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Discussion

Just Curious........

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With the dog days of August upon us and the desire to see my teenaged sons board that shiny yellow school bus intensifying every day, my thoughts have turned to mush and I'm bored and full of ennui. So here's my question: What did you do before you became a nurse?

Many of us are "second-career" nurses, those who had other jobs/careers or were SAHMs before we went to nursing school. Me, I started out working in factories assembling printed circuit boards, then moved on to home health care (where I lasted a whole week as a 'homemaker'), apartment management, and motherhood. I've also done some writing, and I've been published in several large newspapers and a couple of magazines....sure wish it could've paid the rent, because it's always been my first love, and I'll continue to dabble in it from time to time for the rest of my days.

Please share your stories.......I think this has been done before, but it's been a while and there's a lot of new members who are either students or newer nurses, and it would be fun to hear from them too.

:)

Featured Replies

Business school

then Flight Attendant

then receptionist

now nursing school (LPN)

Start as a Nursing asst in 2 weeks!!

Marla.. my thoughts have turned to mush too!! hehehehehe I'm trying to wake them up though since I start back to class on Monday, better hurry! And with my kids not starting back to school till Sept 8, things will get pretty interesting around here... I started off working front desk in a hotel... then left that for 5 years to have the kids... then came the divorce and back to a different hotel. I went to college and got a degree in community mental health, realized that wouldn't get me any better than I had at the hotel, did get a promotion to Front Desk Manager (big whoop!).. then, feeling completely unfulfilled realized it was a nurse that I wanted to be! So I have one more year before I am an RN and am sooo happy about the path I have chosen in life. I have been home with the kids all summer, and though it has been a looooong one with the bickering, I have enjoyed it very much.. spent some nice time with them :) BTW, is your son everseas? I agree with your message, support them, and let's get them home!

I decided to go back to school, and persue R.N. after being told by sevral people what a wonderful nurse I'd be after being their waitress or bartender. I love being on my feet, a desk job is out of the question. and I love to interact with people, and make them happy. You get very burned out bartending. Allot of stabing you in the back, and I know gossip is aproblem anywhere, but in a restaraunt it's the worst! I can't wait to start school next week!:)

clerk typist, reservations agent, Pizza Hut cook/asst. manager. I always had low level and low paying jobs before I made it through nursing school. Been working hard for a long time, wish I could retire. :)

Peanut brittle packager

nurses' aide

janitor at an elementary school

911 operator

LVN

RN staff

RN Patient educator

Funnest job was the 911 operator, but in a small town you can't make a living at it.

Aircraft engine mechanic in the U.S. Marine Corps for 22 years

1) Sexton, partime (sexton = a person who does the cleaning in a church)

2) Steal factory worker (during the summers which paid my way through college)

3) Music college student and graduate

4) Burger King cashier/cook

5) Sexton, fulltime

6) Full-time lounge musician (when single) for a cruise ship

7) Organist/choir director for church, partime (still have this job after 20+ years!)

8) Dietary aide then nursing assistant than physical therapy aid for nursing home

9) Baked goods sales person for farmer's market in NYC

10) Co-owned a cabaret act called, The ACT. . . part time

11) Full-time lounge musician (again, but married) for a cruise ship (We called ourselves "Tambre"

12) Nursing assistant in a hospital

13) Nursing college student and graduate

14) REGISTERED NURSE!!!

Gee, I am boring. The only paid employment I have ever had is nursing. LPN at age 19, RN (AD) at 31 and now BSN student with my eyes set on MSN. I wonder if I would be any good at anything else????????? :coollook:

:chuckle I tried to be a phone solicitor but got fired. I think I got fired because my friend and I were always laughing hysterically over our customers remarks and hang-ups. I tried to be a waitress but got fired because I kept bringing people the wrong food. I then became a CNA and then an LPN and haven't gotten fired since entering the nursing field.

Nurse's Aide 11 years on and off.

Hairdresser for 6 months and still keeping the license active)

Housekeeping supervisor in a nursing home

Wal-Mart cashier (one week)

Hotel room inspector

Receptionist

Private house cleaning

Phlebotomist

Well let's see....I've done:

1. Babysitting

2. Waitress for catering companies

3. Fast food worker

4. Cust. service @ Lowe's

5. Office manager @ a trucking co.

6. Dispatcher for a trucking co.

7. Police Officer

8. RN

  • Author
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clerk typist, reservations agent, Pizza Hut cook/asst. manager. I always had low level and low paying jobs before I made it through nursing school. Been working hard for a long time, wish I could retire. :)

RETIRE??? Who you foolin'?.......I figure I'll be able to retire when they pry the pen from my cold, dead fingers after I've keeled over at the nurses' station :chuckle

I did the low-paying job thing for most of my life too, which is one reason I won't be able to retire, and only reached prime earning capabilities after the age of 40. Even then, I was still raising four kids, and there's been NO way to save anything. So........I'm glad I really love nursing, because it's what I'm gonna be doing until the day I transfer to the Eternal Care Facility. :)

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