In nusing school, really need some advice!!!

RN1989 · Oct 29, 2007

Only you can decide whether to stay or go. I will tell you that there is more jobs than SLPs available. And I have seen fabulous salaries for SLPs and they have much better hours than nurses. Like I tell everyone else - write out your goals, write out the pros and cons of each job. Look at it, pray about it, look at it some more. If all else fails and you really can't decide, try eeny meeny miney moe.

widi96 · Oct 29, 2007

Okay - I may not be a 'seasoned' nurse, but I think I could have some input. My mom is a SLP and works one on one with patients in a rehab facility for individuals with traumatic brain injuries. She gets to work with all ages from 1yr olds to 65yr olds. Before doing this she worked in the school system for 25yrs. She has always said she absolutely loves what she does. (And she does make very good money - they offered her up to $60/hr for one prn job). She works Mon-Fri. No weekends. No Holidays. She had a lot of places chasing her to work for them. (School districts, rehab places, hospitals)

Now, I am very glad my mom loves what she does and that there are those who can do that, because it would be my vision of hell on earth. I couldn't deal with attempting to get some of these people to say there 's' correctly, especially when they don't want to. It is just not my cup of tea.

I am a nurse with all of almost 5 months experience and have thus far, loved my job. I work nights, weekend rotation and the only holiday I have off this year is Thanksgiving (I work Christmas Eve to Christmas Day and New Years Night). I knew this was what it would be when I signed onto nursing though. We do get paid, what I think is pretty good money, but if you are talking minimum hours - the big money tends to come in when you pick up extra shifts and get that wonderful overtime.

So, basically what I'm saying is I don't think you will have a problem finding a job in either field, I think generally the money can be comparable, depending what area of nursing or SLP you would go into. That basically leaves you with 'What do you want to do'. If you aren't happy with nursing - go back and finish your SLP. Do what makes you happy - you are helping people either way.

dbihl, BSN, RN · Oct 29, 2007

Hey, You have to make up your OWN mind, that being said, you are asking our opinion so, I would say... IF you are half way through the ADN, (meaning less than a year from graduating) I would say finish what you started. Then, you can work part time with a good paying job and get your other degree!!!! Then you will always have the RN, which is an awesome thing to have. Remember, no matter what you choose, your feet are never nailed to the floor. Good Luck

Halinja, BSN, RN · Oct 29, 2007

I graduated from NS in July. This is a 'second career' for me, I'm over 40. Halfway through nursing school I don't think there was a single person in my class who thought they still liked nursing. Somehow nursing school made nursing feel horrible. My best friend and I used to sit there looking at each other saying, "what have we done? I/we HATE this" (I must admit, I didn't like med/surge much at all)

The thing is...I graduated in July. I'm working in a labor and delivery unit. I LOVE it. I am excited to go to work. And if this ever gets boring there are so many many different aspects and areas of nursing to explore, from hospital nursing to a myriad of non-hospital areas.

However, if you're doing it for the 'great money for little hours'....um, I guess its relative. Our nurses work more than 40 hours a week, on average, with our mandatory call. Its good decent money. You could be a dental hygienist and make as much or more. It beats McDonalds and Walmart all hollow. It is good in that it is a career that is not dead end. There is going to be a job when you graduate. Not all degrees can boast that. So...

Don't stop because it feels bad right now. Nursing school tends to feel rotten. Just the nature of the beast. All nursing is not med/surg.

Faeriewand, ASN, RN · Oct 30, 2007

Hey, You have to make up your OWN mind, that being said, you are asking our opinion so, I would say... IF you are half way through the ADN, (meaning less than a year from graduating) I would say finish what you started. Then, you can work part time with a good paying job and get your other degree!!!! Then you will always have the RN, which is an awesome thing to have. Remember, no matter what you choose, your feet are never nailed to the floor. Good Luck

:yeahthat: This is just what I was going to say. There have been times when I've doubted myself in nursing school. Wondered if I would ever like the profession. Wondered what the heck I was doing there. Then some wonderful beautiful moment comes along and I am hit with a feeling of awe and power! WOW! Give nursing a chance for now. That RN behind your name will bring respect whatever you do. :)

HM2VikingRN, RN · Oct 30, 2007

I don't like Med Surg either. I do like nursing.

Are you doing any alternate experiences during your clinicals? I found through my alternate experiences that I really wasnt to be in ICU or ER. I have have had 3 separate instructors tell me that they thought I should go directly into those areas for my first job because it looked like a better fit for me. Try and get some alternate experiences and it may help you pick your first job....

