Need help planning my career

[peaceful nurse, RN]

I have been working on an oncology floor since Sept of 07. I have a BSN and I am currently getting a masters degree online. It is a Master of arts in Health and wellness. Most people who study this go into hospital asministration, which is something I really do not want to do. I was hoping that somone could offer some ideas into other careers that I could persue with this or certificate programs that would enhance the usefulness of this degree.

Some of the classes that I have taken

HSER 500 Introduction to Human Services

COUN 502 Human Growth and Development

COUN 506 Integration of Psychology and Theology

HSER 508 Studies in Interpersonal Communications

HSER 509 Multicultural Issues in Human Services

HSER 511 Group Dynamic

SPECIALIZATION COURSES (12 hours)

NURS 501 Health Policy and Ethics

NURS 503 Health Promotion/Disease Prevention

NURS 519 Strategies for End of Life Care

NURS 668 Health and Wellness Capstone Project

[llg, PhD, RN]

1. The first question you need to ask yourself is, "Why have you invested in an educational program that leads to a career you don't want?" "How did you get yourself into this mess to begin with?" Figuring that out might help you avoid making such mistakes in the future as you explore other possible career paths.

2. Then you need to do a thorough assessment of yourself. What are your strengths -- clinical, interpersonal, etc. ? What are your weaknesses? etc. Also assess your preferences. What types of work do you like to do? What types of work do you dislike doing? For example, if you hate paperwork, then that should tell you to avoid careers that require you to spend long hours in an office. If you hate going to meetings and serving on committees, then you should avoid jobs that require a lot of that, etc. That assessment process will help you identify the types of jobs you might like and the types of jobs that will probably NOT be a good fit for you.

3. You might it helpful to buy a few career-planning books -- particularly ones that specialize in nursing. There are a few by some folks, one of whom has the last name of Donner with a partner who's last name is Wheeler that are fairly good. They wrote one for students and new grads, but they also wrote one for experienced nurses. There are also other books on nursing careers you might want to explore. Many are readily available on Amazon.com.

4. Rather than ask, "What can I do with this degree?" ... "What type of career do I want?" Figure out your direction first and then figure out how you get there from where you are today. Don't let that one choice of taking those courses dictate your career choice. Choose a career path freely ... and then see if your past coursework can help you get there.