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Anyone have advice on how to return to Acute Care nursing after working in other settings? I worked on a Neuro/Oncology/Epilepsy unit for 2 years as a new grad. My last year on that unit was 2017. Since then I have worked in home health and school nursing. I would like to return to hospital/bedside nursing, and I know there are shortages everywhere. When I last applied, before the start of the pandemic, everyone wanted recent hospital experience. I couldn’t get a foot in the door. I’m hoping that the extreme shortages most hospitals are experiencing now have widened that door gap. Anyone make this transition successfully?

That does sound like a good idea, but isn’t an option for me since I will be moving in the middle of grad school. The bill question is: if I start school in the US can I transfer to a Canadian school partway through my program? Or can I continue taking remote classes at a U.S. school while living in Canada?

I am have been an RN for 7 years now and will be completing my BSN in 10 months, in May 2023. I want to go straight on to NP school in the fall of 2023. The conflict is that my family is planning to move from the US to Canada in Summer 2024. So, I will be moving halfway through my program, and then practicing as an NP in Canada when I graduate. I am torn on whether to start NP school in the US or wait until I get to Canada. I really don’t want to delay starting, and I would prefer, overall, to attend a U.S. school anyway. Would it be possible to start school in the US and transfer to a Canadian school when I move? Or possible to continue an online US NP Program while living in Canada? I worry about finding clinical sites in Canada while attending a U.S. program. Any input appreciated. Thanks!

Thank you, Daniella! A couple of questions: You mentioned that you know some CNM's that had to find work in Portland. Do you think the job market is tough in Seattle or they just got better offers in Portland? It's pretty important to me to stay in Seattle if I head out west. I have family here in Austin, where I currently live, and family in Seattle. I really need to be near my family in one way or another. I am a single mother and I'm committed to raising my son near family so he has more than just one consistent adult in his life. Also, I'm lucky enough to have great family. One other question, do you happen to know anything about how many hours CNM's typically work up there? It sounds like the job market is diverse, which is great, so there may be many answers to this question. The reason that I ask is that the CNM's I've met in Austin tell me they work 80-90 hours/week and still make less money than a floor nurse in L&D. I want badly to be a CNM, which is why I'm considering the move. As a single mother, I have to make sure I have a livable schedule and decent income in order to be a good parent to my son. I am so passionate about helping women and mothers, but I have to support my own motherhood as well!!

Hello! I'm a nursing student about to graduate in a few months and considering my long term career prospects. I have family in two cities: Austin, TX and Seattle, WA. I live in Austin now, and love it, but it has some downsides as far as nursing careers go. The pay for RN's is really low here, and, remarkably, it's even lower for CNM's! CNM's I've met here tell me they struggle to make as much as a floor nurse does. Becoming a CNM has been my dream since before I started school, but I'm pretty discouraged by the job prospects in Austin. There's a chance I may be moving up to Seattle when I graduate (my brother has offered me free rent, which is a tough thing to pass up) and I'm just trying to look ahead to my grad school and long term career plans. So, are there any CNM's who have worked in Seattle? Can you tell me anything about the job market up there? Work conditions? Thanks!

Hello! I've been planning on eventually obtaining an advanced practice degree from the moment I began considering a nursing career, and have spent a ton of time trying to decide which specialty to pursue. At this point, I have 8 months left until I graduate from my ADN program, and I'd like to get some kind of handle on my goals. Can anyone speak at all to how they made a decision about what they wanted to do, and whether or not they regretted that decision and why? Have you all found that your personality type correlates with any particular career pretty closely? I realize, BTW, that many would advise just practicing as an RN and feeling out different areas of nursing for several years. There are a few reasons that I'm in a bit of a hurry to specialize, but they basically all boil down to financial drivers. Here's a little background on me: I will be 35 years old when I graduate from my ADN program and will have at least $20,000 in school debt. I am a single mother to a 4 year old little boy, and my own mother (who is in her early 60's) was diagnosed three years ago with CIDP and is now disabled and requires financial support. I am lucky to be blessed with 3 amazing siblings who are helping me to get through school and will be contributing to supporting my mother, but I am determined to pay my family members back and be a source of support in my family rather than a drain on resources. So, given the financial pressures, I feel it would behoove me to try to move pretty quickly into the area of nursing that I ultimately choose to specialize in. I know that many grad programs require RN experience in a certain area prior to admission, and I'd prefer to start getting that experience ASAP. In other words, I'm hoping not to hang out on med-surg for a few years before I get a job on L&D, ICU, ER, or whatever. I am a good student, and have maintained a GPA above 3.5 throughout my schooling, which leaves a lot of choices open to me. I am also currently working PRN as a CNA on a med-surg floor. So, the two specialties that appeal to me the most, so far, are CNM and CRNA (although I've dabbled with the idea of working as an FNP in the ED or as a PNP at times). I have to admit that the major driver in my interest in CRNA is the financial and lifestyle benefits. My financial needs are pretty high (once again, family that needs support), and I loooove the idea of having abundance in that area for the first time in my life, and being able to help and give. I also really like the idea of having time to spend with my son and in pursuing other interests besides nursing, such as travel and reading and gardening. I've never been the kind of person who is happy focusing on only one thing for very long. I have a ton of interests and passions and am perennially curious. The advantage of a CRNA career, as I see it, is that I will have the time and money to pursue a life outside of work (after the requisite misery of finishing the brutal education, of course), which is very important to me. On the other hand, I feel bored every time I visit the OR. The pace is just too measured, and when I hear people describe CRNA work I feel no spark of interest. Monitoring a bunch of numbers and data is just not super stimulating to me. Then again, I suspect I may not really be seeing what makes this career so stimulating to so many people. CRNA's do have a really high job satisfaction rate, after all. On the other hand, the most fun I've had in nursing school has been the time I've spent in the ER. I love the somewhat frenetic pace, the culture of teamwork, and the variety of experiences and skills required. I love interacting with different people and having to think on my feet. I even really enjoy encountering people who are high or experiencing psychiatric issues (thus the interest in PNP). My concern with working as an FNP in the ER is that the pay is lower and the hours are longer and there is less vacation than there is when working as a CRNA. In addition, I hear rumors of burnout, and I fear that the joy and stimulation I get from interacting with others may turn to bitterness over time if my workload is consistently too high. I have experienced some of this as a CNA. Initially I really loved working on a med-surg floor and getting to interact with all of the patients. These days, I drag myself in to work a lot of the time. It's just so hard to keep up with the workload and still provide good patient care. I end up being annoyed by the people that I used to feel compassion for. The most fun I've had in class, so far, has been my OB classes, and becoming a CNM was actually my initial goal in pursuing a nursing degree. I loooove birth stories and videos, and can get myself all wound up about inappropriate cesarean rates and other OB issues. Discussing birth gives me all kinds of warm fuzzy feelings and feelings of passion. I love the idea of supporting women through pregnancy and delivery. I am about to start my OB clinical rotation too, so maybe that will give me a better idea of what it is like to actually work in that area. My fears around midwifery, though, are related to the heavy workloads that I hear can be common. I know myself well enough to realize that I won't be happy working more than 40 hours/week on a regular basis, and I have never been capable of sustaining sanity with any kind of routine sleep deprivation. I am a single mother as well, and want to be available for my son. I would have to try to find a Midwifery position that doesn't require too much call time, and I'm afraid that would limit my choices too severely. So, any advice from CNM's or CRNA's? Or just general advice on making these choices? Thank you!

