socishan

Also, what about international nursing for the Peace Corps or something like Docs without Borders? Depending on where you went, you may get more outdoor time and perhaps the Peace Corps might be able to use any knowledge of environmental management that you have (a lot of this would be more focused on sustainable development rather than "park" management, though). But, it could be a way to tie together your nursing skills with a larger environmental/outdoors issue. Ie, if you went to Haiti to nurse, perhaps you could also involve yourself in developmental plans that educate farmers about using groundwater irrigation to elongate the sustainability of their seasonal crops if you had a background in environmental sustainability or management. It might not pay much working for one of these types of organizations, but nursing could be a way to get you overseas-- and then while you're there, you might be able to help out with larger environmental issues too. I'd talk to a rep for the Peace Corp or a similar place and see what they think. Or check out their website which has tons of information on what kind of skills/backgrounds/degrees are useful to them if you're interested. Good luck.

Thanks- tough but very much worth it. If you can and haven't already, I would say to start memorizing the bones/skeleton and the muscles BEFORE you start the class because the memorization for those 2 systems was the most time-intensive for me. I got one of those coloring books (by Kaplan) and used it to fill in the blanks and quiz myself rather than using it to actually color in. It was very helpful. If you get those bones and muscles down beforehand, you will already be ahead

I took my A&P class in the summer. It was a condensed A&P class-- that is, instead of taking 2 semesters of A&P, at my school, they cram both semesters into one class/one semester and give you more credit hours for it. So, I ended up taking an entire year of A&P during the summer along with Microbiology that same summer, and also worked on top if it. I got A's in both. Other students failed one or the other (different set of students in each class). It's all in how bad you want it. It CAN be done. I will say that taking A&P over the summer is pretty intense. I had at least one exam and one practical a week, sometimes more- they seemed to roll right into each other. I spent every waking hour studying and managing my time between work and the 2 classes. I will say one thing, though: after the class is done, keep your book around and brush up again before you start the nursing program, because you may forget some of the info after cramming it in so quickly. I went over things a second time, and it really helped. Good luck to you.

This is true: my friend went to Hawaii, Puerto Vallarta, and took an Alaskan Cruise all within her last 2 years of selling or so, just for being a top seller in her company. I also believe that this does NOT include any trips that could be given to the MDs if they gave out x number of prescriptions, although I never saw that part firsthand (never saw Dr. A packing her bags for Hawaii), so I couldn't say that one with certainty.

I guess that would be your decision to make. :wink2: I can't say if I'd recommend doing this or not since I've personally never worked in this field before. I know my friend enjoyed her job a lot, but she was VERY sales-minded, very outgoing, and very much into that lifestyle. I know this is something that I couldn't do since I'm no good at sales and had my stint in the business world and didn't love it too much. If you've got the personality for it (ie, outgoing, friendly, can "sell" things), then sure, why not? There are a LOT of hours involved, at least from what I've seen with my friend. Lots of driving, and lots of long days, starting early in the AM and going late into the evening, especially with business-related dinners and functions and all that. It would definitely be a hard job to have with children if you didn't have a good sort of day care situation worked out, which is why my friend and her husband decided that she would stay at home with their new baby for now. Oh, and this may sound silly, but there are a lot of additional "hours" involved when it comes to your personal appearance in this field and the look you project, at least from what I've seen. The clothes are NOT business casual, but are instead more business professional/corporate. Collared shirts, heels, suits, and all that. Too much ironing and dry cleaning for me, lol. And it's not a job you can really roll out of bed and go to work with your hair up in a quick ponytail, you know? The drug reps I've met are all very polished, with well-maintained hair styles and perfect make-up and all that. So you'd have to take that into account also--- shopping for the appropriate attire, getting up a bit early every morning to pull off that polished look... doing your hair and makeup, and that sort of stuff. Again, it may sound silly, but it's just what I've noticed. That sort of personal upkeep can take extra time out of your day. Just keep in mind that there are a lot of sales involved and that how much product you sell can sometimes affect your salary and your successfulness in that industry. But, if you're a people-person and are sales-minded and like moving around a lot (ie, driving to different offices, ect) it could be a good fit for you. Good luck!

