learning08

Started in a full-time hospital job, which was what I wanted...no prior hospital experience. Thankful opportunities for new grads were plentiful around here.

Thank-you, this is exactly what I was thinking when I submitted the original post. It irks me to see my fellow women (specific women I have in mind) overworked, tired, and unhappy. I am not here to judge anybody's lifestyles. I do feel like if a friend of mine is unhappy due to being overworked, picking up OT while pregnant, returning to work at 8 weeks postpartum because the hubs (a healthy type, not overqualified for menial labor) won't get a job, it is normal for me to feel unhappy for her. And yes, I have worked in menial jobs that I was overqualified for and have no problem doing it again.

*They* are unhappy and tired. I sympathize with them. It doesn't affect me personally what their husbands do or don't do.

I've been working with a lot of young (20s-40s) nurses who are the primary breadwinners in their families. Not single women/single Moms, but wives basically supporting their husbands and kids, working overtime to make ends meet. Is there a trend? These husbands are unable to find work or unwilling to work at what they see as menial jobs while the wives are saddled with financial responsibility for the family. It irks me to see my girlfriends worn out at work trying to make extra $ in spite of fatigue, physical illness, being mothers to smal children etc.

Rarely. Signed up in advance for one or two extra 12s over the course of last year because I wanted the money and had some time off up ahead. The work is so hard on the body that I avoid extra shifts for the sake of my health and sanity. I don't come in when called at the last minute because I plan my time off in advance, and when they typically call in the early morning, I'm sleeping and my phone is turned off.

You are the ultimate judge of your individual situation. Many people have worked their way through nursing school, but how many have dropped out because school, work and family were too much? More than 50% in the RN-ASN program I graduated from! You know your family situation, your energy level and potential for employment in your area, so the decision is up to you. You could always borrow for the first couple of semesters and then pick up a part-time job as a student nurse assistant, which are typically very flexible and help you gain experience and get your foot in the door. The amount you propose to borrow and the interest rate are very reasonable. God luck with whatever you decide!

Dear nohika, Many of the pros have already been mentioned. Another potential pro is that as an RN, you'll be out in the workforce making a living sooner than if you go directly through a PA/NP/another advanced practitioner ed program. Then, once you are working as an RN, you can gain experience while making the $ and/or taking advantage of workplace ed benefits to go back to school for a more advanced degree in a healthcare field...or an entirely different area. A big con of nursing, to me, is the risk of physical injury. You would most likely start out as a staff nurse, a role that requires pulling and repositioning pts., many of whom don't have the strength to help you move them. Quite a few of these very sick pts. will be very heavy. There are so many nurses, nursing assistants etc. out there who have injured their backs, arms, etc. As an advanced practitioner, you would be spared much of the risk of physical injury along these lines. This is the main reason I don't see myself as a full-time floor nurse for much longer. Be sure to shadow at least a couple of different nurses in different hospitals. Make the effort to make these experiences happen. Good luck!

Put yourself first. Your health and well-being are your top priorities. That feeling of false guilt? Forget it. My days off are mine, end of story.

How is swine flu vaccine availability at your facility/in your area? Did you get yours? How was it? Our hospital has been vaccinating direct patient care staff on a voluntary basis for the past couple of weeks. It's a shot, still easily available from employee health on a walk-in basis, no wait. I got mine 3 days ago. Sore arm the next day, I popped a few Advils through the first couple of days. Our county health depts. have H1N1 flu mist, free and available on a walk-in basis.

I've yet to meet a real-life nurse who refers to her pts. as clients. I will always call patients, patients.

If one has a good job (supportive environment, good working hours, decent conditions), then s/he is fortunate. If s/he is stuck working in a terrible place because there's nothing else out there for them right now, that's not fortunate, but may have to do until other opportunities are found.

Would you consider graduate school? (not MSN, but PhD or MS in a field other than nursing--much easier to secure an assistantship for those than for an MSN, and that usually comes with a tuition waiver and a stipend, as well as continuation of your student status). Do you have a U.S. citizen boyfriend you can marry?

Oncology breaks my heart...I have to have some emotional distance from the patient pop. to work effectively... That being said, I hope to never work in a hellhole where nurses are penalized for calling in sick, cannot take a lunch etc.

OP: what a hellhole you were working in! So sorry to read of your experience and so glad you're no longer there! I will not work while very ill and I don't care if my supervisors like it or not. I don't want to endanger vulnerable patients, myself, and coworkers.

LMAO! That's so out there! I would have told the NM to go get his stuff herself!!