Possible Career Crisis! :(

[RN1485, BSN]

Ok maybe I'm being over dramatic, but let me explain. I graduated from college with a degree in Sociology and a minor in Criminal Justice in 2009. I knew when I graduated I didn't want to teach or be a professor. I thought about law school but wasn't sure if that's what I wanted. I knew I wanted to help people no matter what. In Sociology we discuss all these problems in society, but I wanted to go into the community and start helping so that I knew I'd have a direct impact on someone's life. I applied to several government jobs. DFCS and the like but no response ( a lot of them prefer a social work degree). So I decided nursing! Took all the pre-reqs needed and just recently applied to nursing school. A year ago, I actually got a request to interview with the corrections facility near my house, but I turned it down because I was focused on nursing at that point. Fast foward a year later. I decided to be a CNA to gain experience and to see what it would be like in the healthcare industry...and I HATE it. I knew what I would have to be dealing with so I wasn't blind going into it, I just thought I could handle it...but I don't think I can. It isn't rewarding for me. I was talking to a nurse and she said "you have to really love what you do" and she said she felt like it has to be a calling. I don't feel that way. I gag everytime I have to wipe someone (I know that sounds awful and like I said I knew I would have to be doing this, I just thought I could handle it), not to mention the other things that you see that are worse than poop. As a nurse, I know I will not always have an aid so I will be having to do these things plus more! I don't see this as something I can do for a while. Even if I wanted to work in a docs office or whatever, I would still probably need hospital experience and don't most nurses work in hospitals anyways? It's not like I can be super picky when I graduate if the economy is the same way as it is now. So with that being said I feel like I have been totally turned off to nursing which sucks b/c I have been working towards it for almost 3 yrs.

Anyways, I am thinking about trying to go into corrections. My great uncle knows a lot of people since he retired with the department of corrections and thinks he could get me a job. I called some hospitals to see if I could shadow a nurse but none of them have responded. I dunno. Do you think I should call it quits on the nursing thing and use my degree to find a steady job? Or do you think I should suck it up and see if its worth doing? I'm kinda at a crossroads right now so any info/feedback would be appreciated!

[tomc5555]

I think your thread should be moved to a nurses forum.

Moderator?

[RN1485, BSN]

yeah after I posted it, I thought that maybe I should have posted it over there.

[RN1485, BSN]

i'm just gonna repost there and see if i get more responses. :)

[grayjasper]

Most nurses do NOT work in hospitals and where I am, we delegate like crazy or we'd never make it in an acute care setting (hospital). Meaning, CNAs do the hygiene, RNs do not. They might have to help in an extreme situation, but they don't have time for that with all the other patients and tasks they have to do. We were in big trouble if we tried to do CNA work on top of the RN load in nursing school. Part of a nurse's job is to know when to delegate and do it often! There are many areas you can go into (phone triage, office work, teaching, clinical case management) where you'd not be dealing with body fluids, etc.. You'd do a preceptorship in those areas at the end of the RN program and hope to god you get hired. I've heard of many that get hired right in without doing 2 years on a med/surg floor etc..Just depends on a lot. Since you haven't officially gotten into a program yet, why not try both avenues - apply to programs AND to jobs in your other specialty area and see what turns up. Also, there is no promise of a job at the end of an RN program either - be well aware of this going in. A good percentage of new grads might wait over a year to find ANY kind of RN work and the pickings can be slim. I know plenty that are living in Mom & Dad's basement taking BSN courses after their RN because they couldn't find a job. There are a lot of BSN's out of work too. Economy just sucks.

[RN1485, BSN]

Yeah the economy does suck! I already applied to the program, but I just got an email from a potential employer saying that he would contact me this week to set up an interview...I'm really hoping it works out!