need support

[Kms210]

I was told to post this here, since actual nurses read this instead of students. I am a student but am looking for advice from a nurse.

Just started nursing school this week. I have a BA in psych and am getting my master's in counseling. unfortunately, counselors make NO money and I have crazy loans, so I'm getting my asn as well as my masters. I know what you're all thinking (you're insane and you can't handle it). My master's classes are cake, I can do them with my eyes close. I never have to read, everything is done in class and I just do really well. So my issue is this- I don't know if I want to do nursing. I think I'd like it, but I just DON'T KNOW and it's killing me to think that I'm sure of my future. I have looked up tons of information on nurses and I just don't know what I want to do (maybe an identity crisis going on here).

Anyways, if there is a nurse reading this can you please maybe go through your day of what is expected to do? I know all days are different, but if I get a general idea then I may still be interested or not at all. I am paying cash for nursing school and it would save me tons of I could finally decide. I would really appreciate it.

[Asystole RN]

Will your master's be a science or art?

What do you want to do with your career? Psych nursing?

[ORnurse1883]

With your background in psych and your degrees in the field, psych nursing may be of more interest than anything else. You should contact a local psych unit/hospital and ask to shadow an RN for a day. Let them know you have an interest in psych and are considering nursing, but you want to see what it's really like. Spend the day with the nurse and see how his/her day is, what it entails, and ask lots of questions. You'll know by the end of the day if it's really something you want to pursue. If you find you like the idea of nursing, but not psych find a different area of nursing and shadow again.

[2BRN123]

or.... to an accelerated BSN since you already have a BA and then do an MSN psychiatric focus... if that's an interest of yours.

A Masters degree in Counseling + an RN license does not give you license to prescribe therapeutic devices or medications, order referrals and may not allow you to practice independently. Depending on where you end up working you may just be seen as a counselor who happens to have an RN license or an RN with a masters degree in something else but not really be able to unite the two. Ex: Earning a masters degree in engineering + an associates degree in architectural studies would not allow you to to obtain licensure as a practicing architect, earning a PhD in education and a nursing license does not qualify you to be a clinical nursing instructor.

Nursing scopes of practice between education levels differ from Psychology and counseling scopes of practice in the same education levels. Combining the two won't necessarily take you to the place you want to end up (not really sure where that is).

Basically what I'm trying to say here is try your best to figure out what you want to do in the end, just because you have a grab bag of credentials doesn't mean employers or Licensure boards are going to acknowledge them all.

Since debt is an issue, look at it this way: Is it more reasonable to pay off Bachelors and Masters on a counselors pay... or Bachelors Masters and ADN on nurses pay. Just some thoughts.

[Nurse ABC]

Are you getting your ASN just to make ends meet from your counseling career? Or are you getting your nursing degree in hopes of a job where you can use your counseling degree? Have you ruled out becoming a psychiatrist or psychologist in order to stay in your field and make more money? If you are just trying to supplement your income as a nurse then just know you don't usually get to pick your own hours so if you have a regular counseling job during the week then you'll probably have to find a weekend job as a nurse which leaves you little off time. If you're truly wanting to become a nurse then I wouldn't waste my time with a counseling degree since it's not going to really help your nursing career much. There are several threads about what nurses do on a day to day basis already in all the different nursing areas so just look through those. Start with the Med-Surg thread.