Questioning my major

[Lsjackson26]

I just started my pre-reqs at a community college and in two years plan to transfer to a four year university and get my BSN. I hadn't really ever questioned becoming a nurse until my mother in law, who has been a nurse for 20+ years, started telling me that I may want to look into other things. She says that nursing isn't what it used to be, the one on one patient care that you think of when you think about nursing just doesn't exist in todays nursing jobs. She tells me that if you're a floor nurse you're just checking vitals, switching IVs and cleaning people or if you're in an office it's all paperwork and charting. She suggests something a little more patient involved like occupational/physical therapy. I can't completely change my path based on what she says but I also don't want to end up behind a desk doing paperwork. I'm looking for the input of other current RNs. Please help?

[Mom2boysRN]

There are areas of nursing where you do one on one nursing. I'm a home health nurse and that is what we do. If you are doubting your choice why not see if you can shadow a nurse or even shadow nurses in different areas to see if it's something you would like to do.

[NurseKellyKMo]

I think patient contact is what you make of it. You will still have the opportunity to speak with your patients and educate them on different areas all the while doing whatever you are tasked to do.

[Libby1987]

I'm a home health nurse 18+ yrs on the job with PT's that out earn us about 20K a year working M-F no holidays and no night call with joint replacement patient's scheduled 3 x week for 4 weeks. If you don't know home health, having a schedule stacked with joint replacement patients (the majority of their patients) is a cake walk compared to the complex medical patients that nurses need to manage (Medicare certified home health, not those med pass visits that are posted on this forum but unheard of in my area).

We can't even staff them, nor OT's, due to their shortage and have mostly comtract staff (all of them great and happy).

We also have part time SLP's, also happy people.*

My college aged daughter wants nothing to do with nursing but I have encouraged her to pursue OT (masters), SLP (masters) or PT (doctorate).

In fact, we have nurses that struggle for a variety of reasons while all of our therapy staff are happy with good self care evident. And they get lots of one on one time with patients as well. Why any young person would choose nursing over therapy surprises me.