spacecheetah

Your employment is a private contract between you and your employer. No one forced you to become a nurse or take this job. So on the one hand, if you're not happy with what you're making, you should do something else. On the other hand - I agree gender might very well play a role in what nurses are paid. A little perspective might be in order. I am in my 30s with some college and a high school diploma. I live in a city with lots of jobs, but TONS of colleges and a constant glut of fresh new grads willing to work for peanuts. Most of my office is comprised of revolving-door positions with a new 22-year-old woman every two years. (They like female new grads b/c they can pay them less. Of course they won't say that out loud.) I made $23K last year. My husband has 10 years in the military, Defense Information School, an infantry deployment and a Public Affairs deployment, plus nearly a decade running a unit Public Affairs office supervising a team of journalists and editing a paper. He is making $11 an hour loading trucks part-time at UPS. We are barely surviving. (And yes we have clean criminal records, stable work history, and don't do drugs.) I'm not complaining, ok? We're working on digging our way out of this hole and I don't need sympathy. My point is I can't imagine making $70K a year and complaining b/c someone else is making more. Actually - I can't imagine making $70K, full stop. It sounds like pure Heaven to me. We didn't make that much between the two of us last year. I take your point - at least I think so - that it upsets you that nursing is perceived to be of such little value that a sprinkler installer makes more. But there aren't a lot of other jobs that pay this well with a 2-year-degree, or even 4-year. (Engineering, math, hard science maybe.) I know several college grads in liberal arts/humanities working as receptionists and "sandwich artists." Have a good friend with two M.A.s (in English and Poetry - why?!?!) working as a PT admin asst making about what I make. However I agree with you that women devalue themselves and that quite possibly part of the reason nurses aren't paid more is because most nurses are women. I was researching RN and NP jobs in various cities on Indeed, Glassdoor, Payscale, etc., and inadvertently saw (on Payscale.com) the salary info broken down by gender. Females made significantly less for every single position I looked at. That's enough to make you hulk out a little bit.

Used to work in a drug testing lab. Because THC is stored in fat cells it can vary WIDELY from person to person when it comes to how long it takes the drug to leave your body. I am jumping on the "wait at least another month" bandwagon. I also think it's a great idea to go to an independent lab and have them test you before you let another prospective employer do it.

I had a reduction and found some of my old bras in the garage. Long story short, I now actually have a photo of my husband wearing one of the cups as a hat. (40G, and I'm so very glad they're smaller now.)

Loved this article. I'm not quite in nursing school yet but my intention is to go into mental health and ultimately become a PMHNP. Thanks for writing this.

In other words: I want to be a chef, but I want to delegate the shopping, chopping, mixing, stirring, and seasoning to the under-chefs. In other words, I basically want to wear a white hat and take things out of the oven. Oh, and design the menu. Because I'm kreaytyv. If the thought of wiping an occasional butt bothered me, or if I couldn't stand the sight or smell of blood/poop/pee/vomit/mucus, I don't think I'd be even considering nursing for a living.

This is a very eye-opening post for me. I'm but a lowly pre-nursing student, and Idk if I have a warped outsider's view of nursing, but I'm kind of shocked at the idea that coming in late, looking at cell phones while you should be working, or not pulling your weight is tolerated at all. When I imagine my future career as a nurse I've always imagined having to be constantly busy, alert, and hyper-professional. I've been in the workforce for nearly 20 years, from retail to food service to a decade or so in admin. My current position is very relaxed. But even working at a bookstore or a restaurant, I would have gotten written up for coming in late without calling or having my cell phone on the floor. And that's freakin' retail or food service! I cannot imagine going through all the time, energy, and stress of training for and pursuing a career in nursing, and then bleeping off to the point of being routinely late, putting on deo every day at the nurse's station, playing Candy Crush, and just generally being a lazy good-fer-nuthin. I have put a lot of thought and energy and stress into this already and I haven't applied to nursing school yet! I want to excel at what I do. Otherwise why do it? I encountered this for the first time in years when I was working retail for a few months over Christmas. At the company where I work FT, most of the young people are trying to break into the business, so they work hard. But at the bookstore, oh-em-jeez. I was frankly shocked at how much energy people would expend to keep from expending energy. Like, don't you realize it's less work to just do it than to avoid doing it? Whatever "it" is? I am anti-cell-phone-in-the-workplace, for what it's worth, at least when that workplace involves dealing with the public as health care providers.