I think you should go where you "feel the buzz." Some people love bedside nursing. Some love ER. Some love ICU. Ypur speech language training will help you do well in many areas of nursing. One other idea that I had was for you to sit down and write what your dream job is.....Do what you love and the money will follow....Best of luck!

Blee O'Myacin, BSN, RN · Oct 30, 2007

1. Chasing the "big money, for such little hours" that nurses supposedly make

:lol2: :lol2: :lol2: (Laughing with you, not at you...)

They really pull you in with that one, don't they!!! There are some days where it's like stealing money, and then there are most other days where they really couldn't pay you enough to compensate for the job that you are doing. But you know some of that already having been out on the floors for clinical.

To be honest, I'm not a fan of med-surg either. I went from ICU to the ER and I enjoy what I do for a living, even if I feel that I earn every last cent - especially on the days when I just get the glass window shut in triage before I get spit on! But if you feel that you are missing out on what you were meant to do, which is SLP, then you need to finish what you started and go back to school for that.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Blee

Curious1alwys, BSN, RN · Oct 30, 2007

Hey, You have to make up your OWN mind, that being said, you are asking our opinion so, I would say... IF you are half way through the ADN, (meaning less than a year from graduating) I would say finish what you started. Then, you can work part time with a good paying job and get your other degree!!!! Then you will always have the RN, which is an awesome thing to have. Remember, no matter what you choose, your feet are never nailed to the floor. Good Luck

:yeahthat:

queenjean · Oct 30, 2007

You did not pursue your career in SLP because you did not like the client experience you got in school. You are thinking of not pursuing a career in nursing because you don't like the client experiences you are having in school. See a pattern here?

School is not like real life. Personally, since you asked opinions, if I were in your shoes I would finish what I started, and work for a year as a nurse. About 6 months into whatever you are doing (community health, hospital based nursing, school nursing) you will hit your stride and begin the transition from student to professional nurse. When you make that transition, you will be in more of a position to say whether you like nursing or not. Then you can make a more informed decision regarding your future.

Remember, nursing school DOES NOT equal a nursing career. School is nothing like the reality of being a nurse. NOTHING LIKE IT.

I have been an LPN, went back to my get my RN, and if I would have based my idea of nursing off of clinicals, I would not have thought I would have enjoyed nursing, either. Fortunately, I was actually already a nurse, so I had a better perspective.

You have not had any real-life experience in either career for which you have educated yourself. How can you possibly know what you want? From one professional student to another (I have multiple degrees, too), it is easy to get yourself into a "grass is always greener" mindset. Sometimes you have to suck it up and deal with the crap for a while to see if you will then reap the benefits of your hard work.

It's just like a marriage. There are highs and lows, when the honeymoon period is over you can go two ways; you can grow apart and end it, or you can emphasize the positives, work on or accept the negatives and keep it going. Your career is never going to be awesome all the time.

Who makes $60/hr as an SLP? Widi's mother--with 25 years experience. How much is that grad degree going to cost? Is it worth it? In two weeks when I finish my RN I'll be making 50K, and I suspect that is about average. That's what you are looking at with your starting salary after doing more grad school in SLP? Are you sure you can't stick this out and find out if you really enjoy it?

I'm not advocating that you stay in a career you don't enjoy. I didn't. But I'm also saying you need to look deep inside and see if it is your chosen career, or maybe something else. I personally think you also need to have some real life experience in your career before you say whether you dont' like it, and instead further your education in another career in which you have no experience and no real idea that you would like it.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

cf264801 · Oct 30, 2007

You've all given me some awesome answers. You're all awesome, period.

I'll suck it up and keep an open mind. It wasn't so much bad clinical experiences, those have been pretty good, for the most part.

It is just the amount of work and stress my program lays on the students. I understand the career is stressful, requires time management/priority setting, and tons of critical thinking.....

but why does the schooling need to be almost impossible at times?

JulieRN07 · Oct 30, 2007

I know it doesn't seem like it now, and it won't apply to every experiance that you have with your clinicals, but you are getting a foundation of knowledge from those very tedious rotations. Being a student is your opportunity to just say, " I don't know, please show me" because that is what is expected of you.

Don't give up hope just yet! When you get done, and are able to choose your own area of nursing to work in, one you enjoy and feel good about, it will be a totally different ball game. It sounds like you will make a great nurse-Hang in there!!