citygrl646

a BS in nutrition without doing an internship is useless-you need the internship to sit for the RD exam and to find employment as an RD... and if you have a Maaters in nutrition but are not an RD, that doesn't work in terms of employment either. It's funny because I'm doing the opposite-I did an accelerated BSN, have my RN, but did not like nursing. So, I made the switch to do my DPD (pretty much completed), hopefully get into an internship! and complete my masters. Dietetics is a more rigorous program-and longer because classes/clinicals are not combined. I'm wondering about why you are switcing from nutrition to nursing? is it the internship requirement (i know internships are very competitive, you typically need at leaat a high nutr. gpa/and cumulative gpa usually at least above 3.5, and it's stressful to apply and worry about geting into one!) or r u simply more interested in nursing? the pay? in nyc i don't think the pay for MS/RDs is that low. I think the demand will really increase in a few years esp. since it's a tougher road academically and so the supply wont keep up with demand. Good luck on your ultimate decision, but remember that you should do what you truly love not pick what seems like the quckest route, becaus then you may back track like i did. With nursing i focused on the relatively high starting pay after 15 months ($74,000 in nyc) but, i ended up hating the work on my floor. i could have switched but the type of work (mainly hands on/technician type such as blood draws/med dispensing etc..with very little pt. education/counseling/or providing your own orders on a daily basis) did not suit my personality. A loooong time ago I almost went into law, and guess what? Due to the recession many lawyers today are out of work making avg. pay. So I'd caution anyone to NOT pick a career simply b/c it pays well at the moment or seems like a relatively quick fix-it may level off a few years from now. Do what you truly would love to do everyday and that you are ok with in terms of the daily tasks. In every career you will have people who love or hate what they do, it's a matter of finding your happy fit. And ask yourself if you'd still want to be a nurse or whichever job you're considering, if the pay were a bit lower.

tis true everyone selects careers based on various reasons-i did have a chance to start out on a maternity floor and didn't take it-i think if i had i would have still been on that floor! med surg is tough and it did suck that you felt disrespected even though your job was arguably tougher-i was for the most part respected by drs though. I think with health care jobs unfortunatley unless you have family members in the oter allied professions 9ie PT OT or SLP and RD) there's no way to find out about them. When i was in high schoolif you wanted to do medicine it was be an MD and no other member of the health care team was really known. If my parents had been tecahers for instance I'm sure i would have known about SLP. and with my interest in prevention and nutrition i totally didn't know about RD! still i'm glad i made the switch, my floor was a biy risky too with many drug abusers with multiple infectious diseases so it was quite stressful and i didn't want to bide my time until some accident happened! my advice to nurses just starting out, do whatever it taks to start on a mre speciality floor-like maternity, or rehab. med surg may give you good practice but it's basically learning multi tasking. think what slps would do if given 8-9 patients to do at the same time, in differnt rooms, with charing done in the hallway, they would not like their jobs either!!

I would choose slp beacause of your ed background. An RN job is very physical, thinking fast (but mainly about dispensing meds and keeping a bunch of taks in order that, if you had more time, would be easy). I was an RN, but hated it, and am now getting a masters in clinical nutrition and hopfully become an RD if i get into an internship (you need to get into one just to be eligible to sit for the exam!). @the slp student-I always thought slps made a lot of money?!? i also agree that i feel like many language issues such as lips/stuttering are barely solved by slps and the work (i don't mean to be disrespectful here because i would have preferred slp to RN) seems kind of easy. If i were you i would stick with slp, but work in the hospital setting. nursing is a very rude awakening.

You should do what you enjoy. My starting salary as an RN was 74K, but I hated nursing, so it really didn't pay off. I am now applying to dietetics internships, and I hope I get into one-I figure my experience with pts as a nurse hopefully will help. I know as a nurse, I rarely worked with pts in terms of their nutritional status, etc. Becoming an RD is a rigorous path, and the pressure to get an internship is intense-pretty unfair for 50% not to get into an internship because you need the internship to sit for an RD exam. So right now, I'm majorly stressing because my science GPA wasn't that high (I had one C grade that screwed it up back when I took micro as a nursing student and was working two jobs), but my nutrition GPA is a 3.9, with my overall about a 3.7. Bottom line if you want to focus on nutrition and health, be an RD. Or, after two years of nursing, try for the diabetes educator credential.

Do what interests you. i switched fairly recently from being an RN (cause i was very unhappy with it) to pursuing my masters in clinical nutrition and RD. Dietians will be a more in demand career esp. as reimbursements for RD care increase. As an RN i rarely had the time to counsel pts on nutrition and frankly felt that 80% of the complications/diseases I saw were nutrition based (i.e. some cancers, heart disease, diabetes). also RNs do mostly hand on technical things (ie catheter insertion, putting in IVs, dispensing drugs). the RD education path is more drawn out and nerve wracking mainly because clinicals and coursework are not combined, meaning after acceptance and completion of at least a bachelors in nutr. or specific nutr/science classes, you then have to apply to competitive dietetic internships/and masters programs, although you dont need to complete the masters. Don't make a career decision based solely on present job demand-many went into law thinking they'd make 100k right out of school and the recession coupled with many going to law school thinking they'd make big $$$ caused the job market for lawyers to dry up and many make 50-70K---about what dietitians in nyc can make. Pick what you enjoy, and it will pay off because if you LOVE ur job, you'll be the best at it and will find ways to increase ur income. keep in mind that many professional jobs have pretty similar salaries.