Many of us have been there, in one way or another. My advice is apologize to the two people, but don't grovel. Then move on, with confidence. Don't let the blow to your self-confidence show. If one of your coworkers is negative toward you to the point that it affects getting your job done, approach that situation directly. Otherwise, ignore them. Eventually they will see what kind of person you truly are and it will blow over. If you work with people who are so unprofessional that they can NEVER get over one thing that one person said one time and continue to hold a nasty grudge forever and ever and make your life suck, find another job.

I agree that you need to take a deep breath and have some perspective. I'm 35 and starting pre-reqs. If I'm LUCKY I'll graduate at 38 with an ASN. My mom is starting pre-reqs and she's 54! Twenty-two is very young and there's no need for you to be freaking out and in such a rush. Try to relax and enjoy the ride. Good luck!

I have problems with anxiety too but they are not "crippling" (anymore) and if they were I wouldn't be pursuing nursing school. My anxiety is more internally focused though (health anxiety/hypochondria) and I have it well under control. I don't have the social or self-confidence issues you have. Even still it was enough to keep me from pursuing nursing for five (count 'em 5) years because I was not ready, my anxiety was not controlled. I did the research and realized that even people who are mentally healthy become anxious (including hypochondriac) in nursing school and beyond. I knew it wasn't smart for me to start the program until I was mentally ready. I think you have to be brutally honest with yourself about what you are capable of doing, and get yourself in a healthy head space before you pursue this. It would suck to sabotage yourself and make it that much harder to get into a program later when you ARE ready. Nursing aside, you need to get these problems under control for your overall quality of life. Trust me, life can be very different and so much better. And no, it doesn't always require medication but sometimes it does. I don't take any myself but you need to see a professional if you're not already. Best of luck to you.

I'm taking A&P 1 this summer in a 5 week course and I'm dreading it. It's my only class that semester (obviously!) but it's 5 hours a day 4 days a week and I work 30 hrs/week so I know it will be super intense. I'm taking A&P 2 in the Fall with Micro and Lifespan Psych. I think it will be fine since it's a regular semester. It depends on the person, I think, their abilities, study habits, time management skills, and extracurricular responsibilities.

I think this is a really good idea and I'm glad you brought it up b/c it's something I'll consider for myself later. Like you I'm working on pre-reqs and hoping to be in a program Fall 2016. My husband has a 4WD vehicle and he's able to get places when I can't, so great idea. However I do agree this may be a bit premature. I won't be able to consider a new vehicle at all until I'm making an RN's salary as opposed to the crappy one I make now. If you can afford it, I guess there's no harm in it, though.

I am only a lowly pre-nursing student but I've been in the workforce for almost 20 years and I have to say this is something I see more and more of everywhere: young people with little to no experience who are lazy, entitled, and will do ANYTHING to get out of pulling their weight. This is not all young people, of course. Some are hard workers. But I remember being young and new to the workforce and feeling I had to prove myself, feeling a sense of pride that would not allow me to be lazy or shirk my duties. I see less and less of that in young people. There seems to be no shame about getting out of doing their jobs; they almost take pride in it. I've been in the same admin position for 6 years in live music so I see a lot of young people trying hard to prove themselves and others who feel like we owe them cookies and hugs just for showing up. I took a second job in retail last year when my husband got laid off and I couldn't believe the lack of work ethic and professionalism. I worked at several stores in the district, too, and it wasn't just mine. The upside to this is I got offered a FT supervisory position within 3 months. :-) I fully expect when I start a new job to have to humble myself, work my ass off, keep my mouth shut unless it's to ask questions, do the grunt work, and prove myself. Respect is earned. I don't expect new hires to know everything, but I do expect them to be respectful, work hard, and prove themselves. I would imagine that goes double for a job like nursing where mistakes can have grave repercussions.

This thread has been interesting and helpful for me. I'm a pre-nursing student who really wants to go into psych. I'm a "non-traditional" student (35 now, will be 38 when I graduate, if all goes well). I have a few years experience in high-paced, stressful, multitasking jobs like retail and waiting tables, and I've been very successful in working circles around others. However those are not jobs where people's lives are at stake. I also have a history of health anxiety (hypochondria) that I know will make nursing school difficult and has kept me from going for about 5 years. I didn't feel I was capable of doing it without anxiety getting the better of me. I firmly feel I am in a strong and healthy enough place now to push through and excel in school. I'm a good student, a hard worker, and when I'm committed to something I do it. I do worry about being over-analytical and anxious on behalf of my patients but I know the only way to conquer this is to continue to manage my anxiety in a healthy way, ask lots of questions (something I have no problem doing), and accept that it will take time and effort to become comfortable with the complexity and gravity of an RN's responsibilities. Thanks to all of you who have shared your opinion on this thread.

