Dreampink21

Thanks for the feedback! The best part of my job are my patients as I like to say.. other than that, you can have it lol I love getting to know them and just talking to them. My facility does not have tuition reimbursement. I don't think I would want to work there as an RN any way. Understaffed and overworked, which seems to be the way of nursing now days. I think that's another turn off for me. The school I looked at which would give me an associates was $17,000. I'm not sure how much it would cost to go from RN-BSN as most of the job postings I see say "BSN preferred". The pay increase would vary depending on the setting you work in. I've seen postings for agencies that offer $42/hr. The average salary for my area is $92,000 (according to indeed) but that's in specialties and hospitals. A Masters in mental health counseling cost about the same. The average salary is $84,000 ,again, according to indeed. I feel as though nurses are so unappreciated, I don't see myself doing it for 30 years. And then you have those who do it for 30+ years and are still in love with it..

I currently work at a LTC facility, I work 3-11 shift. I can have any where from 34-41 patients. Only nurse on the floor. On a good day I have 3 CNAs, when we're short, just 2 CNA's (can u imagine). I start my day with finger sticks and hanging tube feeds. Then I start my med pass, in between dinner being served, handing out supplements and helping feed some patients. After dinner my med pass continues, along with calls from pharmacy, visits from Mds, relatives etc. Med pass includes G-tubes and IV's. After med pass theres documenting, calls to pharmacy, lab, and doctors. Followed by more documenting. Then there's going through charts, picking up order and monthlys. Since the facility I work at does not use EMR, this is allll paper work. (what fun)... I end my shift with giving night time insulin, writing my report and charting.

Here's the deal. I've been an LPN for a little over a year now at a LTC facility. I've learned so much and I continue to learn everyday. But now I feel like its time to make a career move. The issue is, I dont know if I want to continue on in nursing, get my RN license or if I want to pursue a Masters degree in Psychology with I currently have a BA in. I can't say that Im in love with the nursing profession. To obtain my RN license I think the best path would be to get my associates, become licensed and then pursue my BSN. School is so expensive now days and I already have HUGE loan payments to make, I want to make the right choice. Does anyone else have a second degree/career they've thought about choosing over nursing? Financially, which profession would be the smarter choice to pursue? Is a year not long enough to make a career move decision?