Is going into Nursing a good idea?

workingharder · Feb 19, 2012

My advice, no. Look around these boards. New grads (ADN, BSN) are finding it really rough finding employment. Experienced nurses are complaining of the same problems. Nobody (or seemingly) is hiring now. If you live in a large metro area it is almost a guarantee that you will struggle to find a job in any kind of institution.

In the event you do find work, you will find out that it can be an unbearable amount of work and stress. Caring for and about people is just a small piece of the job.

I know the money looks attractive, but for a new grad, it really isn't that far off the $2500 a month you're getting now. Depending where you're at, a new grad may start anywhere from $35,000 to $50,000, some places more, some places less. Whatever the amount, you'll earn every penny of it.

But, after doing your due diligence and you still want to go for it, I wish you well.

PeepnBiscuitsRN · Feb 19, 2012

I don't mean to be a "Debbie Downer" but I would not recommend it right now- there IS NO NURSING SHORTAGE. There is a shortage of jobs, yes. It took me a year to get a job, and new nursing programs just keep opening and opening and opening, it's like "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" from Fantasia, with all the broomsticks going haywire whacky.

You mentioned being a CRNA- why not just finish your degree, go to med school and become an anesthesiologist? CRNA's don't do a lot of bedside care- you mentioned you'd like to take care of children or the elderly- you won't be spending a lot of time with patients as a CRNA, not the same way a staff RN would. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with being a CRNA, but, I'm not sure it's what you're looking for as far as patient care goes. As for relating your love for caring for children and elderly with nursing, that's wonderful- however, I would caution you... I was an LPN when my son was born. I worked in peds, prior to becoming a mother, I had no problem poking, gagging, sticking things in noses and ears and making kids cry- don't get me wrong, I wasn't a sadist by any means! I didn't ENJOY it, but I was able to remove myself from it. After the boy was born, a funny thing happened...he got his 2 month shots, and I cried more than he did. From that point on, every time I had to be mean I could only see his face on those other kiddoes. When I went to school for my RN, every lecture we had on children and disease and illness in children, I tended to, what's the word...transpose to my little boy. So by the time school was done, I had totally scrapped my plan to work at our Children's Hospital (plus, they didn't want my puny ADN self anyways apparently). Caring is good, being a caring person is wonderful, but I've learned (and mind you, I've been working as an RN for 10 months now) that it's become a very nasty, competitive field. A lot of new grads are becoming jaded and getting a chip on their shoulder, because they feel like their school (who doesn't care what happens to their students once that diploma is handed over as long as they've got that student's $$$$) lied to them about this "nursing shortage" and how "they're just crying for nurses". Maybe there is a need, but the whole game is being controlled by people in business suits and power suits and sharp high heels who makea the big bucks- and they don't really see what's going on on the floors. They'd rather not get sneezed on.

So my advice is to A) enjoy the time you have with your babies, because I'm telling you, I don't see mine (13 months old and 3 years old) nearly enough, and B) if you have the smarts to major in bio-chem then dear gosh go for it!

hiddencatRN, BSN, RN · Feb 19, 2012

Can you shadow with a nurse to see what the day-to-day is like? That would give you a better sense of what the realities of the job are.

How long would it take you to graduate if you switch majors? The economy of a few years off might look different than the economy of today. I'm not optimistic of a major recovery, but I was panicked about finding a job when I started nursing prerequisites in 2008, which was the nadir for new grad jobs in my city. Literally, I was looking at job postings online and having panic attacks about it. By the time I graduated in 2010, it had improved, not a lot, but some, and many of my classmates had jobs within 2-3 months of graduating, with most employed within 6-8 months. I had a job in 4 months, and not just any job, in the specialty I was interested in. I realize I'm lucky, but I networked and hustled my butt off, and many of my classmates found jobs in specialty units in addition to med surg and LTC so there ARE jobs out there to be had. I think in a lot of areas it's still really tough as a new grad, but there's a ton of great advice floating around on allnurses on how to make the most of your job hunt.

I love what I do. I knew this was the direction I wanted to go in for a while before I actually got around to it and I'm so glad I got past the worry about jobs and about whether I could actually do it. The work is challenging and sometimes frustrating though, so it's hard for me to say to someone else to "go for it". And I can't promise you a job either, or that if 99% of your class gets jobs you won't be in that 1% who doesn't.

