acubed

I haven't started nursing yet, and I'm out!!! OK, oxymoron there I'm a second career/second degree person, and I've switched to respiratory therapy which doesn't make as much in the long run, mainly bcse of everything I've read on this board. I have very young children and don't want to deal with the stress of nursing school, instructors, preceptors and mean colleagues & patients at this stage of my kids' lives. Plus shadowing a hospital RN and RT really gave me insight into the fields. I don't want to be a hospital RN, I want to be a primary care NP. I think I will eventually go to nursing school in about 10 years (just need to enjoy these early years with the kiddos), and hopefully there will be more direct entry NP programs that are cheaper than Vanderbilt's $100K!!!!

I had anesthesia to pull out 2 wisdom teeth, I remember they said something about valium. When I woke up I told the Dr "I love YOu" back asleep, woke up told the nurse the same thing LOL

Thanks so much for the info :)

Thanks so much for clarifying that, you seem to have quite a perfect fit in your career!

OMG! I can't imagine up to 70 per day, you are super busy! But now I'm confused, you are a CNS but working in specialty primary care--I thought primary care was limited to NPs. For instance, at our allergy/asthma doctor's office there is an NP. Could you elaborate, I thought CNS were only in the hospital. Any other responses to the original question are also appreciated. Thanks

Hello NPs and PAs, Just wondering about working conditions in primary care. When you sign your contract, does it specify a minimum number of patients you must see during the year a (like MDs contracts)? Is it reasonable, are you able to do as much patient education as you would like, or are you running from exam room to exam room? Wondering about the actual amount of time you can spend with each patient. Also, how stressful/frustrating is primary care? My ideas are lofty so I may need a reality check. All candid responses are greatly appreciated, thanks!

45min to1 hr, anesthesia is usually spinal tap or sometimes epidural.

I've heard that being trained in phlebotomy is a BIG plus on your resume. If you can't find a job, here's a potential volunteer opportunity, you can volunteer for hospice, they do intense training that will show your prospective employer that you can effectively work with terminal patients and truly understand lifespan issues. Usually as a hospice volunteer you are a warm friendly body to give a break to the other family members or entertain the patient, and also deal with the emotional and possibly spiritual issues. I still think the home health caregiver/companion is a great opportunity.

Try a home health company that is looking for a senior companion. They use people who don't have a CNA to be a "sitter" for elderly people. You may do errands, keep them company, go to religious activity, play checkers, etc. Most want CNAs but sometimes they are just looking for a companion.

hugs to u

I truly appreciate the replies. I called a medical center, and guess what an MD actually called back! :anpom: anyway, i didn't get into the nursing issues with her, just asked her personal opinion about whether to go RRT-PA or RN-NP to do primary care. She said hands down NP bcse they are more versatile and are sought after more in primary care. Also said there are always so many opportunities avail and she expected more to open for NPs (she's the director of a program they have there). she even asked an NP there a question for me. I'm putting calls in for a shadow opportunity. I'm really glad with what you all have said and the MD, bcse my heart is really in the preventative and wellness aspect of healthcare, not just the medical (or medicinal) aspect of it. THANKS again :)

wow, and which one is more rewarding to you? pros/cons for each one? I am planning on shadowing both very soon, but like so many say, it really depends on the facility/person. thanks

classicdame, no not exactly. I think she is now getting to the ready-to-work in another field stage but her pay is really really great bcse of her experience level. she wants to transition to holistic nursing.

Thanks everyone for taking the time to respond. Let me clarify a few things. LOL, I am definitely NOT asking anyone to make my decision, yes I will make my own decision, I am fully capable of critical thinking. :) I want to get advice/suggestions from people in the field so I can make an informed decision. I do not have a science or healthcare background/degree at all, so if I go the PA route, I will need to work in healthcare first and do PA pre-reqs. I am not naive, yes there is no perfect job, but I do want to be REALLY excited about going in to work every day. So when I hear about patients throwing remote controls & demanding ice chips, the co-worker issues, and working 14+ hours instead of 12, stress, blah blah blah it really makes me wonder if nursing is for me. No one I know in healthcare (including nurses) has anything great to say about nursing. When I told my friends that I want to go that route, they scrunch their noses and ask "why"? They say I would be a good nurse, but the main issue is that no one treats nurses with respect and "nurses go through too much". Are nurses really the ones who are demoralized and blamed for everything? It seems so unfair for such a critical job. I don't want to go into nursing with lofty ideas just to have reality sink in later, and the threads on allnurses make me think it's not what I think it would be. I still would appreciate useful input as I sort out the info and make my decision. Thanks so much everyone, I really do value your opinions.

