Possibly switching my major to nursing..NEED ADVICE PLEASE!

MrsStudentNurse · Apr 6, 2013

Truly they're polar opposites. My mil is an accountant and she has had a successful career making a nice salary. I'd say really look at who you are. Nursing is more of a people person Job as you'll be physically helping others. If hours are even a question than I'd go with accounting. Some people like the flexibility of nursing though others prefer the consistency of business hours.

Sparrow91 · Apr 6, 2013

With any career there will be people who will regret it. Many people have gone into nursing because of the $$$ but most have said that they wish they hadn't because to most people it looks like decent pay however for the responsibility, hours, risks and the day to day tasks you have to put up with to many the pay just is not enough! In order to be a nurse you do not have to have a "burning desire" but to be content with a career in nursing your heart does have to be in it! Good luck with your career choice!

hodgieRN · Apr 7, 2013

Have you had the chance to shadow yet? That can be a big factor. I was convinced I wanted to be a medic until I followed my sister (who is a nurse) around the ER. It totally changed my mind.

You don't have to go to the floor. You don't have to stay on the floor for the rest of your career. You can work in surgery, radiology, IV team, cath lab, ER, ICU, wound care, etc. The floor is only one option. I knew I wouldn't be happy on the floor...so I didn't go there.

If you don't like the hrs, remember that the hospital is not the only place you can work. You can work 6-8 hrs a day in a plastic surgery office. They have no holidays or weekends. You can do home home health. You can work 8 hrs shifts in recovery. Many part-time positions allow full benefits and that is only two shifts a week.

If you haven't seen any schools that require less than a 3.0, come to florida. There is a university right down the road that requires a 2.5 last time I checked.

The people that regret nursing are the ones who didn't want to go in the first place (mostly). They went to nursing school because their friends did it or someone mentioned it in passing over dinner.

You have to decide what will make you happier. Why did you decide to go to nursing school the first place? There had to be something that pulled you away from business. What is making you think that business will be better. Something has to be driving you.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Apr 9, 2013

If you choose nursing, you can expect to study nights, weekends and holidays while in school. Then you will work the floor for a number of years to gain the experience necessary to apply for NP programs. You will be expected to work weekends, holidays and probably nights as well, since you will be starting as an entry-level RN. Once you have acute care experience, you can apply for NP school.....where you will be working whatever hours are required by your program and employment needs.

While another member makes a good point about all the other areas you can work, if you wish to go to go the NP route, cushy clinics aren't going to get you the acute care experience you need. And considering the job market, you might not get the hours you want quickly as there are other people ahead of you in that queue. Want to work recovery or home health? You'll need experience first.

There is no nursing shortage; there is a glut of new grads who want jobs much the same as there is in most every degreed field out there. And the daytime office jobs are usually filled by lower licenses or none at all: look up "Medical Assistant" and see the competition for spots that used to be filled by actual nurses.

Most people do not go into nursing because they enjoy the prospect of evenings, nights, weekend and holiday work. But it is expected. All you REALLY have to decide is if the desire to become an RN is greater than the desire to be an accountant. They are obviously very different careers, and only you can decide where your interests really lie. I can tell you, though, that if you put a high priority on a traditional 9-5 sort of worklife, then nursing may not be in the cards for you. But if there's something that tells you you won't be happy UNLESS you pursue it.....maybe it is.