I graduated from LPN school and took my NCLEX yesterday. Further down the road, I want to study for an RN. Nursing school is an expensive, hard journey which I am reconsidering due to all the negativity associated with the work environment where nurses are leaving the profession in droves.
I can understand the understaffing can be a problem but is it like this in almost every nursing specialty?
My goal is to work as an operating room RN. Would it still be understaffed?
Are there fields where I wouldn't have to deal with the massive understaffing yet still make great money?
I would really appreciate it if someone experienced can shed some light on what really goes on.
CPA is harder because it's an "extra" certification and is not needed to work as an accountant. All you need is a degree. To work as a nurse you need a degree and to pass the NCLEX which is a licensure exam. It is a MINIMUM COMPETENCY exam. If the NCLEX had pass rates of only 40-50% then the schools would be failing to prepare students for licensure and would be shut down by regulatory bodies.
Nursing school is a lot of memorization and then you get your first job and the application of knowledge begins. This hasn't started for you yet so it is hard for you to comprehend. Thinking on your feet, following your gut, and remembering what to do in a panic is a skill that the NCLEX won't prepare you for. You learn most of nursing by being a nurse. Congratulations on passing your PN and good luck on the job search. There are a million different nursing jobs out there. You'll find something that suits you.
If you are employed by a public corporation, only a CPA can financially approve audited financial statements. As an individual, you need a CPA for complicated tax returns and to help and represent you if the IRS is auditing you .
This education of the beginning or culmination of an RN education hasn't started for you yet so it is hard for you to comprehend the difficulties coming into an RN program. Thinking on your feet; working with patients and family members to meet mutual goals; following basic and advanced science principles; and remembering what to do in a critical situation are all skills that the NCLEX won't prepare you with just a memorization mentality..
You learn most of nursing by being a nurse. I second that but you haven't passed RN NCLEX and good luck on the job search. There are a million different nursing jobs out there. Someone will hire you if they are desperate.
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While possible, it is unlikely to earn over $100k as an accountant because even higher-paid positions do not typically earn more than $69,000 per year. The average annual salary for an accountant is $52,965.Feb 14, 2022
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The average salary for someone with a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Chicago, IL is between $74,091 and $486,324 as of October 25, 2023
Here is how the NCLEX has mastered turning 5 exams into one...For exam, you have a woman in labor who is an insulin dependent diabetic. What are her insulin needs? What can you expect to see in the baby? The baby is born and becomes lethargic ten minutes later - what should you check FIRST - temperature or blood sugar? What changes should be expected in the mother's insulin needs?
Gotta NOW ask for your answers (you think your practical nurse education would provide the memorization of the knowledge and practical necessary actions for this situation, since you passed the PN-NCLEX ) With your memorization you should be able to this vital question that could mean life or death for baby.
As when other posters are challenged...he/she is gone. the OP did NOT answer how to handle the scenario - just deflected back to nursing being all memorization.
Gotta NOW ask for your answers (you think your practical nurse education would provide the memorization of the knowledge and practical necessary actions for this situation, since you passed the PN-NCLEX ) With your memorization you should be able to this vital question that could mean life or death for baby.
As when other posters are challenged...he/she is gone. the OP did NOT answer how to handle the scenario - just deflected back to nursing being all memorization.
So youre saying you cant just memorize what to do in every scenario that pops up? Nurses are TOLD what to do when certain situations or symptoms arise. It is doctors or providers that apply their knowledge to the already gathered information from the nurse to really figure out what is going on. It is the doctors that decide on which treatment is suitable for that particular patient, the specific diagnostic tests that are necessary, possible diagnosis. This is something that relies more heavily on judgement rather than pure memorization. Don't confuse the job between of a doctor and a nurse.
CPAs have a prestige that RNs do not have. When you tell people youre a CPA, they know that you know your stuff and youre the director of your own show. When you tell people you are a nurse, they see you as someone who receives orders from the life saving doctor. You cant compare a CPA to an RN. Plus, plenty of RNs are leaving the profession in droves for less stressful offices jobs such as CPA jobs.
Don't confuse the job between of a doctor and a nurse.
