If Nursing doesn't work out,is Medical Lab Technologist ok for a "Prissy" girl ??

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Im really into the health field so im doing a little research in that area incase Nursing doesn't work out.There is a demand for Medical Lab Technologists in my state and the pay isn't that bad.It makes no sense to pursue something that is not in demand.I know a school that has a BS program that is not too expensive.The thing is,im not sure how I would handle working with bodily fluids and sitting in a lab all day when I prefer to "look pretty" lol.I know I would deal with not so pretty stuff as a Nurse,but atleast I'll still get to wear makeup and won't be stuck in a lab for 8 hours a day.This may sound like a silly question,but I had to ask .Does anyone know anything about the field? Do you have to wear a protective head cap aswell ? Im the girly girl type.Does this career sound suitable for me ?

Specializes in Interested in NICU.
I need to know/feel that I made a difference in someone's life and I want to get paid well for it.

A good samaritan wanting to be paid for their good deeds... hmm ironic. Why don't you just be honest and say straight out that you want to be in nursing for the money and job security? There's nothing wrong with this reason but don't try to sugar coat it. The reality is if you want to earn money as a nurse, you have to take shifts. In these shifts you are required to provide care to people who are sick. They're going to vomit, pee, poo and squirt other gross bodily fluids and you, as a professional, have to help them clean up. Yes, it's unpleasant but it pays. There's no easy way out. It's up to you to decide what takes priority: learning to live with the awful side of nursing OR looking pretty @ work? If the latter is what you pick then nursing might not be for you or any health care profession for that matter.

I wonder if this is why nursing schools have waiting lists?? Because people are seeing "oh I make $26 dollars an hour" and then once they are actually working as a nurse, they decide its not for them. I think it should be a requirement to shadow nurses before attending nursing school, so that way you don't waste your time and leave open spots for someone who isn't just in it for the money.

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Almost every new grad I've encountered has said this one to me, "I didn't know nursing was like THIS..." The school rep will probably throw in "great hours, great pay, awesome benefits, soooo many jobs available, etc" They will artfully leave out the physical and mental stresses of the job.

Keep asking practicing nurses and make an informed decision.

I have spoken to many Nurses and they all have given me a glimpse of what Nursing is really like.In addition, my pregnancy and having to be in the hospital very often during that time has really taught me a lot about the field.I think I want to be a Nurse.No one is ever 100% sure that they have chosen the right career till they actually start working.There are many Nurses out there that don't even enjoy what they do ,but chose to remain in the field because of the pay and job security.I have been wanting this for years now.I have applied to Nursing school three times ! Now,im just researching other career options.I see myself working in the health field.The classes I mostly enjoyed in college where the science and health related classes.Many of you stated that "Health" is not for me.Well there are many careers in health that don't deal with stuff that im uncomfortable with (Nutritionist,Public Health,Physical Therapy,OT...The list goes on.The problem is,either I can't afford those programs or they are not in demand in my area.Many of the Nurses I know have told me that they too were uncomfortable with certain things but just got use to it.I've been out of school for two years to care for my toddler and im just taking this time to reconsider my career choice and research others that might be suitable for me.

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Perhaps you should see a career counseller instead of getting opinions over the net. Sit down with them do the tests they give you honestly not skewing them in order to get the answer you want.

Think about it work is only a part of your day, you feel you "need" to do something rewarding but if you are gagging on what people are posting here maybe you need to do do deep soul searching about why you want to become a nurse. If your priority for your job is to look pretty ~ nursing might not be the place for you. At the end of my morning shift my patients look "pretty" I look like I have been dragged through a hedge!

Think honestly about what you want from a job / career not what your family or friends expect - I come from a family of secondary school teachers and lawyers on the women side, highly skilled tradesmen on the male. Nursing was not seen as appropriate by my cousins and aunts and uncles.

Also you say that there are no jobs in your area.....................Can you not move?

My priority is my job but I want to look pretty doing it ! lol

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Have you thought about working at Macy's as a perfume girl?

No body fluids and lotsa time to look "girly girl" and "pretty."

I want a career where I could utilize my intelligence and one that I feel like im making a difference in someone's life.What difference would I be making in the customers' life ? Making them smell good ? I have accumulated about 70 college credits and im not going to waste that on becoming a "Macy's Perfume Girl" and make like $10 an hour.I don't mind doing it part-time while I go to school,but I don't consider that a career.

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Maybe you could be Miss America!

I hear that pays well.

Of course, the job interview is fairly competitive...

Sadly,I don't have the body for that anymore.

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Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.
I wonder if this is why nursing schools have waiting lists?? Because people are seeing "oh I make $26 dollars an hour" and then once they are actually working as a nurse, they decide its not for them. I think it should be a requirement to shadow nurses before attending nursing school, so that way you don't waste your time and leave open spots for someone who isn't just in it for the money.

When I was living in the midwest, some schools in the area required prospective nursing students to take a CNA class prior to starting clinicals. Might not have been a bad idea.

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Ultrasound Sonagrapher? Do you think the OP is up to doing a translady partsl ultrasound especially on some of the ED patients?

Radiology Technologists also see more than their share of body fluids and end up cleaning their own machines once the fluids escape the person's body by whatever orifice.

I had a translady partsl done before and don't mind doing it !

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Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.

To the OP, if you really are considering nursing but keep going back and forth on if it's for you (or rather, if you can handle it), then why not shadow a nurse for a day or something? It might really help you be able to come to a decision.

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Maybe you should consider being a rad.tech or a ultrasound sonagrapher? They pay pretty well. Also, my unit manager @ my last job worked in marketing for a pretty big hospital in our area. She said she quit because you have to dress to the nines every day and she wasn't comfortable with that(sounds fun to me!! ;) )

I'm pretty prissy too, but being a CNA leaves no time to sit around & look cute lol. When its time to get "down & dirty"(cleaning up poop, dealing with bodily fluids, etc...) I do it.

Yes,I researched thos careers,but they're not in demand where I live.Great pay though !

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Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.
Yes,I researched thos careers,but they're not in demand where I live.Great pay though !

How do you nursing is in demand "where you live?" Nursing in many areas of the country is facing it's own career slump, with many nurse's having a very difficult time finding work.

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I was reading about IT today.Im not sure if I'm into technology though.I know people who pursued a career in computer science and still can't find a job.

If you do a search on here you will find that MANY MANY MANY new grad nurses can't find jobs. Some graduated in 2009.

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Ultrasound Sonagrapher? Do you think the OP is up to doing a translady partsl ultrasound especially on some of the ED patients?

Radiology Technologists also see more than their share of body fluids and end up cleaning their own machines once the fluids escape the person's body by whatever orifice.

She could be a cardiovascular sonographer. No lady partsl ultrasounds then.

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