Nursing newbie: Nursing education and work settings

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Nurses! Hello! This site has an amazing wealth of information, and I'm excited to dive in. I'm just working on pre-reqs for BSN programs and am probably at least a year out from actually applying to a program. For nurses at all level of career, I have a host of questions:

Did you do a BSN?

Do you have thoughts on the kinds of degrees one should consider for entering nursing as a second career (BSN, some kind of masters)?

Do you practice a kind of specialty nursing (psychiatric, advanced practice, etc.)? If so, how did you come to that career, and what additional education did you need for it?

Do you work in hospital settings?

What settings have you worked in? I'm especially interested in outpatient nursing, I think, and am nervous about my ability to get the "two year minimum" of hospital time so many people mention. Lastly, what's the one piece of advice you always give to someone who says they're interested in becoming a nurse?

Thank you all!

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

in the USA we get generic licenses at entry level, then people generally gain expertise in one or more areas. So you really are projecting too far. I started with an ADN degree, worked a year or so, got my BSN, then later my MSN. At each point I returned to school because something in my life or career urged me towards a goal. My best advice to newbies is work on getting the license, then the rest will fall into place. Learning how to be a nurse is enough for now. You may find your niche after working a while, so don't worry.

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

Welcome to AN!

First, I would change your screen name. You can't have "nurse" or "RN" until you've passed the NCLEX.

To answer your questions:

Yes, I have my BSN.

What kind of degree you want/need depends on the job market where you are and what your end goal is. If you want to work in outpatient, do you want to be a nurse practitioner? You'd need your MSN to do that. There are a variety of routes to explore.

Specialty: My goal is to be a certified nurse midwife, which will require a master's program. I just graduated with my BSN, and am going to work for a few years until I'm ready to go back. For now, I'm pursuing both women's health (L&D or postpartum) or emergency. I have a good lead in emergency right now, so here's hoping! If I get that, I'll pursue certifications that are specific to that area (CEN or TNCC) in addition to the ones I'd go for in women's health as well (ACLS, PALS, NRP).

I decided on midwifery before I decided on nursing. Nursing is a step toward my end goal. What I plan to do with my CNM I'm still not 100% sure, but I have years before I need to know for sure, so I'm not stressed about it.

Before earning my RN, I worked in a free-standing birth center, a Naval clinic, a hospital lab, and doing freelance lactation work. As a RN, I've worked as a camp nurse, I work health fairs, I'm doing home infusions, and I'll be doing flu clinics this upcoming season. If the ED lead pans out, I'll be in a level II trauma center that's stroke-certified and sees about 100K pts/year.

Those 2 years of experience are tough to obtain, but if you're persistent and you make yourself marketable, you can do it.

My advice- do your research, and cast a wide net. We can only do so much for you here. There's no replacement to looking at each program's website and seeing what you need and such.

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RunBabyRUn, her name is "nurse padawan" suggesting she is a nurse in training, as a padawan is a jedi in training ;)

I graduated with my BSN and I would recommend it or entry level MSN. I would do what is most cost effective for you as both of those titles, without experience, are looked at pretty much equally. I would not recommend getting an ADN as their job options are much more limited. Most specialty education will be provided on the job. I work in med/surg which is a specialty of its own but I would like to work in an ICU eventually. My workplace has critical care courses I can take, but not all do. Some places you would just apply and train on the job. Education you can do on your own includes ACLS/PALS/NRP/EKG, etc classes offered at CPR places. They are expensive so I'd recommend getting them later on because they expire every two years.

My best advice for people who want to become a nurse is to get a nurse's aide job in a hospital and start volunteering in healthcare capacities! Get used to interacting with patients and the interdisciplinary healthcare team. It will be very beneficial!

Many outpatient areas hire inexperienced nurses. It just all depends on what's available in your area when you get your license! What kind of outpatient nursing do you want to do? I find it interesting because everyone I know wants to be a hospital nurse haha never heard of anyone wanting to do outpatient from the get go but that's good for you!

Good luck :)

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

Sorry, there aren't as many people who speak Jedi here as it might seem. The title "nurse" is protected by law and cannot be used unless it has been earned. It's also against the Terms of Service of this site to use titles that have not been earned.

  1. You agree NOT to use titles that you have not earned. ie. RN, Dr, LPN, LVN, Nurse, etc
  2. [h=3]Using Professional Titles:[/h]Members cannot call themselves by professional titles, if they do not hold that title. ie. Members cannot call themselves "doctor, Dr., RN, LPN, LVN, Nurse,CNA, RT, MA" etc, unless they are actually licensed and/or certified as such a thing. If you have chosen a user ID name that reflects an unearned professional title, please contact administration, Admin Help Desk, and submit three (3) names for consideration. An administrator will get back with you regarding your name.

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Did not know about that! Seems silly to me because she is not calling herself a nurse... but OK :)

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Thank you guys! This is exactly the kind of information/advice I'm hoping for. A major reason I'm interested in nursing is the flexibility and diversity of workplace settings, education opportunities, and professional development areas the profession offers -- and this thread is proof of that! Keep the comments coming. Also, yes, sorry if my name was unintentionally breaking the rules. Note to self: you have much to learn, young Jedi. :alien:

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

No worries! I'm sure there are some that got it, others (like myself) that didn't. :)

Nursing is definitely flexible, and the more flexible YOU can be, especially early in your career, the better. You never know what will speak to you, especially once you've done your clinical rotations.

Good luck!

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