mountainbird

Tokebi ~ Thank you many many times over for the clarification. I was definitely running into some confusing questions while researching. I appreciate all of your help! I'll be sure to pass it on once I'm on the other side of this. :)

Thanks One1 ~ PRN, ABSN, and kids is a huge accomplishment!

Update - I have read through all of the threads on direct-entry MSN programs in the nursing students section, but would still like to hear from anyone practicing nursing who has gone through or knows someone who has gone through the same/similar programs. Thanks!!

Thank you for all of your replies! Thank you also for all of the advice on keeping grades up, finding a job pre/during nursing school, and networking during clinicals - all great information I had not heard from people directly in the field. It's extremely helpful. One1 - It really does sound like everything is place/person dependent. I have great grades from a strong undergrad university but will be sure to continue to maintain my GPA as I finish up a few classes, and try and get some work experience while I'm at it. Did you complete an ABSN and work part time? CorazondeOro - Sounds like you found a great place! Thank for sharing - you've given me hope! I'm not anywhere near Detroit (currently located and would like to stay in the intermountain west), but you've given me an idea of what to look for in great hospitals. Is yours a teaching hospital by chance? I would guess that they might prefer new grads? Is the online program to transition your ADN to a BSN called a bridge program? I have been seeing some of those online and have been curious about how well they work. Detroitdano - Yikes! Curious what area of the country you're located in? That's terrible to hear you can't get into the OR from ICU. I'm interested in ICU/emergency, but would have assumed that would be semi-easily transferable to other departments. Thank you for the realistic picture where you're at. It's good to hear the truth, even when it's not as great as you hope for. From what I've been hearing it seems fairly difficult to get into nursing school. Fortunately I'm not one of the masses that think nursing will solve my problems or simply be a recession proof job (especially since that myth is becoming more strikingly clear). I truly WANT to BE a nurse. I have considered a range of other jobs within the medical community (from Dr. to PA to Rad tech, etc.) and I believe nursing is really where my heart is. VLM RN - Just saw your post. Thank you! I feel called into the profession - it's so nice to hear from people who love what they do - I hope to join you in that. What is it that you love about the Med-Surg specialty so much (other than the great factors you already mentioned)? Has anyone here been interested in or gone back to school for an NP? If so, have you had better luck/prospects with it? Has anyone else done a direct-entry MSN program? Tokebi mentioned it yesterday and I have been looking into different programs. Curious if it is worth the extra year and would give an advantage in the workplace? I seem to be finding a lot of controversial topics including whether or not an entry level MSN should even be an option given the students lack of clinical experience (which seems to fall in line with the reasons for nursing several years before being allowed to obtain an NP). Any thoughts?

Tarabara - Thanks for the advice! I will definitely look into externships/tech work while I finish up a few prerequisites and start the application process. Congrats on finding a job! Tokebi - I have mainly been looking at Accelerated BSN programs. My knowledge of direct-entry MSN programs is limited, but definitely something I will look into. I'm excited there are so many possibilities. :) I'm curious what kind of new grad program you are in - a nurse internship, nurse residency, or some other kind of program? What specialty did you end up trying? I am completely open to any kind of nursing job/specialty. Ultimately, I would like to end up in ER/ICU at a Trauma I hospital, but my understanding is that the learning curve is enormous and that learning to be a good nurse is more important than the specialty (especially in the beginning). I'm sorry to hear that CA is such a tough job market right now. I used to live there, and still miss it everyday! Congrats on finishing nursing school and finding a job in such a tough setting. And thank you for sharing your story - the advice is so appreciated!

Thank you for your replies. It sounds relatively tough to find jobs, but that they are out there. What areas of the country do you guys practice in? I'm curious if anyone has any insight into whether job prospects are better in the east/west/etc. Esme12 - Thank you for all of the great links and info. The myth or exaggeration of a nation wide nursing shortage is about what I was expecting. I noticed that you have been a nurse in the emergency/critical specialties. I'm curious if you are in an urban or rural setting? Flight nursing is an interest and long term goal of mine. I would love to hear more about your path if/when you have a chance.

Hi everyone, I have been reading through allnurses forums for several months now and was unable to find any current thoughts on a big question I have for all of you already in the nursing field. I have been considering going back to nursing school (I currently have a BA + 6 years of work experience in a different field) for awhile now - I love everything the field has to offer from patient care, to flexibility, the hospital environment, and subject material. I have spent a lot of time shadowing different people in the medical community and feel that nursing is the place where I would like to work the most. However, I am concerned about job prospects. I have heard/read a lot about nursing schools being jammed up (due to teacher/school shortage) and I can't quite get a feel for whether or not nurses are being hired now (most of the past posts on this topic date around 2009/09 but I am interested in the current market). I'm sure it is place dependent, but most of my friends in the field started working as nurses 6-10 years ago. I am curious about how difficult it is/was for any of you to find jobs and if any of you had difficulty getting into nursing school. There seems to be a lot of conflicting news out there concerning nursing unemployment rates/job forecasting. I am absolutely interested in this field for the right reasons, and am not considering changing paths depending on placement, but I would like to get a more realistic feel for the time-frame/expectations starting out in this field (I am specifically interested in Emergency Medicine but welcome all thoughts and replies in all fields!). Thank you in advance for any/all thoughts!