Okay to start this discussion I would like to first explain and introduce myself. I'm a 22 year old male Firefighter who has been on the job for about a year and a half now. As everyone probably knows, firefighters are required to be at least EMTS. Ever since I start my schooling to become an AEMT I have throughly enjoyed the medical side and the one thing that I just love the most about my job is seeing a young patient who for example is so scared of something EMS related that you are there to show them compassion and to calm there nerves and show them that there is nothing to worry about. I can't begin to explain how heart warming this brings me and enjoyment/satisfaction. I can't say I feel the same about the fire side. I can go into a whole discussion explaining why I dislike the fire side but this is not what I am here for other then to try to purse what I love so I can enjoy something I am going to love doing. A little more about myself, I am what you call a fitness freak and by freak I mean like I take care of myself like its no tomorrow. I workout 6 days a week, Meal plan/Prep my food for the week and I take fish oil Pill and flaxseed oil Pill for my health. Now you can easily see that my ultimate passion would be something fitness related like opening up a gym or getting some form or degree in fitness but there is just no good use in any of that in todays world. Now to my main issue, I have been throughly considering going to college for a nursing degree but the only thing that is holding me back are (and I will list them)
1. Working long hours to the point that I won't be able to workout anymore
2. I love the aspect of nursing but what i dislike is the bathing patients and helping them pee. Thats the only things that just thoroughly don't interest me.
3. Worried that my loan debt will be too much or more then what I will make
Now a few weeks back I thought I found the career I wanted which was a CRNA until I realized the amount of schooling that it requires and the amount of loan debt I will be in and that just does not seem worth it in my view. I'm just trying to find a career that will not take up more then 6 years of my life that will pay decent (not looking to make 100k plus a year) and has a decent retirement. I love the medical field and I have had nurses and doctors in my family but for me I just don't wanna be in school for more then 8 years to finally start my career cause as you can probably tell I wanna eventually quit the fire department and have a career that I will love more then anything and thats why I was looking into cardiovascular nurse but i'm just not quite sure what I wanna do in the medical field per say. I was also looking into becoming a PA but then I heard that this career field would be a bad choice and is far from worth it. I am still living at home with my parents which still makes me feel like a huge bum and is causing me so much stress. I just wanna move out and get my career started but as you can tell I am stuck and I am hoping anyone can give me some advice. I would appreciate anything. Thanks everyone!
Honestly I would like to believe that I have been fairly nice so far and came here just honestly looking for some advice but so far I have been getting nothing but sarcasm from you which I believe is just disrespectful. Honestly if you don't have any good advice then why are you commenting? I'm not forcing you to comment at all on my post but it seems like whatever I have said really annoyed you and I apologize for that cause those were not my intentions.
I greatly appreciate you believing me and giving me good advice. I can honestly say that my main concern is truly the debt cause I would like to believe that it is anyone's concern. I really appreciate your advice and will most certainly look into everything you have posted. I'm planning on tommorrow going to my local hospital to shadow a PA and a physcial Thearpist.
I will keep looking into the fitness industry but as of right now I cannot really find a degree/career that truly interset me other then opening up a gym but that is a dime in a dozen.
I can tell you I almost regretted getting my nursing degree until I found my niche. I 100% LOVE pediatrics and I love nephrology even more!
I work at the Children's hospital in town in the nephrology department. I work four 10 hour days and always have Thursday's off.
I don't bath patients but as a nurse I care about my kids and if they needed a bath I would do it in a heartbeat.
I unfortunately have a stupid amount of student loans but I made poor choices when taking those student loans out. You can be smart about student loans and not be in horrible debt after graduation.
You can do so much with a nursing degree but if you are big into fitness maybe physical therapy would be a good choice?
Perhaps the best thing would be to call local colleges and see what different programs you are interested in would run you $$ wise. I know the Associates RN route pays decent and has less $$ investment. Some nurses manage to go into Psychiatric areas where they do not have as much ADL care of patients. Not that it would be mess or urine-free. Just sayin'.
Specializes in Family Medicine, Tele/Cardiac, Camp.
Why not just look into getting out of the fire-fighting side of things and working strictly as a paramedic?
