Public Health v Research v Bedside

[teddygraham]

Hi all,

Background: 1 year inpatient med-surg pediatrics at a top hospital

Current situation: looking for new nursing job due to recent move, exploring options

So I recently moved to the Boston area and am looking for new jobs. I always thought I would continue with my inpatient pediatric experience eventually making my way into an ICU then go to school for my NP and work as a pediatric NP specifically in pulmonology or cardiology.

I have always been intrigued by public health. What interests me most is helping underserved populations and the idea of being in disaster relief nursing.

Recently, somebody brought Biotechnology into the picture. I hadn't explored this option, but now I am. I could get an entry level position as a Clinical Research Associate and climb the clinical ladder. I'm just not sure what to do.

I can tell you that if I could create my ideal job, it would be on a study in pulmonology, pain management or one of the diseases that affects these poorer countries (ex: ebola) and I would get to travel all over to get samples from study participants which would fulfill my desire to still have the patient interaction while also fulfilling my desire to travel and expose myself to healthcare in other countries. In a perfect world, the study would be awesome and lead to some great advancement in medicine.

Where do I find this job?

I'm so conflicted as to what path to follow, so anyone with public health knowledge, research knowledge or anything else that relates, feel free to leave your opinion!