JHURN

That’s awesome! Honestly I think you would be great at peds. I have worked with some awful peds nurses, and as long as you have compassion and kindness towards your patients you will be fine. Plus you will probably care for some autistic kiddos too and they will absolutely look up to you if you share your experience with them.

I would absolutely go for it if you are interested in this specialty! You will learn everything you possibly need to know on the job. As far as math it’s not bad. Once you learn how to do BSA it’s really just dosage calc. I wanted to do peds oncology but the hospital I worked at just had a general acute/intermediate peds floor. I gave a ton of chemo over the 14 years I worked there though. They are hands down my favorite patients. And as a peds leukemia survivor myself, I can attest that the nurses make ALL the difference in a kids experience. good luck and go for it!

Man these posts are pretty discouraging! OP- try not to be too worried. I am a night shifter who absolutely loves it, I don't think I will ever go back to days. The first night I work I sleep 4-5 hours before my shift. I was blessed with being able to sleep anytime so I can sleep 10 hours the night before and then go back for a 4 hour nap that day :) My "transition day" (after my last night of work) I sleep until about 2 to 3 then go back to bed at 10-11. Night shift is way better for my marriage than days. When I worked days my husband left before I got up and was asleep when I got home. At least now we get to see each other for 2 hours before I leave for work. Its also a great schedule for kids. When my son is older there will always be a parent home for him. I love that. Good luck with everything! Night shift isn't for everyone, but some of us love it.

I think I may have mentioned it in my interview. More from a "I can totally understand what a lot of my patients are going through" perspective, and not so much as an issue with lifting. I used to be in great shape, lifted weights, ran, and even had a job skiing at a ski resort - so physically, I knew I could do the job and I made sure the employer knew it too. As long as you meet the requirements to lift - it should be stated in the job requirement- you have no obligation to bring it up. It is probably "safer" not too, but it can be played off as a strength. I think my previous hospitalizations and their impact on my career choice impressed my interviewer. Good luck with your interview!

Congrats! As a pp stated it is different for everyone. I am 35 1/2 weeks and my doctor just put me out of work for at least a week. I was having contractions, am 2 cm dilated, and the baby has dropped. I think working full time and not keeping hydrated contributed greatly. DRINK WATER!! I switched to night shifts early on because nights are a lot slower and I was able to rest when I needed to and eat. Unlike days which are crazy on our floor. Try to be good about lifting and not overworking yourself. I wish I had been! Oh and I dont know if this is your first or not, but "they" arent kidding about the last month being hard, I am tired ALL the time now. I dont think i could work 12 hour shifts right now if I was allowed to. Good luck with everything :)

You will hear lots of people say to avoid nursing if you have back problems, but it can definetely be done. I have scoliosis, complete with metal rods, screws and lumbar fusion and I really havent had a lot of trouble yet. I was a tech before I became a nurse which aggravated it a bit, but since I made the switch to nursing I havent had any issues. If you go with nursing make sure you have great shoes. Staying in shape is key, I know if I didnt work out and keep my back stong I would be having a lot more isues. Also choose a specialty that you may not have to do a lot of lifting with. I work in Peds so the lifting isnt as bad as it could be- although we do see Bariatric peds patients-so thats not a given. There is so much minimal lift equipment in hospitals now a days that you really shouldnt be lifting anyone anway. Just my 2 cents

People are just wondering if you realize how much pain you went through to be held in such low regard by a hiring manager AT ANY JOB!!!!! Oh please. My hiring manager was much more concerned with my 3.9 GPA from Johns Hopkins than the tattoo I may be rocking. Which for the record can be seen on the back of my neck every day at work. And no one I work with has ever said that they have a problem with it. In fact, its a real conversation starter with patients because I got it to represent the experiance I had battling cancer when I was younger. I am all for respecting other people's opinions, but you sunk a little low here JediWitch.

I am a big fan of being paid hourly. Shift differential can make a huge difference in your paycheck. It makes working weekends, nights, and holidays (which you are going to do if you are a bedside nurse) totally worth it.

I am on orientation for 4 months so right now I am following my preceptors schedule. When I am on my own I will be working every other weekend for 2 years, after 2 years it becomes every third weekend. I will work 50% days and 50% nights but would be able to switch when another shift became available. I personally like doing days and nights though so I dont think I will switch for awhile. Plus I like the shift differential that comes with weekends and nights :) I think my hospital is pretty generous with PTO, I get 5 weeks off a year for the first 5 years and then it goes up from there to a max of 7.2 weeks after 20 years of service. Every hospital is different though, and not only every hospital but every unit on every hospital is different.

I thought it was a huge help to be a CNA before I graduated. I only did it during summer and holiday breaks though. But it absolutely helped me and has given me so much more respect for CNA's now that I am an RN. If you can do it I recommend it.

I always knew that I would be a Peds Nurse. I think what got me hooked originally was all the time I spent in hospitals when I was younger. But I realized during my adult rotations in nursing school that I just cannot work with adults. I dont have the level of empathy needed to work with them. So much of the time people are sick because of choices they made and continue to make and I have a hard time helping people who wont help themselves. Sounds harsh but I have talked to a lot of peds nurses who feel the same way. If I had to do adults I would do geriatrics or Oncology - those are two populations where emapthy wouldnt be a problem :) I dont think peds nurses and adult nurses are that different. But usually adult nurses cant stand the idea of working peds and vice versa.

I found this website years ago but had to stop looking at it because I found so many really discouraging posts. Long story short I am now a Nurse myself (and highly addicted to this site by the way :)) Nursing is hard and stressful, but it is by far the most rewarding thing I could ever think of doing. Even on my worst days I am still making a difference in someones life. It isnt for everyone, but dont let yourself get talked out of it if you have a passion for nursing.

Mine is pretty boring - JHU for where I went to nursing school, and RN because I would tattoo it on my forehead if I could, I just love saying it

I know at my hospital in VA you cannot work as CNA if you are an RN. I dont know if this is state law or not. The problem is that, as NeneRN pointed out, you will be held accountable for what an RN should do, but your job desciption will obviously be as a CNA.

At my facility we all have name badges and then a giant, bright orange tag that hangs out from under it reading "RN". The rumor was that a family (at a different hospital) had taken medical advice from someone wearing scrubs who they assumed was a nurse. Apparently it was a housekeeper. I think the tags are great since pretty much everyone in the hospital wears scrubs these days its nice to be able to see who are the RN's.