I'm working on pre-reqs at Collin and planning to apply in January for Fall 2016. I just wanted to say congrats and good luck to all of you. Reading this thread has made me feel so excited for y'all. I hope I'm on a thread just like this next year getting good news. The information in this post has been very helpful as well. :-)

Hey guys! I have to finish my pre-reqs this coming fall in order to apply in January for the ADN program starting Fall of 2016. The only way I can do this is by taking Biology in a 5 week summer 1 course, followed by A&P in a 5 week summer 2 course. Then I would take A&P II and Micro in the fall. The Bio course I know will be hard enough, but I particularly remember my mom taking A&P and how much studying it took for her to make an A. The summer course is 5 hours of class/lab 4 days a week. I would also be working about 30 hours a week. I have no kids and a very supportive husband. The alternative to these 10 grueling weeks is waiting another year to apply to the program. I'm 35 and I don't want to wait any longer if I can help it. I know I can do this, but I don't want to just pass. I want to make As. I'm typically an A student, and I know I'm capable of an A if I apply myself. Anyone else do A&P in an accelerated course? Any thoughts and opinions are welcome. Thanks in advance.

Thanks for posting this, OP, as it's been great reading all these knowledgeable and thoughtful responses. I'm hoping to go into psych nursing as well. And I have a somewhat recent history (late teens to 20s) of depression and anxiety. I have noticed a lot of people who have been through mental health issues are drawn to caring for people with whom they can empathize. I have wondered to myself whether my history will affect my career. It's nice to see there is at least some level of acceptance, and that it's sometimes recognized as asset to be able to understand what patients are going through. Best of luck to you!

I'm 35 but I look about 10 years younger. This is not a bad thing and I know in 10 years I'll be really happy about it (if it persists). I work in an industry right now (live music) where it doesn't matter so much but I can see how it must be difficult for you working in healthcare. Maybe this advice will help you out. A good friend of mine got through 2 grueling interviews for a job she wanted very badly at a prestigious marketing firm. She was devastated when she didn't get the job. She has great experience and is highly qualified. She asked for feedback and was told her appearance didn't inspire confidence because she looks so young. And she does. She is 29 but could easily pass for high school age, and her voice sounds very young as well. It was hard for her to hear. I have suggested having her eyebrows waxed or plucked (they are not manicured and it makes her look younger); cutting off some of her very long hair or wearing it in an updo occasionally; and updating her wardrobe a bit since right now it's kind of "hipster business casual" with a lot of young colors and prints. Maybe you can modify and apply some of that advice to your own situation. So far my friend is resisting any change but I think when she does it will help her. I don't suggest she (or you) change her personality. She's obviously good at her job and that's the important thing. At the end of the day you know what you're capable of. Just be willing to defend your qualifications in a friendly but confident way.

The Catholic thing would have seriously ticked me off.