If you truly are interested in nursing (and I too suggest shadowing), then there are ways to go about getting into nursing without being in mountains of debt. I started with my ASN at a community college (though you need to see if your area hires ASN's as opposed to BSN's) and worked my way up. You can generally get started for relatively little money and then find ways to get tuition reimbursment from your employer, scholarships, reasonable loans, or go part time in order to move up to BSN and MSN if you so choose.
Honestly I would like to believe that I have been fairly nice so far and came here just honestly looking for some advice but so far I have been getting nothing but sarcasm from you which I believe is just disrespectful. Honestly if you don't have any good advice then why are you commenting? I'm not forcing you to comment at all on my post but it seems like whatever I have said really annoyed you and I apologize for that cause those were not my intentions.
I've not disrespected you at all, and I did give you advice. But like most of the other advice given here, you shot it down.
If you want to work in the medical field, there are countless options. I'm sure one of them would suit you well. Start looking at what jobs are being posted by hospitals in your area, and research what those jobs entail.
Hi, italianlifter. As you are already a firefighter, you are ambitious and intelligent.
If you feel a nursing degree would be beneficial to your goal, please discuss with academic advisors. We are nurses, not school counselors.
You are WAAY ahead of yourself worrying about bed baths and toileting. You would need to learn these skills in clinical education. In the grand scheme of things, you will be delegating that to nursing assistants.
You will be able to earn a degree through a community college, in less than 6 years, with a lower debt. I have an ASN, I started out as a cardiovascular nurse.. you can too.
Best of luck.. let us know what the advisors tell you.
If I were in your shoes, I would pile up cash, spend 2 years getting your RN at a community college and work a while as a nurse. After a few years you'll likely have a much more definitive idea what your long term goals are, and once you get that experience under your belt the sky is the limit. I've been a nurse for 5 years and just now am starting to figure out what I want out of my career long term.
Just as aside, I think a couple of posts have been a bit harsh on the guy. He's 22 (for the love of God, his brain hasn't even finished developing yet), and just finding his way. A lot of finding your way is in looking at the big picture with puzzle pieces strewn all about, and trying to make sense of it all.
It sounds to me like he is working the problem, and trying to find the right path for himself.
OP, have you thought about sports medicine? Yes, it would require an MD and medical school, and (big) loans, but you'd earn it back in spades. Others have mentioned physical therapy (again...a big degree), which I think is also a viable option given your needs/wants.
Think long term here. I know the age of 30-32 sounds like, really old to you right now, but believe me, once you graduate, you will just be approaching your working prime. A degree in these fields might be just the ticket.
I'm gonna chime in and agree with exploring physical therapy or combining it with athletic training. Especially if you have some good business skills, you could do very well for yourself. Physical therapy requires a masters degree but the cost isn't unmanageable. I just started grad school myself, and I completely understand not wanting to rack up debt - I am terrified of it! But its an investment in your future. The "rule of thumb" is to not have more debt than you would earn in 1 years salary. So, if your future job will pay $100,000 a year, it would be reasonable to take out money up to that amount. Its just a necessary evil to get to where you want to be. Save up and pay what you can that way, but educational debt is okay.
As an aside, I am also thoroughly disinterested in bathing people and helping patients pee. I think most of us feel that way
Just as aside, I think a couple of posts have been a bit harsh on the guy. He's 22 (for the love of God, his brain hasn't even finished developing yet), and just finding his way. A lot of finding your way is in looking at the big picture with puzzle pieces strewn all about, and trying to make sense of it all.
It sounds to me like he is working the problem, and trying to find the right path for himself.
OP, have you thought about sports medicine? Yes, it would require an MD and medical school, and (big) loans, but you'd earn it back in spades. Others have mentioned physical therapy (again...a big degree), which I think is also a viable option given your needs/wants.
Think long term here. I know the age of 30-32 sounds like, really old to you right now, but believe me, once you graduate, you will just be approaching your working prime. A degree in these fields might be just the ticket.
I was pretty harsh, I admit. I shouldn't have posted at all in this thread. I have very little patience with people that ask for advice and then dismiss all of it. It's a huge pet peeve of mine.
Libby1987
3,726 Posts
I haven't met a physical therapist that regretted their decision. They out earn me and have a better schedule.