wama

Ok, maybe I phrased this wrong. I know that I want to become a nurse, am aware of what a nursing career is like, and am interested in advanced practice. I know that I definitely do NOT want to be an art therapist, but rather to have basic knowledge of alternative therapies to be able to suggest holistic options in conjunction with medical treatment to patients, which includes creativity and arts. I happen to be a facility that has an arts in medicine program (have you looked at Arts in Medicine at Shands Gainesville?) I would like to be a part of it, but I do not want my career to be solely art therapy. I'm just wondering what specialty would be a better fit for example, to see how people with dementia can use viewing and making art as a way of improving quality of life while living with their disease.

Hi all, I am finishing a MA in Art History and decided I would like to work as an advanced practice nurse but be able to provide arts in medicine/healthcare, but not necessarily as an art therapist. My thinking was if I could work as an advance practice nurse but be able to offer art-related programs to the facility I end up working with, or even on a freelance basis or as a partner with a local art institution. But, since I have a humanities background and need to gain the healthcare certifications now, I don't know exactly what path would be ideal. I was originally thinking about doing an ABSN to get certified as an RN then going on to advance practice after some clinical experience, or there are some graduate programs for non-nurses to become certified then continue with advanced degrees. (University of Illinois Chicago is one). But, I am unsure which specialty would be the best fit (NP? CNS? Psychiatric NP? Advanced Community Health Nurse?) My boss, a museum educator who is savvy about the art education side of this said she would ideally partner with Public Health departments rather than RNs, but I don't think she is aware of the various advanced practice specialties available. I know art therapy is not an APN specialty and the most related seem to be psyc, but I like the many options Family or Adult NP provides. Any thoughts/opinions? Thank You!

Hi all, I am finishing a MA in Art History and decided I would like to work as an advanced practice nurse with a specialty in arts in medicine/healthcare, but not necessarily an art therapist. There are many long-term care facilities, hospice and even rehab units that use art programming as part of healing and wellness, but I don't think there are enough to make a career out of. (For example, I imaging there is only one art session or presentation per week at most places) My thinking was if I could work as an advance practice nurse but be able to offer art-related programs to the facility I end up working with, or even on a freelance basis or as a partner with a local art institution. But, since I have a humanities background and need to gain the healthcare certifications now, I don't know exactly what path would be ideal. I was originally thinking about doing an ABSN to get certified as an RN then going on to advance practice after some clinical experience, or there are some graduate programs for non-nurses to become certified then continue with advanced degrees. (University of Illinois Chicago is one). But, I am unsure which specialty would be the best fit (NP? CNS? Psychiatric NP? Advanced Community Health Nurse?) My boss, a museum educator who is savvy about the art education side of this said she would ideally partner with Public Health departments rather than RNs, but I don't think she is aware of the various advanced practice specialties available. Any thoughts/opinions? Thank You!

I also took Nutrition during undergrad in the summer. My degree was in the humanities so I didn't put much effort into my required science gen-ed courses at the time (including Nutrition) but still ended up getting an A. I thought the class was great but I am really interested in how nutrition can be used to promote health and wellness. Hopefully there are ways I can continue to take nutrition-related courses and implement that knowledge when I become a nurse.

I am currently preparing to apply to Accelerated BSN and a couple of Graduate-Entry Programs for non-nurses. I have a BFA and an MA in Art History in-progress, and mid-grad school I realized the career wasn't for me. I investigated nursing (especially advanced practice) and believe it would be a great match for my skills and career goals. In order to learn more about the field of nursing (and strengthen my applications for next year) I am about to begin volunteering at a hospital and nursing home. The nursing home sounds like they will actually be able to provide nurse shadowing and resident interaction, but the hospital does not. Hospital volunteers cannot shadow nurses, and really only work at the front desk, assist with discharge (I think wheelchair transport for patients who can't walk) and newspaper and flower delivery. To those of you who volunteered at a hospital before, is this normal? I think it would be helpful for me to have some volunteer experience from a hospital for my resume, but I don't know how useful it will be to me.