Hi, I would really appreciate any good advice/suggestions. I am planning on becoming a second-degree nursing student. I am chaning careers because I want to work WITH people, not books/computers/numbers... and I want to help people, in the healthcare setting. My ultimate goal right now is to work in a primary care setting, or a specialty care/urgent care setting. However, it seems like EVERYONE has sooooo many negatives to say about their nursing careers. Even my close friend out of nowhere says she is so tired of pushing meds she's been in med-surg for 20 years, I thought she loved it. And on this forum, I keep reading about so many things (stress, co-worker issues, patient ratios, long hours & body pains) and am wondering do I really want to deal with all of that AND patient drama (no I'm not a maid, and don't yell). I know that it's only a few years of hospital RN experience before working as a FNP (yes I know MSN & certif exam), but I'm really wondering if those 3-5 years of RN hospital work will be satisfying for me. I'm changing careers so that I will enjoy a new career field, so I want to be sure that I will enjoy it. I've read on this forum about someone working as respiratory therapist and loving it bcse it's very low stress. I've visited the RRT forum, and they all talk about actually sitting and eating on breaks and studying too, some for the majority of their shift. So now I'm wondering if I should go the RRT-PA route to my primary care dreams. I say RRT bcse you must work in a healthcare field before being admitted to PA school (and I want to actually put in meaningful healthcare work if I go this route). I guess I could do a LPN to PA route, not sure if the working condition for LPNs are any better than RNs though. I honestly like the "idea" of nursing, treating the whole person, being the patient's advocate, but it seems like that is a disillusionment nowadays with all the paperwork, charting, and high patient ratios. As far as the FNP vs PA, lots of people here speak about the autonomy that the PA has, higher salary, etc. I'm sooo confused, I need to figure this out, but I may be missing something. please give your suggestions, thanks in advance

you should also determine whether the CRNA program that you are interested in requires a BSN. if so you will either have to complete a bridge program, or just go directly for a BSN. You can do a direct entry or accelerated program. If you have $35 Grand, UNIV of Wisconsin Osh Kosh has a 1 year online program with local clinicals to you.

I haven't taken A&P yet, but I have taken graduate level statistics online and received an A. I LOVE taking tough courses online, bcse you can go back and replay the lecture if you have difficulty figuring out something. I am planning on taking A&P and Micro online. For me, the access to teachers is better for an online course than traditional classroom. In general, they must respond to all inquiries within 24 hours for online courses, but with traditional courses you are limited to their office hours.

OP, maybe you can make another post to let people know about the hospital, maybe someone else will want to take up that opportunity for school + job.

I think many people don't take their kids to the dentist until it's too late. I have a friend who's 3 year old son needed four--yes four cavities filled by his first visit to the dentist. I've heard many other moms say that their kids under 5 have cavities. Some people simply can't afford dental check-ups, so I think it's great that some peds offices do it at annual check-up. OUr ped didn't do a full oral hygiene exam, she basically had the varnish ready when she came in, so I guess it's part of standard procedure for well exam. Not sure if they would ask a nurse to learn all about tooth decay, etc. my kids have regular 6 month dental cleanings ever since age 12months and have never had a fluoride varnish treatment at the ped dentist office, go figure.

It would be great to take a cultural anthropology course or something similar. I know that most Jews and Muslims do not believe in autopsies and usually have a prayer. It's great that u are sensitive to their needs.

one of my kids had it done at the peds office during an annual wellness exam. the ped did it though

another guardian here....

https://aceweb.gvltec.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?~~083BOB89901D Online Refresher course for nurses out of state, also there's one for in-state (SC & FL nurses). They even have venipuncture online, click on healthcare and scroll all the way to bottom for online course, hope this helps.

try looking up a local tech school or the continuing ed dept of your local community college, or call american red cross for a referral, hope that helps

In any profession, always get a job offer in writing. Sometimes people you speak with are not the people with the hiring authority. It can happen in any career field.