kgreeno

Public heath! Maybe the pay isn't what hospital pay is, but the work-life balance can't be beat - I work 8-4 Monday through Friday, leaving me with plenty of family time (I'm a single mom of two). Job satisfaction-wise, I love the fact that I'm reaching people before they are sick and keeping them healthy; no burnout here. To me, that all is worth more than more money.

Hi! I'm glad you posted; public health nursing is definitely different than other areas and it's nice to talk to others who are in it, as well. I'm an immunizations nurse for a county health department. Obviously it is rewarding in that I truly believe that I am helping people - I absolutely believe in immunizations and the incredible innovation that they are. The thing that I struggle with, though, is the growing anti-vax movement. I struggle to even reach those people - I have friends and acquaintances who are either anti-vaccination or vaccination-hesitant and, while we have clinics and I do outreach and educate providers about how to increase immunization rates, I know that there are so many out there who don't trust healthcare to the point that they aren't even taking their children (or themselves) to well visits, so they will never even get that education. I feel like there is more and more out there (even if it is bad science) that is convincing people to be skeptical of immunization that I feel like my job is a constant battle. I know that I'm doing good, but sometimes it feels like for every one person I help, there are numerous more that decide that vaccines aren't safe. I keep a close eye on social media to see what people are talking about/what the trends are as far as why they feel vaccines aren't good (lately it's a lot of mistrust when it comes to the adjuvants, for example). I just try to educate, educate, educate, even in my personal realm, but sometimes it just feels like it isn't enough. You aren't alone in feeling powerless, Everline! I'm still working on what to do to lift myself up - honestly, at this point, I just think about the fact that I believe in what I'm doing and that I just need to keep at it. And then I go home and take a bubble bath. *shrug*

I second looking into government jobs! I am a county employee and work as an immunizations nurse for a county heath department. It's a fabulously rewarding job and, while the money is not what you would see in a hospital setting, it is a position that allows for excellent work-life balance (I work M-F, 8-4, which was a must for me with some personal circumstances - a messy divorce with two young kiddos).

Hi everyone! First post here. I have been accepted to an ADN program at a local community college - a program with a locally great reputation and also, at this point, my only option, as far as affordability goes. The thing is, I found out yesterday that their ACEN accreditation status is "with warning." Apparently it will be reviewed again in October (which would be after I start, so, if they lose accreditation then, not good for me). A call into the school yielded nothing as to the nature of any noncompliance - they wouldn't say anything, just that the issues were "not exactly minor" (when asked) - they said to call ACEN, who said that they couldn't tell anything and that the school would have to. Very frustrating. A RN friend mentioned that her school was on probation once upon a time due to low NCLEX scores, but the school that I'm planning to attend had scores of >85% for 2014, 2013, and 2012 (one year was 100%). I just wonder what else it could be and how worried I should be... Any feedback? Thanks so much!