Choose SLP. I became a second career RN thru an accelerated program and it just didn't suit me-my patients loved me and i enojyed working with patients but i have to say i just didnt have anything in common with the other RNs personality-wise. I chose the profession because it was a fast track to a career i thought i'd like and that would pay well. I love science/health. However it's very physically demaning, and while the knowledge base isn't that hard the actual job is more technique based (putting in IVs, catheters, dispensing meds, giving shots) and you have to do these quickly.I hated feeling like a a glorified technician and having my communication skills go completely to waste. sticking tubes into people all day and not being able to counsel my pts SUCKED! My starting pay in nyc was $74,000. I have since changed to a dietetics masters program because i LOVE nutrition-while many say, "Oh it doesn't pay well"---it really depends on the location of your job and whether it suits you. Also, the tide is shifting and the role of nutrition in health is finally getting the attention/respect it deserves. Considering the rigor and competiveness of dietetics programs I'm sure salaries will rise, bacause demand for RD services will grow and there will be fewer people available to fill those slots. Many people went to law school thinking they'd be paid six figures and many lawyers in this economy now either can't get hired or make 50-70k typically. Dietitians avg. about 50,000, and most likely make 10k more in large cities, or even 70k. I would gladly get paid a decent but lower salary doing what i enjoy. there are a number of dietitians who have written books, are supervisors, etc. who clear 100k. Don't pick something based on the assumption that you will make money-i fell into that trap. if I had it all to do again I would have been an RD/SLP and not be plagued with tution/student loans now. No amount of money makes up for a job you hate!

hey, It's been 1 year since I got my RN license (got a bsn from an accelerated program, also have a BA) and was miserable at my first (and only) nursing job so far at a med surg floor. It was of course super busy (sometimes nurses were stuck with 10 pts) and most of my co workers were always complaining, rude to patients, and basically wishing they could get the h*ll out of there. Plus my pts (who i actually had no probs dealing with and who liked me) were unfortunately mainly drug addicts with hiv/AIDS and mental probs. Is it me, or do i just not want to risk my health/safety for people who for the most part couldn't care less about themselves??? well, i quit after only a few months despite the great pay. i got a job in my original field (journalism) for much lower pay and i loved it!! of course then the recession came big time and the place i was working at folded. and it's been tough the past couple months finding work in that field. My question, should i try nursing again at a diff hospital? push for something other than med surg? i'm so bummed not making money and i don't want my bsn/rn license to go to waste-...i love nutrition and if i'd put more thought into it i would have gotten a masters in nutrition vs the RN. can i still do something more specific to nutrition with an RN and if so, what? how? I can't deal with drug addicts again! at least not as 90% of my pt load!!!!

i feel the same way-I've been on a super busy med/surg unit (40 pts- 1:7 or 1:8 nurse pt. ratio) and am sending my resume out to jobs in my original field of study b/c I can't take the work environement I'm in. I HATE going to work. I have been on the floor working days for 1 1/2 months now with a preceptor and am totally made to feel incompetent most times. i've handled a 4 pt. load (4 medium/higher acuity pts) and can juggle a mix of 5. w/ 4 lower acuity pts I have several hrs to spare in my day...In some ways my preceptor slows me down-she wants things done HER way and she's always chatting w/ people and I have to wait on HER most times but she makes it seem like it goes the other way. I mean I independently call the pharmacy for missing meds, notify docs myself about pt conditions-get questionable orders changed and do a decent job at charting but I'm made to feel as if im so SLOW. Some charting is subjective!!!! but she insists some of my assessments are wrong. Am I slow? I've only done one successful IV start in a pt with good veins but I feel like i'm criticized for things I can't control----how am I supposed to be fast when nurses hide med pumps,or there aren't even enought IV poles or pulse oximetry machines??? Or the pharmacy hasn't yet sent up the necessary meds???? whatever, i can't take going to work any more and being made to feel like an idiot (it's affecting my health, b/c I've come down with a nasty chest cold and a fever in just this 1 month) -also, my preceptor asked me what was taking me so long w/ my pts in the morning and why i hadn't given them all their meds yet-and I said i wanted to physically asess everyone first-b/c doling out meds was easier. she replied: "physically assess them...for what??" was I doing the wrong thing????? I thought that's what you're supposed to do?? anyway,my stress levels are so high and i feel like my health is going down the toilet-i'm sick right now and don't feel well enuf to go to work tomorrow-but I want to slog thru it to get it over with.