Yes, in my area Pharm Sales Reps are known to make good money. I have a friend that started doing this after she finished college up until just a few months ago when she had her first baby. I am not sure how helpful it would be to have a nursing background, but I would think it would be helpful. My friend had a general communications B.A. degree and no health care experience at all. She had sales experience, though, which helped land her the job. From my understanding, she had a hard time at first building client relationships and establishing customers to work with, but once things got rolling, she always had extra money to spend. A lot of the compensation comes in the form of bonuses and extra incentives on top of the base paycheck. She went on several vacations she'd won for high sales not too long before she quit. It is hard, I think, to build a good client base at first, though, because many doctors/hospitals/practitioners already have drug reps that they work with on a steady basis. Anyways, from what I've noticed in my area and from knowing my friend in that industry is that it helps to be attractive. Like I said, my friend had no health care experience at all, but she could be in the Sport Illustrated Swim Suit edition if you know what I mean. I'm not sure if this is some strange, freaky thing that happens around here but nowhere else, but a lot of the pharm sales reps are quite attractive... it was always weird going out to eat or for a night out with my friend when she'd bring her co-workers with that she'd become friends with. Like stepping into an edition of Cosmo for a night or something.... like I said, maybe this was particular to my friend and this area or something. It may not be like this elsewhere.

Tell me about it!! The LTC facility that I work for is also owned by one of the corporate "big dogs" and it's just appalling. I just went to a staff meeting the other day where all the directors got up and talked to us about Company X's philosophy and how their mission is to provide top-notch care for all of it's residents. They also talked about how much they care about their employees and how we are the "backbone" of the organization, how we should basically thank our lucky stars that we have jobs there. At one point, one of the head honchos made the comment about us taking sick time if we need it, because we get a certain number of sick days per year, and how lucky we are to have those sick days. One of the employees literally started laughing out loud when the head honcho said this... just a week ago, someone got fired for calling in sick to work with strep throat because they weren't able to provide a doctor's note (probably were too sick to get up and go to the dr that day!) and were fired on the spot. The corporate heads have NO idea what's really going on.... no clue at all. In reality, the employees are terrorized into coming into work EVEN IF they are sick and contagious. And the residents do NOT receive top notch care. "Marge" is a very slow eater and never has time to finish her breakfast, lunch, or dinner before "dining hours" are over- and her tray is ALWAYS taken from her with food practically hanging from her mouth. That's top notch care?---

Absolutely- it is VERY helpful. I'm sure it's helpful when conversing with Spanish-speaking patients, but what's neat is that I've ALSO found it to be helpful when working with Spanish-speaking co-workers, too. I'm certainly not fluent, but I do know enough to carry on a basic conversation, and it's helped many times already in my job as a CNA for LTC. In the facility where I work, most of the housekeeping and kitchen staff, and some of the other CNAs are all Spanish-speaking. It's very helpful when you need a grilled cheese sandwich made quickly for a resident who won't eat her chicken. The kitchen staff seems to really appreciate it when I ask in Spanish and they seem to be more helpful since they see I'm making an effort to understand and use their native language. Or, if I need more bath towels from the laundry staff... I can get them quicker if I ask in Spanish and the staff seems to know me already and are all very friendly to me. I think it's very rewarding. Many native Spanish-speakers who live here are making the effort to learn English if they haven't already... and it only takes me 5 seconds to ask about a new word in Spanish and then try to learn it. I enjoy making the effort too. And, here's food for thought- I once read a study that suggested people who are multi or bi-lingual are less likely to suffer from dementias like Alzheimer's in their later years. You never know- it can't hurt, right?

Sorry it took a couple of days to get back to you... I was out of town. I use Illinois Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

Yes, I buy my own health insurance. It's somewhat expensive, but it's the best option for me right now as a nursing student who only works part time while I'm in school. I get decent coverage for a bit less than $150 per month, but I'm not sure if this is unusual or not- it might vary quite a bit depending on where you live. I'm in Illinois.

Great stories, everyone. Thanks for sharing. FYI, Indynurse, congrats on finding your niche- nothing wrong at all with "non-clinical" nursing. It's a good thing that a nurse is in your role and not someone else- you can obviously lend insight that only a nurse could... it's so neat that nurses have so many options on what to do these days.

Hi all - was wondering if you could share some more stories, I love hearing about everyone's experiences and talent on this site. What's your favorite specialty area in nursing? Do you work in this area now- if so, how'd you end up there? What do YOU view as the pros and cons of your favorite specialty area? Did you always know you wanted to be a rehab, med-surge, ER, NICU, psych nurse, etc...? How'd you find your "niche?" I'd love to hear! Thanks :thankya:

Thanks everyone for your replies so far. You bring up a lot of good points. And just because something's different doesn't necessarily mean it's bad, right!? It just takes some getting used to. :wink2:

Grrrr, I was just thinking about this some more, and this is really upsetting! Everyone's posts are right on so far! What a better way to determine underlying problems than by examining the stool--- it is necessary! And, just to make a point, I have a bachelor's and master's degrees in a different field and I didn't go to school to clean up pee or poop, either. But I do it on a daily basis because my patients deserve to not have to lie around in their poop when it's not their fault that they are incontinent in the first place. As a side-note, a very close YOUNG family member of mine has Crohn's disease and recently spent over a year in the hospital before he had to have his colon completely removed. He didn't like the fact that the staff had to clean up his messes either, and was very embarrassed by it. But, I'm glad they did it because as much as his self esteem was hurt by having this horrible disease in the first place, at least his staff cleaned him with dignity and respect and didn't make him lie there in it. Why become a nurse if you don't have a caring heart?

