sevenup0307

What type of rotations/units does maternity encompass and what were some of your experiences, good and bad?

To be honest I didn't have the grades or MCAT scores to even apply for med school. I could have possibly gone to a Caribbean medical school but i felt it was too risky and expensive to go that route. My options after graduating with my environmental science degree w/ the pre-reqs already completed was to do a 2 Yr. masters degree and take the MCAT 2-3 more times in the hopes i can land a high enough mcat score and GPA (Both were lacking). Then I would have to spend another 1-2 years to apply and go through the whole process, interview, obtain LOR's, write essay, etc.... Or I could spend that time doing my nursing pre-reqs (1 Yr.) and then doing a second bachelors in nursing (2 Yrs) and become an RN. Ultimately, I decided to go this route since it was the safest, shortest and cheapest route. I could of spent the next 3-4 years attempting med school and coming out empty handed in the end. I also realized Nursing will allow me to do more things after wards like NP/CRNA which do very similar work to physicians. Overall i'm very happy in my choice and am glad that I was accepted to Nursing school, some nursing schools are starting to become as competitive as med school admissions, GPA wise.

To be honest I didn't have the grades or MCAT scores to even apply for med school. I could have possibly gone to a carribbean medical school but i felt it was too risky and expensive to go that route. My options after graduating with my environmental science degree w/ the pre-reqs completed was to do a 2 Yr. masters degree and take the MCAT 2-3 more times in the hopes i can land a high enough score and GPA. Then I would have to spend another 1-2 years to apply and go through the whole process. Or I could spend that time doing my pre-reqs (1 Yr.) and then doing a second bachelors in nursing (2 Yrs). Ultimately i decided to go this route since I could spend the next 3-4 years attempting med school and coming out empty handed in the end. I also realized Nursing will allow me to do things after ward like NP/CRNA and they do very similar work to physicians.

Actually the average salary for a CRNA is 175k, it can range from as low as 130k to as high as 210k. They make a ton more money than PA's which typically make 80-90k on average. http://www.nurse-anesthesia.org/content.php/257-Average-CRNA-Salary-in-2011-Nears-169k

My question is do nursing programs give their students some exposure in ICU/ER/NEURO/OR, anything involving critical care? I'm hoping to work in critical care when I graduate

Not necessarily, remember that money is the root of all evil. It always comes down to money. It is possible they feel older nurses cannot lift and be active as the younger crowd. I feel tho nurses with experience are expected to be paid more than a new grad. From a hiring standpoint, i feel HR would prefer to hire sum1 that will make less, usually that would be a new grad or sum1 with less than 1 yr of experience. The economy between 2008-2013 has been on the decline. There is some hope that things are starting too improve however i feel that what happens overseas will largely determine wehter our economy improves or not. If we go into another war, i think this generation is going to be screwed personally. So def! keep an eye on whats happening overseas, our economy will be effected, thus nursing will be effected as well as every other occupation you can think of.

That's awesome!!! Congrats! You must be doing a certificate program through a hospital? I don't think our nursing program will offer us all these rotations, i hope they do tho!

Also what did you like and dislike the most?

You'll be surprised to know some places actually do not like hiring people with too much experience, since they think you will expect a hire salary than a new graduate. Some places are just looking for the "right" amount of experience or maybe a little bit under but not by too much. If I was a hiring manager the new grad technically will be paid less, so it would seem like a smarter move.

Getting a job at barnes and noble can be quite difficult nowadays. Many English majors apply to B&N, even tho you'll get a minimum wage job, it is somewhat relevant to the field. It's however not a salary a person can live on. I also forgot to mention law. More than half of law school graduates cannot find work. Accounting can even be competitive nowadays in finding a job. My best advice is too network and build relationships with people that can hire you later on. If you want to become an RN, try getting a CHHA position or CNA/PCT, or a unit secretary position. Experience in your field is what will make you stand out from the crowd.

Guys u have to realize this is not unique to nursing. If u see my previous posts on this thread as well as from others you can see many other healthcare professions are also suffering, like Pharmacy, Medical Assisting, and Phlebotomy. Tuition costs for med schools/PT are going up while salaries remain stagnant or are going down. Podiatry is facing a residency shortage. Realize healthcare isn't recession proof. When sum1 tells you nursing is hard to find a job now, well tell them so is everything else. Nothing is guaranteed in life. Tomorrow isn't. The question is are you willing to take the risk. I know I am, b/c if i don't then that means making fast food or retail as a career as I am not good at anything else besides the sciences.

Thats b/c its detroit lol, didnt detroit just go bankrupt.

Yes, both PA/NP are solid careers. However I am starting to notice that some PA jobs require some work experience. Eventually I do feel PA like pharmacy, will keep opening schools and there will be an oversupply sometime in the future. Also I have read on forums about many unsatisfied PA's who end up going back to school to become doctors since their made to do most of the work by their supervising physician. I'm sure that's not the case experienced by every PA. I think NP is more solid than PA. My state this year will likely grant NP's independent practice rights. Also, I like the idea of obtaining a doctorate degree as opposed to a masters in PA and also not having the word, "Assistant" attached to my title. Obamacare from what i hear is suppossed to negatively effect physicians, see my previous comment/post. I know the field of podiatry is suffering from a residency crises.

Also, pharmacy jobs are hard to find nowadays. Pharmacy is being taken over by robotics, automation, etc...It's no longer the lucrative career it once was. Yes, Robot pharmacies now exist, they can dispense drugs, count pills, label bottles, etc....I was considering med school but even medicine is no longer a lucrative career, esp. primary care. There are many obstacles you will have to face going that journey and it's not guaranteed you'll succeed or make it all the way. Also, from what i heard, obamacare is supposed to hurt medicine, but it's good for the nursing profession. Check out these articles: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/28/health/trainees-in-radiology-and-other-specialties-see-dream-jobs-disappearing.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0. The Obamacare Revolt: Physicians Fight Back Against the Bureaucratization of Health Care - Reason.com. The Obamacare Revolt: Physicians Fight Back Against the Bureaucratization of Health Care - Reason.com.

Im going to go out on a limb and try to explain how the economy works. In fact, ill make it simple, the economy effects healthcare, it is not recession proof like some people claim. If indeed there are more wars, money will be needed to pay it off. the government budget will need to accommodate the war bill. All sectors of society or most will be effected. Look at the cutbacks and wage freezes on police and teachers for instance. So believe it or not, what's happening overseas is going to determine what the job market is not only for healthcare occupations, but for everything else as well. Now, if you decide to do an accelerated program, realize you need to make sure you have all the pre-reqs courses for the accelerated program, so make sure you look at the programs requirements b4 you apply. The accelerated programs last anywhere btwn 12-18 months. Realize it will be nearly impossible to work during that time. I am also a 2nd degree student, however i'm doing a 3-yr traditional route for my 2nd Bachelors degree in nursing. I did 1 yr of prereqs and now im about to start the 2-yr traditional route nursing program in the fall. This will allow me to work and not have to pull out large loans.