Please help!!

[helpvw]

Hello everyone!

I am in desperate need of help in choosing a field of specialty. I have been a nurse for 4 years working on a telemetry (4 years), orthopedics (2+ years, clinical coordinator for 1 year), and med-surg unit (2+years). I have also experienced home health and hospice nursing for over six months (PRN). I have a Master of Science Degree in Biology (taught middle and high school students science and reading courses for 10 years). I also have my BSN Degree. I thought I wanted to be an administrator but I quickly realized that I could not implement rules and regulations to the staff that I do not believe in, and I am an advocate for hard working staff. My experince showed me that this is not what most places are seeking in administrators. I believe they want someone to uphold policies and procedures regardless as to whether they are for the betterment of the group (again, this is subjective to my experiences).

I absolutely love teaching and public health, but my research led me to believe that I will make just about the same amount of money that I am making now. (Please do not judge me. Nursing is not just about the money, but having an advanced degree equates to more student loans that have to be paid). I honestly love bedside nursing but it's moving in a direction that will not allow me to be the nurse that I want to be. I can no longer have patient care take precedence over clinical care. I know and understand that the fundamnetals of nursing does not stop when you are an RN, but I know there is more to nursing than emptying bed pans, vital signs, daily weights, delivering meal trays, feeding patients, taking care of hypervigilant families, etc. I truly love nursing but have a desire and passion to do more with my degrees and want to contiune providing passionate care to my patients. Please help me with suggestion, as to how to fuse my degrees into my nursing career. Thanks in advance!!!

[Momma1RN, MSN, RN, APRN]

Not sure where you live, but how about an ACM or CM of a unit at a smaller community hospital? The pay not be that great, but there is potential to bring staff together and raise morale. Case in point, the hospital I work at had a huge shake up (and we're still in the midst) but they brought on a new CM and ACM for my floor where the morale was really low, turnover was high, PG scores were in the toilet, and they have COMPLETELY turned that around. Our CM is our biggest advocate and has our staffs back no matter what crazy money-saving tactics the big guys (who have never been nurses) try to implement. If you are the right person with the right attitude, it's possible to manage both being on the administrations good side as well as being an incredible leader. Just food for thought... good luck!