interested in attempting it, my suggestion would be to go for a Master's. You can make the BSN more relevant by making it the lesser degree. A student I graduated with never took the NCLEX, he went to law school and specialized in medical malpractice. Even though he never worked as a nurse, he felt the BSN would provide a better foundation for what he planned to do than a more generic undergrad degree.

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