This is what you are doing.
nursingcand said:
When you tell people youre (corrected to "You are" a CPA, they know that you know your stuff and youre corrected to "You are "the director of your own show.
You have forgotten my previous statement that my husband is a CPA.
nursingcand said:
Plus, plenty of RNs are leaving the profession in droves for less stressful offices jobs such as CPA jobs.
So CPA is easier?
nursingcand said:
When you tell people you are a nurse, they see you as someone who receives orders from the life saving doctor.
Who sets up post-op mobility plans, who does patient teaching, who visits the patient's home post op?
You have forgotten my previous statement that my husband is a CPA.
So CPA is easier?
Who sets up post-op mobility plans, who does patient teaching, who visits the patient's home post op?
CPAs get more respect than RNs because they are the directors of their own show. CPAs are the sole decision makers. Just like doctors make all the decisions while everyone else helps carry them out. As to why nurses are leaving the profession, it is because nurses are not as valued or respected. Hospitals value doctors because they rake in revenue for the hospital. Just the same way accounting firms values their CPAs because they rake in revenue for the accounting firms. Nurses do not rake in profits for their employers. Employers value those who can help them stay in business. One huge upside to being a CPA is that they start their own business whereas there aren't many opportunities to start businesses in nursing. When you have your own business, your earning potential is unlimited.
Nurses memorize what to do when certain situations / symptoms arise. They memorize what possibilities can happen when certain symptoms arise or consequences if certain things remain untreated. But they are not trained to make decisions. They are trained to collect data. Not to make decisions off of data. Nurses memorize what to do upon certain situations, but they are not trained to make decisions based off of their own personal judgement.
Sure, nurses may give very minor advice such as ambulation but still it is not a judgement heavy profession. Your patient teaching comes after the doctor has made a diagnosis and treatment. Your discharge teaching comes after the doctor has made their judgement. You are not allowed to decide on suitable treatment, or which diagnostic tests are needed based on a patient's specific patient history, you are not allowed to tell what kind of diet a patient should go on UNTIL, the doctor has made a decision based on their judgment. Vast majority of things require a doctor's order. Doctors make their decision based on their own judgement. They don't simply memorize what to do when certain situations arise. After they take in all the data collected by the nurse, evaluate the entire situation then apply their own judgement. Every patient treatment is unique to the patient's own history, situation and needs. It is not something you can simply memorize for.
I can't speak to the new NCLEX, back in the day 1993 for me, the boards was a two day, 8 hour affair, pencil and paper multiple choice and covered the whole breath of nursing. You would be foolish to assume because the LPN exam was easy that the RN exam will be just as easy and the same. They are compacting down the info into as few as 75 questions I believe, but possibly less than 100, depending on how you do. You can pass or fail on the minimum questions as well.
Also, you can't work as a nurse without passing the NCLEX! It isn't like accounting where you can work without the CFA or CPA credentials, unless you want to work as a glorified CNA! There were three of us, new grads, hired at the same time. My one friend didn't pass and was fired. She ended up having to retake it and it was only twice a year at the time.
Serendipitously, I had to have bone tumor surgery at another hospital by an Oncology specialist just two years later; and she happened to work there and came and saw me and helped me as I was having a lot of pain postop and got them to start a morphine drip. It was so nice to see a friendly face and I was glad she was OK!
On another occasion years later a popular young nurse failed his boards, but was kept on and work as a CNA until he passed. He later went to work in the CICU of a major medical center. I know another nurse that couldn't pass boards, but after working in the ICU for years as a tech with the nurses' help and encouragement she finally passed. She is an excellent nurse, but had test anxiety. She was also the best boss I ever had! Hands on, caring and skilled and would listen and help. She always had our back! She is now working in the ER of a level one trauma center.
Plus like I said back in the day it was a two day affair so I felt it was rigorous. When you passed you didn't learn how you did, although if you failed they gave a score and some info on where you were lacking I was told. You waited months for the announcement by mail that would decide your fate if you could continue working as a nurse, since most had already started as a GN some before they even took boards.
In my opinion, CPA mistakes are not as dire as the stakes in nursing with actual human lives on the line. I don't know you but some of your comments and attitudes seem cold, cavalier and lacking empathy. You say you have a talent for nursing, but then say it is because it is so much easier than accounting. You are clearly not understanding the seriousness of the job!