But I think there are a few things at play: first, people are more vocal about complaints and vents than they are about things going well for them, and secondly that people love to see things as black and white. So there have been tons of posts about new grads struggling to find jobs...so therefore it is nearly impossible to get a job. I think the reality of the market is a little more gray than that. There are jobs. There's competition for them. Many grads are struggling to find work, but new grads are getting hired.

Good luck with whatever you decide :)

littletwinstar · Feb 19, 2012

I've been reading through this site and others before that nurses are saying there is no nursing shortage, and I sure do belive them over the school who are profiting off telling people it is. My husband has been trying to push me into nursing and he's overjoyed I've had a change of heart and now considering it. This "nursing shortage" is somethng he believes and no matter how many times I tell him he needs to talk to some real nurses and ask them about this, he tries his hardest to convence me I'll be able to find a job right out of school. Heck, that I'll have a garentee job in a hospital and that the hospital will pay for me to continue my education :rolleyes: ... Idk if some states are doing that or its some agreement with foreign nurses (he's getting his "facts" from Korean disscussion boards as he does with everything), but I HIGHLY dout this.

"You mentioned being a CRNA- why not just finish your degree, go to med school and become an anesthesiologist? CRNA's don't do a lot of bedside care- you mentioned you'd like to take care of children or the elderly- you won't be spending a lot of time with patients as a CRNA, not the same way a staff RN would. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with being a CRNA, but, I'm not sure it's what you're looking for as far as patient care goes."

that was actually what I was trying to get into medical school for. I still love anesthesia, but thought being a CRNA instead of an anesthesiologist would involve more patient care and let me work in my feild at a much sooner time. But if this is not the case, maybe I should rethink what careers I could look into.

"After the boy was born, a funny thing happened...he got his 2 month shots, and I cried more than he did. From that point on, every time I had to be mean I could only see his face on those other kiddoes. When I went to school for my RN, every lecture we had on children and disease and illness in children, I tended to, what's the word...transpose to my little boy."

& this is what I feel would be my biggest fall in nursing, I'm extremly empathetic even to people I don't know. This is what drove me into wanting to do anesthesia. After my grandfather was diagnosed with brain/lung cancer and the experiance of having children, I wanted to do something that would help ease pain for the suffering.

p.s. please excuse any typos in my postings

littletwinstar · Feb 19, 2012

hiddencatRN, where would I be able to find a shadowing program for nursing? I think thats a wonderful idea and actually should be a pre-req for those wanting to become nursing students.

I'm halfway into my degree, but alot of my classes would cover many pre-req for the nursing, though I'd have to go back and take some psychology and philosophy classes before I could start.

hiddencatRN, BSN, RN · Feb 19, 2012

hiddencatRN, where would I be able to find a shadowing program for nursing? I think thats a wonderful idea and actually should be a pre-req for those wanting to become nursing students.

Contact hospitals in your area to see if they offer anything like that. My hospital does and it is NOT advertised on the website at all, but I've seen other hospitals mention such programs on their website in sections on volunteering. Ask around to see if you are friends with friends of nurses who could help you with the process at their hospital. Ask the nursing program at your school if they know of any programs or could help you set that up.

littletwinstar · Feb 19, 2012

Thank you so much for the advice and help. I'll look into that. I could end up loving bedside care so much I scrap anesthesia altogether, or it could be to emotional difficult for me to deal with (the patient conditions, not bodily fluids and nasty co-workers, I have a good head on my shoulders for that). You never really know untill you experiance it.

33762FL · Feb 19, 2012

For a number of reasons, I'd finish the bio-chem degree and go to med school if I were you (it's very hard to land a job as a new nurse, being a doctor pays WAY more).

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · Feb 19, 2012

Go to med school. Nursing school has gotten to be ridiculously competitive and the amount of work and stress is overwhelming for the pay and there is no guarantee job after you graduate. In med school, there is.

churchsgirl · Feb 19, 2012

I would also go to med school. Wanting to be a CRNA is a good goal; however, you must first complete a nursing program, then have at least two years in an ICU, CCU, PCU, etc. AND it is very hard to start in those areas as a new grad. So in a perfect world, you would possibly start in Med/Surg for at least a year, then try and transfer internally into the ICU, work there for another 2+ years...THEN if you have a good GPA you might get into a CRNA program-which is another 30 months. Sorry to be another "debbie downer" but as a new grad that cannot find work...I wish I would have decided to be a stay-at-home mom. I wouldn't have the student loan debt

NoviceRN10 · Feb 19, 2012

Why not become a physician's assistant?