I'm just now taking pre-reqs and applying for nursing school later this year, but I'll chime in b/c I've had to make the same decision of whether or not to start a second career. I do not have a degree, though, so for me it's a little different. I've been considering nursing school on and off for about 5 years. I didn't want to start it and then quit. I've done enough of that in my younger years, and I don't do it anymore. If I do something, I want to be as sure as I can be, and 100% committed. I'll skip all the personal stuff about what I do for a living, my job searches, etc. It's kind of pointless for the purposes of this post. Suffice it to say I do not make much money. The median income for an RN in my state (TX) is more than twice what I currently make. The dreams and passions I grew up with had nothing to do with healthcare. I didn't finish college because I was going to be an actor/comedian and writer and "you don't need a degree for that." Haha! Yeah right. I've turned my writing into some dough. But truth is: most of my psyche is preoccupied with making ends meet. I usually work at least one other job besides this one at any given time, whether it's retail during the holiday season, a blogging gig I've kept for a few years, or dialect coaching at local theatres. I have done some professional work locally, onstage and voice-over. I'm not auditioning much now because I work too much at my hovering-around-the-poverty-line job. Also can't afford new headshots. I'm not whining. I chose this. I'm just stating the facts. But you know I've spent a helluva lot of time accepting that at this stage in my life I'm probably not going to make my passion my profession. And that's ok. It really is. Like Mike Rowe said, "When it comes to earning a living and being a productive member of society – I don't think people should limit their options to those vocations they feel passionate towards. I met a lot of people on Dirty Jobs who really loved their work. But very few of them dreamed of having the career they ultimately chose." (Also I have friends who made their passions their professions, and their passions turned into, well, jobs. Meanwhile they have to hustle constantly to make ends meet and live without benefits of any kind unless they are married to spouses with good careers. Most of them aren't. There are 10,000 frustrated actors waiting tables with bad teeth driving 1996 Saturns for every Ben Affleck. And the sad truth is, some of them are better actors than Ben Affleck.) So I decided to make the choice I feel is smartest, which is to choose a profession based on job growth and a favorable income potential to education cost (including time) ratio. And I decided the two smartest choices were healthcare and STEM fields. Healthcare is more my speed, and within healthcare, nursing (after years of research and thought) feels like my jam. I know myself well enough to know I have the intellectual capacity and work ethic to become a nurse. I genuinely enjoy challenging work environments and interacting with other human beings. (Yes I know there are other healthcare careers I could pursue but this post is long enough w/out going into "nursing vs. INSERT HEALTHCARE CAREER HERE.) I did not grow up feeling "called" to be a nurse. I made the decision deliberately and finally decided it was a good choice for me and to go for it. I have no way of knowing how well I'll do. I'm not a psychic. But I know myself pretty well. I like my chances of being successful in school and in a career. I have no illusions about the fact that I may have to relocate or take a job outside my favorite specialty to become employed. I have no illusions that I might find the specialty I currently am fascinated with and enamored of (psych) might not be the same one I fall in love with during clinicals and decide to pursue. I realize that nursing is a JOB. Parts of it will suck. Welcome to Earth. I am 35 years old, and I know that an actual career in nursing for me, even if it involves a shortage of jobs, wiping some butts, getting screamed at, etc., is a better choice than hovering near the poverty line at a job that has no growth potential whatsoever. So I guess the question you have to answer for yourself is not: will I like it? Because you have no way of knowing. But: is it a smart decision, even if I DON'T like it? (It is, for me.) The other question to ask yourself is: if I decide I hate it so much I'm not going to do it anymore, can I go back to what I'm doing now? Yes, you will be out much time and money. It's a risk. Life is full of them. Life is also full of doing stuff you don't want to do. I do it every day. All adults do. I'm choosing to trade some of the stuff I do right now that I don't want to do (sell my belongings to make rent; eat peanut butter for dinner; sew up the holes in my $10 leggings so I'll have something to wear) for other stuff I probably won't want to do in the future (put tubes in people's orifices; move to states with inferior BBQ; watch human beings suffer and not be able to help them as much as I wish I could). Decide whether the risk makes sense for you, and if it does, take that risk. And Godspeed to both of us. :-)

I'm not a nurse or even student yet but this info might be helpful. I worked in retail for a long time and I have plantars fasciitis, AND I'm a runner. So my feet need TLC. If you're unhappy with the quality of Danskos since the manufacturer changed, you're not alone. I got the below information from The Clog Outlet online. (For what it's worth, I actually ended up buying a pair of Skechers GoWalks. I was on my feet 9 or 10 hours a day and moving non-stop, and they were amazing for me. I don't know if they'd be appropriate for nursing or not, though.) Anyway here's the info on Dansko/Sanita: Since the early 1990s until August 2007, all Dansko Professional clogs and all Dansko Stapled Clogs had been manufactured by Sanita in Europe. The distribution agreement between Dansko and Sanita ended in August 2007. Shortly after that time, Sanita began distributing the same products directly in the US under their own name. If you have a pair of Dansko stapled clogs purchased before 2008, look at the bottom of the sole and you will see patent 0060240 engraved into the sole. This indicates that your clogs were made by Sanita according to their patented construction. If you have a pair of really old Dansko clogs, you may even see Sanitastamped on the bottom as well as the patent number mentioned above. If the logo or number is missing, then you have a new Dansko product that was introduced in 2008. The new Dansko clogs are made by various manufacturers around the world based on a re-design of the Sanita clog. According to Dansko's printed catalog information, they have introduced structural innovations to enhance the performance of these clogs; improved lateral stability, better shock absorption, more secure heel strike and improved aesthetics. Visually, the clogs look very similar, however the new Dansko is wider across the heel and has a curved up sole in the back of the heel. On the other hand, Sanita has been delivering the Original product made by the same materials, by the same artisans, in the same Sanita >owned factory. So in summary, if you are looking at buying the identical Dansko stapled clog that was sold in the US pre-2008, you would want the Sanita brand. Shopping for clogs can get confusing as both companies are using the same style names, such as: Professional, Sonja, Karl, Ingrid, etc.