What do you want to be when you grow up??

peaceful2100, BSN, RN · Sep 9, 2001

I would have to say I am seriously thinking about Peds and community/public health nursing. I personally feel so many people are lacking health care and health education in certain communities and I am the type of person that would like to focus on preventive health in the community. In fact I would like to work Peds for a few years go back and earn my master's degree and become a nurse practitioner in the community. It is so interesting about the way I feel because in my seminar class the past friday we talked about community nursing and experts are predicting by the year 2010 70% of nursing care will be outside of the hospital. Whether it happens remain to be unseen. But right now at this time I do notice the number of positions that are fairly new that are being available in the community. We are going through our first clinical right now and mine is in community health and so far I am loving every minute of it. I know some people on here who mentioned they hate community nursing and that is fine everyone will have their likes and dislikes just like I know some one who loves Med-Surg and several people hate it. For those who hate community nursing I think it is okay but if someone of you would like to share your reasons for why you dislike it I am very curious.

nurseleigh · Sep 9, 2001

I just started my first semester of Nursing. I took A&P I this summer and was wanting to go into ER then. Although I am still very interested in that field, I am now thinking that I would enjoy working in L&D. I'll repost in a few weeks to let you know what it has changed to.:)

KristaB · Sep 9, 2001

I'm planning to go into L&D or peds before I start the masters program to become a CNM. :)

BrandyBSN · Sep 9, 2001

My goal in life is to NEVER grow up (as children at heart live longer) :) But, when i graduate, i want to work in the ER.

Peaceful, since you asked about why some of us dislike Community/Public health so much, I would be happy to tell you why "I" dislike it so much.

In my clinical rotation public health and home health are both in the same clinical. We spend half of the semester working with a school nurse, and the other half working with a home health agency. I LIKE the school nursing part, but its the home health part that I have a really hard time doing.

I get panic attacks when I go into a patients home by myself. I worry about my personal Safety. (we do home health visits alone, and have our own clients). Some houses are so dirty that bugs are crawling all over. Clients have bathtubs, but seem to forget to take showers more than twice a year. If they have cats, i either have to just deal with it, and itch/sneeze/have a full blown asthma attack, or take so much benadryl that I am fighting to stay awake through the whole visit. Many houses here do not have running water or indoor toilets. The dirt, bugs, and grime really get to me. Some of these houses i think would be a great challenge on the tv show "Fear Factor", if they made you touch everything, sit on the couch, and try to pay full attention to the client, and provide them with the best care possible. Its hard to focus 100% on them when you have bugs falling from the ceiling into your hair, and crawling up your shoes, into your pant legs. The worst part is, this is absolutely NO exaggeration. It really is that bad here.

Give me a completely wrecked psych patient, GI Bleeds, gun shots to the head, crashing heart patients, no problem! Make me go into one more house like that, and I'll completely freak.

Granted, as a professional, I just take deep breaths, put my best smile on, and deal with it for the hour that i am there, but the minute I drive out of the driveway, and get far enough away that no one can see me, I pull out the wet-wipes, and scrub myself until I get home and can get in the shower, and put all of my clothes, shoes, in the washer on the hottest setting possible (i wash them twice). I put a sheet over my car seat so that I dont get my apolstery covered in whatever i might have sat down in.

Many areas are not this bad. I just happen to live in a very small town, lots of rural areas, and a high amish population.

Give me the hospital any day, but home health is not for me, I'd rather come home covered in blood and puke than have bugs crawling though my hair.

I absolutely have the HIGHEST respect for home health nurses, because they do that every day, not just half a semester for clinicals. You have to be a very special, flexible, and understanding person to be able to do all that every day, and I am 100% AWARE that in the home health setting, im just NOT that special type of person.

Bring the same patient into the hospital, and leave the bugs at home, and I'd be just fine :)

Good luck peaceful if you deside that home health is really where you want to go! and know that you will always have that top rung of respect in my book for being able to handle that!

shyviolet78, LPN, LVN · Sep 9, 2001

Just about anything not gynecology-related. Green runny poo-poo, oozing open wounds, smells associated with neuro patients--all of that I can handle perfectly. I'm dreading my MCH clinical. I plan on going into adult critical care when I graduate. ER holds my interest too, but it's a bit too unstable for my retentive, perfectionist personality!

peaceful2100, BSN, RN · Sep 9, 2001

Brandy I totally respect your view on home health and it is because I could never be a home health nurse myself either for the same reasons you stated. However I see community/public health more than just home health. I should have clarified myself the community/public health I am interested in the clinics, health departments where clients come to you and education within the community like at schools, churches and that type. As far as homes I could not do. I should have clarify myself. I was interested in Labor/delivery but there are way too many people out there who want to become labor and delivery nurses. As a matter of fact it was my Labor/Delivery nurses who gave me further inspiration and made my decision final to go into nursing not because they were good nurses but because they treated me so horribly because I was unmarried and almost 18 when I had my daughter. They actually told me I was just another young unwed African-American mother who will have 3-4 babies at least by the time she is 22 and on welfare. Oh really look where I am at today. I am 21 with one child, not on welfare have no desire to be on welfare and I am halfway done with a four year degree in nursing. They would not help me with my daughter, they ignored my call for help several times and I had a C-section I could have seriously hurted myself. You should keep your personal judgements to yourself and I said to myself no one Ever, ever deserves treatment the way I receive no matter who you are or what circumstance you are under. I will never treat anyone that way those nurses treated me no matter what I believe or feel. Who knows by the time I graduate I may have a completely new area I am interested in.

kcsun3 · Sep 9, 2001

I'm planning to go into hospice work :)

Steph

The Student Nurse Forum

http://kcsun3.tripod.com

dasaSN · Sep 10, 2001

I want to start out on the medical floor and then go from there. After I have a couple of years experience behind me, I may want to work in the ICU. I worked as a nurse's aide for five years on the med/surg floor at the last hopital I worked at. At the hospital I am at now, I am a nurse's aide on medical/pediatrics. The nurse's I work with have all been so helpful and encouraging. They are always willing to answer my questions about nursing procedures, etc.. So for now I think I will stick with what is familiar.

jschut, BSN, RN · Sep 10, 2001

I don't really know. I have quite a soft spot for the elderly, and I am not too good at working with children (cause of some of their "I don't have to" mouths). I don't want to work in a nursing home, but maybe I will do home health. I enjoy doing that now as an aide. Maybe the hospital. I'll probably change my mind at least a dozen times before I actually do decide on something... I'll let you know!

Julie

prmenrs, RN · Sep 10, 2001

RETIRE!!!

Come on, you kids, study faster!!!:p:cool:

KC CHICK · Sep 10, 2001

:D