Hi cuddle, I went in to help people, but if the pay sucked I wouldn't do it to be honest mainly b/c of the environment of care-although I would rather be paid 10,000 less per year in this job and have adequate equipment/ratios. I mean I worked a job that paid half my salary now and I was happy there and worked there for several years. but i can't imagine being in this particular job for even several months. i'm in a large NYC private hospital not a makeshift unit in the jungle fer cryin' out loud. as a nurse I can't place orders or really dictate treatments-interdiciplinary care should mean MDs in the same room with nurses and pts discussing the best treatment approach-which almost never happens. i think i can enact more change in other ways to be truthful-orwork in mobile clinics where preventive care is emphasized

i agree, that the clinical skills just aren't there in new grads-It's my first few weeks on a very busy med surg floor and I still feel incompetent with hands on skills which are so important to keep the work flow going-i've only started one IV so far-but i find the lack of eqipment on the floor deplorable!!! we only have one 02 sat machine for 40 pts and nurses/docs hide it. plus, when i was hired they said they had a c diff protocol in place-NOT TRUE at all, they are using outdated practices!!! does anyone check the new research out there? I know as a new grad, i can't find usable veins to draw blood as easily and get nervous with IV meds and inserting catheters but i don't see anyone thoroughly assessing pts, really reading their charts, or explaining meds to pts??? I'm beginning to hate this job b/c I don't feel i'm helping pts whatsoever and am ready to quit after just 1 month. I also feellike the floor is unsafe to work on. i know it might be better once i master the skills and am free from the preceptor to work according to my own pace/style but i'd rather educate and prevent illness and then pump useless meds into people

Hey all, so far after starting orientation on the actual floor i haven't cried -it's more like frustration...I'm still learning (i.e. we weren't allowed to start IV lines at school) but I succeeded in starting my first one-we also use this annoying computer system to chart, addition to paper charting. there is no plebotomy team-the nurses basically do everything.... 7 pts per nurse is typical-to the above poster who mentioned 5 at most,i'm guessing that's not medsurg, 'cause 5 pts max would be great. I still feel incompetent even tho i'm progressing and have been handling my own pt. load but pts are totally over medicated with unneccesary and dangerous "prophylactic meds." I can't stand how some of the staff is disrespectful (IMO) to pts and how most pts have NO CLUE WHAT MEDS they are getting and what they're for!!!!! Short staffing sux and while I know leaving before a year or even 6 months may not look so great-I'm strongly considering it. Don't waste your time and life being unhappy----who cares what other people think,seriously, i'm trying to change my mindset into what canido to be happy NOW.

I started orientation and while the people are really nice, nice facility etc... I have turned into a crying (at home in private), ****** (to my boyfriend, etc..),depressed basket case (I mostly hold it in). nothing has gone wrong (yet) and while I don't hate nursing, I feel a huge regret about switching my career path just to get a higher salary.I miss my old work/job but i've invested money and time- (1 1/2 years) to get a second degree in nursing. I feel a knot in my stomach every day now, like i've gone totally numb, and am just overwhelmed and panicky. I feel incompetent/unprepared and while I know most new nurses feel this way.. I feel a sense of despair. I haven't officially started on the floor yet, so interacting with pts (which i've always liked) may change these feelings( I hope) I just don't know what to do at this point. I feel I have to do this for a year,to pay off all my bills, before i go back to my original line of work. i basically can't afford not to do this and think my fiancee will think i'm nuts for feeling this way -but my sadness now is already straining our relationship b/c i don't feel like myself. sorry for the ramble. i feel lost.

I think you'll have noprob finding a job with two externships under your belt-i had none andfound a med/surg position about 1 12 months after sending out resumes,searching etc...but the job didnt start for another monthand expect the process to be fairly long, b/c you usually have to take a pharm test before officially being hired,get a physical fill out lots of paperwork before officially being hired. go to open houses,job fairs and callrecruiters directly as well as nurse managers at hospitals you'd liketowork.Just sendingout a resumes won't get you anywhere.I don'tknow many who got a job or call back doing just that. Union hospitals in the city start off with a little over 70,000 starting pay for bsn grads

at union hospitals the salary is over 69,000,and with a bsn a bit over 70,000 to start

well, I can only speak for myself, and while I had a decent amnt. of clinical practice and direct pt. care my school did not allow us to draw bood, do an IV start, etc so that's giving me anxiety. I am not sure if the hospital I will be at has phlebotomy teams doing that.there was such ad nauseum emphasis on "evidence based" medicine and lots of papers..... but knowing pathophys well helps with critical thinking- (i.e. I noticed way too many c diff outbreaks on a floor I was on as a student and saw that most pts were on proton pump inhibitors as a prophylactic for "stress ulcers" i asked a nurse why they did that since it seemd to me that it was contributing to the c diff outbreaks-she gave me a look like i was an idiot/out of line and said "evidence base"-I looked it up and recent research shows proton pump inhibitors can contribute to causing c diff). so, while I can make an observation like that, I still get tegaderm stuck on my glove tips and have never inserted a foley, and worry i'll screw up Iv med settings or deluge my pt with deadly air bubbles