My understanding of nursing so far (I am still in nursing school but am working as a CNA) is that pee, poop, blood, sputum.... all that stuff goes along with nursing. I think your coworker needs to get off of her high horse and find another career if she can't deal with that. That's like a heart surgeon saying, "I'm sorry- but I can't handle blood. Someone else will have to perform the surgery today." What!!?? Or an airline pilot saying, "I'm not flying today, I've got a bit of a fear of heights." Okay, you get my drift. Bodily fluids go along with the job. But, most important is the patient--- this nurse would really let a patient lay around in a pile of poo all day???? She shouldn't be a nurse if she doesn't care about the patient. Not only is that unhealthy to the patient, but it's degrading to their self esteem also. I'm sorry, but that makes me sick to think that this lady is a nurse. I wouldn't want her taking care of me. And how is she going to feel when/if she's elderly and incontinent herself and none of the staff wants to touch HER poo? I'm guessing she wouldn't be happy if SHE had to lay in it all day...

LOL, Augigi- that's a good one. How could I forget about all the silly production/process improvement meetings?

Wow, that's very enlightening Lizz. Definitely gives me hope and things to look forward to. One of the reasons I decided to get into nursing was because of the many opportunities available. I, too, have noticed some of the petty tattling and such things going on in healthcare... but I think that it goes on in corporate America also, but it's much more discrete. People in my old fortune 500 company were more quiet about things, but there was definitely backstabbing and tattling going on. And certainly others who took credit for work which was not theirs. And, I myself worked TONS of overtime with no compensation other than I made management happy enough to keep my job : ) In nursing, people just seem to be more open and loud about their complaints/tattling. They say it to your face or within earshot instead of behind your back (which is worse, I don't know! I'd almost rather have something negative said to my face where I can defend myself instead of said behind my back). Maybe this is a conclusion I've jumped to unfairly. But, my experiences with nurses on this website have been great. So many helpful, experienced, and caring people seem to flock to this place. I am trying to keep all things in perspective as I continue with my switch... it is great to hear your stories.

I was a corporate worker for about 3 1/2 years after I finished up with my M.S. degree (I graduated with my BA at 21 and my MS at 23). Talk about a big difference!!

That's good, I'm glad that your new career is much better, Commuter. I've read many of your posts and you seem to really like nursing and care about your patients, so that's great to hear! I wasn't assuming everyone had a desk job at some point. I was simply asking if any others out there have had desk jobs, and if so, what their experiences have been. I am experiencing culture shock myself right now, so I was just looking for some support. In my old job, I was in a very clean, sterile environment, and now I get poop on myself several times a day. It's just different, that's all- and I was hoping others might be able to share some stories : )

Thanks all for your replies. After another day, I am feeling it in my upper and lower back! I did call an HR recruiter today, for a hospital though, to bounce some questions off of her and she was pretty helpful. FYI, she told me that most new nursing positions are in pretty general areas and that you need more experience to get into specialties. To answer your question, Wise Woman, I am in the McHenry County/Lake County area and as a coincidence, I am thinking about getting about getting into Rehab nursing myself one day (in the future, of course, once I build a base with general nursing). How do you like it?

:behindpc: Hi all, I was just reading some more posts and noticed that there are a lot of 2nd career nurses out there. Was wondering if you could share some motivational stories or experiences with me? I am also entering nursing from corporate America and am going through a bit of a culture shock with clinicals and starting nursing school and working as a CNA where I don't have time to go to the bathroom, eat lunch, or barely sneeze! How did you all do it? Are you glad you made the switch? Did you like your desk jobs better or do you like nursing better? Did you experience "culture shock" too? It's a totally different world. I really love taking care of the patients, but WOW is it hard work! Thanks for all the support!

Just food for thought - I know a personal athletic trainer who is one of the most highly-paid, in demand trainers in my area and very well respected. However, I'd say he's about 50 pounds overweight or so. Doesn't seem to stop his clients from going to him to lose THEIR weight. Bottom line is that he's great at what he does- motivating people to get into their best physical shape and he's very knowledgable about exercise techniques/nutrition. "Do as I say, not as I do," type of thing, I guess.