Hey! I just wanted to follow up on this post. I can't believe it's been 2.5 years since I posted this. So much has changed. I am in my 2nd year of the ADN program, and should be graduating in December of this year. I am still at a loss to decide on a specialty, with CRNA and CNM still topping my list of possibilities. I ended up ruling out the PA route, and don't regret it at all. Thank you to all of you for your input on that issue! It turned out, BTW, that the academic advisor who was advising me to go into a PA program had a "relationship" with the 4 year university that he was trying to encourage me to attend. I found out about his conflict of interest when I spoke to another adviser, who seemed pretty upset a the obvious bias her colleague was displaying. So, just a word of warning! Academic advisers are not always acting solely in the best interests of the students!!

OK. Now has anyone gotten the go ahead to register? I turned in my criminal background check the day I got my Next Steps letter. No word back yet that I can register!!

Just got it! I'm in CEC!!!

Yeah, they gave me the same date. I don't know if they will be letting us know campuses in this one, but they are supposed to be sending something today anyway!

Can't be that in my case. I just started skills (I'm in the 2nd 10 week session). Still checking every 10 minutes!

Hey guys! Anyone received their "Next Steps" letter? I responded to my acceptance letter on September 26th, and they said we'd be receiving another e-mail by the 16th. Well, today is the 16th, and no e-mail yet! I just tried to call the office, but got no answer. Left a message. I'm so anxious to find out about my campus! I put down CEC as my first choice, EVC as my second. In my third week of skills now and not enjoying it much:( The teachers are REALLY disorganized and not much help at all. I think I am doing all right in it, though. Will have my first written test on Friday, so we'll see!

I just got my Spring Acceptance!!! 61 points on my second application cycle. jena5111, I'm curious, how did you have 62.74 on a second application? Had you taken skills during the first half of the summer? Anyone have any thoughts on campus choices? I'm leaning towards EVC, but am curious about CEC. I live far south, and my son goes to school down here, so it would be hard to get to RRC. Still, I am also wondering about Hybrid, since I am a single mother and it is always better for me to have a more flexible schedule. Congratulations to and best of luck to all of you out there!

Just registered for skills! Lots of role playing, huh? I'm not too worried about that. I am a bit concerned if there is a heavy homework or study load, though. I am taking BIOL 1406 and MATH 1314 right now. My biology teacher is terribly disorganized, and the math is a bit tricky for me since I haven't taken any math for about 15 years. Playing a bit of catch up on my re-algebra. I am also a single mother and have been caring for my own mother following her back surgery, and I just moved to a new house and have been trying to unpack. In short, I don't know how much more I can take!! Guess I'll just have to pull some new tricks out of my sleeve. Hope all of you are doing well out there. Good luck!

I have 61 points. This is my second application, though. Can't imagine I won't get in this time, but afraid to say the word "definitely" (knocking on wood at thsi very moment). Got a skills petition in August but couldn't take it due to the course schedule I already had for Fall. They told me they would send me another petition when the next round went out (for the 2nd 8 and 10 week sessions). A couple of those courses will fit with my schedule. Hopeing to start skills in early October. I know I won't be able to be so picky about scheduling once I am actually in the program. I'm excited anyway, though. Anyone in skills now? How hard is it? Good luck everyone!