I was in accounting for a year and towards the end of a 8 hour work day, those numbers on the computer screen looked like crawling ants. My eyes were so fatigued that I couldn't even see yet I was still forced to finish work accurately. I also endured aches and pains on my back and neck associated with overly long periods of sitting. Often times, I worked 10-14 hour days. Both professions are difficult. But yes, of course a patient death is more serious than an arrest or ruining someone's life. But it really does not make the work of a CPA any less serious. Losing your livelihood is never something that is not serious.
Thanks for the insight. I love nursing as a profession. But it's not what it seems from looking at it as an outsider. I went into it because I'm good at caring for people. It's something I enjoy doing. Despite hearing that nursing is stressful/ hard, I still went into it because I just don't know to what extent that "stress" or "hardship" is. I can endure hardship and stress. But it really depends on how stressful it is. I think that every profession has stress of some sort. It's really unfortunate how so many nurses are complaining about such an important role. I probably will end up leaving the profession eventually just like them but for meanwhile, I will just stick to it until I can find a healthier job. The upside to nursing is that you get job stability like no other- something many other professions absolutely do not have.
A lot of nurses have gotten sick from working under such chronic stress. I don't think our health is something we should be playing around with.
I've said this to nursing students, and I'll say it to you:
if you are looking for a career to make big time money, nursing is not and never will be the career for you.
If you can stomach waking up every single day to work your a** off to barely make ends meet and be kicked while you do it, then welcome to the fold.
You have to seriously love, and have a passion, for what you do. Else it is not worth it. Healthcare is in the state it is in because too many people want their piece of the pie and nobody wants to put in the effort. Yeah, management and insurance companies make the good money, and they don't care, and perhaps they sleep well at night. Meanwhile there are nurses who are holding everything up, hoping we don't step on a land mine or get tripped by the people we work with. Constantly looking over our shoulders, picking up the slack, acting like it's all OK for the patients sake. This is a dead end street that leads no where but to burn out. But we do it anyway because we can't imagine doing anything else.
I've said this to nursing students, and I'll say it to you:
if you are looking for a career to make big time money, nursing is not and never will be the career for you.
If you can stomach waking up every single day to work your a** off to barely make ends meet and be kicked while you do it, then welcome to the fold.
You have to seriously love, and have a passion, for what you do. Else it is not worth it. Healthcare is in the state it is in because too many people want their piece of the pie and nobody wants to put in the effort. Yeah, management and insurance companies make the good money, and they don't care, and perhaps they sleep well at night. Meanwhile there are nurses who are holding everything up, hoping we don't step on a land mine or get tripped by the people we work with. Constantly looking over our shoulders, picking up the slack, acting like it's all OK for the patients sake. This is a dead end street that leads no where but to burn out. But we do it anyway because we can't imagine doing anything else.
I think it really depends on where you work. In NYC, OR nurses make anywhere from 90-125 an hour which is way above average in comparison to the average salary in the US. I'm not going into nursing just for the money. I'm genuinely care about people and I'm good caring for people which was one of the reasons why I left accounting. I would be a better nurse than I will ever be an accountant. But at some point in my nursing career, I would like to have enough money to start a business. Caring for people is amazing but I have dreams to fulfill.
I think we have to accept the OP is 28. Graduating from a 4 year college took him quite some time. I guess grace for extended education time for memorization is in order.
Nursynursenurse, ADN, RN
114 Posts
CPA is harder because it's an "extra" certification and is not needed to work as an accountant. All you need is a degree. To work as a nurse you need a degree and to pass the NCLEX which is a licensure exam. It is a MINIMUM COMPETENCY exam. If the NCLEX had pass rates of only 40-50% then the schools would be failing to prepare students for licensure and would be shut down by regulatory bodies.
Nursing school is a lot of memorization and then you get your first job and the application of knowledge begins. This hasn't started for you yet so it is hard for you to comprehend. Thinking on your feet, following your gut, and remembering what to do in a panic is a skill that the NCLEX won't prepare you for. You learn most of nursing by being a nurse. Congratulations on passing your PN and good luck on the job search. There are a million different nursing jobs out there. You'll find something that suits you.