Yes, I'm in the Chicagoland, IL area so there are a lot of hospitals around but I have heard that some new grads can still have trouble with finding a job, especially if they've overly confident and have the "I'm a nurse and I'll get any job that I want" attitude. Me, I'm not like that at all, I feel very lucky to be going into nursing after coming from a different career, so I'll start at the bottom and don't mind at all. I just want to give myself the best chances for getting a job at the end of the road. If I don't do the CNA thing, I was thinking I can always get a waitressing job (I need to work a little bit for the money) but at least then I won't be killing my back as much. Today I lifted a 280 pound woman all by myself because no one else would help me. She could stand a little, but not very much... It's all worth it, though, if it helps me on my path into nursing : )

Hi all, just wanted to say first of all that I love reading everyone's posts and you have given me a lot of motivation for moving forward with nursing school. :1luvu: I have a question about nursing experience-- when someone is a newly graduated RN, is it hard to find a nursing job if you have no prior experience in health care? I know there is a nursing shortage and what not, but real life experience with people has shown me that it's not as easy to get that first nursing job as some people think. My dilemna is- I just started working in an assisted living facility as a CNA while attending nursing school. I am really struggling with this job, especially with lifting residents since I'm pretty small and generally a wimp when it comes to muscles. My back is killing me beyone belief. :chair: But, I am not sure if I should try to keep this job since it might help my resume out when I am finally an RN. What do you think? Is it possible to get that first RN job without much prior healthcare experience? As a side note, I have years of experience at a desk job which I'm sure won't help much. I tried and tried to get a hospital job recently instead of a being a CNA in a nursing home, but I couldn't get any HR departments to call me back. I also do love taking care of the residents/patients I work with now, so many of them are just so sweet and really brighten my entire day. But I am really having trouble with the lifting. And there's a lot of poop, which isn't too bad, but it isn't the greatest thing either. Opinions? I need help!

It's hard when you're expected to choose a career that you are supposed to work in for many years to come before you're even 20. I went through something similar that you're going through now- maybe it will help? I started college like you probably around age 18 and sort of just "fell into" mathematics and business/market research even though math bores me to death and I am not cut out for corporate america at all. To make a long story short, both of my parents are workaholics and highly successful business people, so I was somewhat persuaded to get into this type of work and I had my master's degree in statistics by the time I was 23. Thankfully I had scholarship/assistantships and my student loans aren't too bad, but I am stuck paying quite a bit to say the least. I worked for 3 years almost exactly in the corporate world as a statistician working a desk job for a company whose ethics I despised, making rich people richer, and doing the same boring work day in and out. Even at age 25 I couldn't get the courage up to dissapoint my family and leave the business world. Finally, this year I did find that courage and now I am a new nursing student, pursuing something that I have wanted to pursue for years now (being on my feet, helping others, etc.) I work as a CNA now to help pay for school and can't wait to become an RN. You should have seen the faces of my "professional," educated co-workers when they found out I was leaving my comfy benefits and desk job to clean poop and give people baths all day. My parents were a bit stunned too at the CNA thing, but I am honestly loving every day of it. I love caring for people who desperately need it, being on my feet all day, moving around, and most of all, talking to lots of different people every day and making a small impact in their lives. So I don't mind the poop. My point is this: Do what makes you happy, not what you think will make OTHERS happy. One person's trash is another person's treasure. Maybe the business world will make you happy. Or something else entirely. My job now scares most of my old friends. Do I care? NO! I love it. It's their trash but it's my treasure. I only wish I'd had the courage to pursue a better-suited career BEFORE I ended up with all those student loans and a master's degree in an unrelated field. But, it's never too late to start over. My suggestion to you is to do some serious searching and find out what you like. Maybe volunteer for some different types of jobs or "trail" someone at work who works in a field that you're interested in. Ask them lots of questions. Go on an informational interview. No job is ever going to be perfect, but you can find out the pros and cons ahead of time before you continue spending a lot of money that you will never see again. If you have questions about the business world, I will be happy to answer. My sister-in-law is a psychologist, so I also know a bit about that too-- fyi, she had to go to about 10 or 11 years of post-high-school education to become fully licensed and to get the ph.d, etc and all that and she only makes slightly more than what I do now as a CNA. It's hard- in a lot of careers, you have to start out at the bottom and work your way up. So it's helpful to know all the pros and cons before going into something. Okay off my soapbox, I hope this helped a little. It's never too late to make YOURSELF happy. Remember, YOU are going to be the one having to clock in and out of a job you either love or hate every day, NOT your mom or your uncle or your auntie. And trust me, it's a lot better waking up every morning and going to a job you like rather than one you dread.