Nurses who wish you "hadn't" - other healthcare careers you wish you'd pursued?

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A question for those of you who regret (to whatever extent) choosing a nursing career - are there other healthcare careers you've observed that you wish you had pursued instead?

Tks!

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Specializes in med/sug/onc/geri.

Oh yeah. The old "if I knew then what I know now". I desperately wish I would have been a PT or OT, or even a radiology tech, or ANYTHING other than nurse. Most work 8-5 M-F, no holidays, no weekends, no overtime, no on-call, none of the blame and crap that we put up with on a daily basis. If I could afford to go back to school I would.

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I have tossed around the idea of rad tech instead of nursing, however, this is a second career for me, I have a previous undergrad degree...... to be honest, I wonder if down the line I will regret going back to school for a job that is essentially 'blue collar'........ your thoughts?

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Medicin (pathologist) or biomedical engineering.

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Specializes in Solid organ transplant, medsurge, tele.

How about Case Manager. They always leave notes in the chart, "Patient sleeping, did not want to disturb. Will check back tomorrow." ......Seriously?

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Specializes in ER.

Pharmacist! I would put up with standing in a box in Walmart for 150K a year counting pills!

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Threads merged.

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Specializes in OR, peds, PALS, ICU, camp, school.

Respiratory therapy. It used to be my favorite part of nursing... managing resp distress and vents. But there's a good chance I would have ended up a nurse anyway. I just wish sometimes that I had the RT background to deepen and guide my resp knowledge.

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Specializes in Post Anesthesia.

If I had the grades and the $$$- medicine specif: interventional radiology. I looks like a blast!

For my grades and the $ I had to spend on school- why oh why didn't I go into resp. therapy! Almost the same wages as an RN but if the patient is confused and combative - "sorry, no treatment for him", if they are poopy- "not the end I deal with", if they refuse treatment- "great, an earily lunch!".. I'm sure they have busy nights but all-in-all it sounds like a great job!

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Specializes in M/S, MICU, CVICU, SICU, ER, Trauma, NICU.
Pharmacist! I would put up with standing in a box in Walmart for 150K a year counting pills!

My cousin is a pharmacist. Needless to say, I went to visit him at work.

I would much rather eat mud. Keep the $150 K....it's so boring that I checked on one of his co-workers just to make sure she still had a pulse.

No way, Jose.

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Specializes in CCU MICU Rapid Response.
My cousin is a pharmacist. Needless to say, I went to visit him at work.

I would much rather eat mud. Keep the $150 K....it's so boring that I checked on one of his co-workers just to make sure she still had a pulse.

No way, Jose.

Ill have some mud please! I thought about pharmacy and working in the unit. It looks waaay less stressful. Id like boring for a bit I think :) Ivanna

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Nursing works for me right now since I work part time.

Sometimes the grass looks greener in the Rad tech area.

There is no charting, one patient at a time and very clear-cut job responsibilities.

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