intpartners

Well, I have been a R.N. for over 40 yrs by now.. making me an "ole timer" who has done Everything you can do in nursing med surg, (every type of unit, er/ms/ob/or/etc), 17 yrs psych, prison nursing, instructor for nurses,10 yrs of computer nursing for hmo company, and guess that it about it. I too was laid off from the computer job, they closed their doors last year after 10 yrs. And, as someone said, back to other jobs, psych is back for me. However, I have spent the last 10 yrs while working weekend/16 hrs shifts as an RN, exploring my own home based business and have become quite the Internet Guru. I will always be a RN even if only in my heart, because I believe it is a calling and it is certainly not for those who want to have an easy job for sure. Even after all of these years, I have never lost my idealizm and also my love for helping people. Judy

From my observation: Depending on what you want to do when you finish school and go to work as a Nurse. If you are going to be a Nurse in the hospital clinical setting, then an Associate and or the BSN will work. If you want any type of management you will have to have a BSN and eventually a Masters Degree. It seems as though, in nursing you can be much more flexible and versatile then the corporate world. Experience does seem to be a factor for sure, but if you are a new graduate, most hospitals have programs to help you get started in the work world.

being that you are 17, you have a lot of good choices and time to prepare for your career. nursing is a very worthwhile profession and is probably the most demanding but rewarding career you could choose. and offers the most flexibility of any type of job you could do with the mobility of anywhere in the us for sure. depending on the state and the need of nurses, is a lot of what depends on the salary that you will see. i just ran into a site tonight that gave salaries for nursing. http://absolutelyhealthcare.salary.com/ this should give you a good idea about different parts of the country. and, good luck with your education. good to go to associates and then ladder program if you want to go to work in 2 yrs and then finish your bs. judy rn