Hi all, new to this forum. I'm glad that i came across it. A little background about my journey first. I did my pre-reqs. and enjoyed it!. I fairly enjoyed learning anatomy, microbio lab, human development, nutrition, and so on, I thought these classes were very interesting! I took a few other classes like general bio and chemistry and I thought these classes were even more interesting and also more challenging. I enjoyed spending time in the lab to dissect or conduct experiments. After completing the prereqs and some other classes for my bachelors requirement like history and English (I loved history), I decided to apply to my schools nursing program and got accepted. Before I was an undeclared major. So I was now going into nursing theory and the clinical phase. All of the sudden the excitement for my classes i had started fading. I would go into clinical not feeling very well prepared as my pre-reqs seemed not to have much in common with this new environment i'm in. We were learning skills in the lab while going to clinical although i felt those skills should have been taught before hand. Anyway, I felt like a small bug in a large and vast hospital. I didn't really feel like i fit in. I enjoyed the classroom or the lab more than being in the hospital. I won't go into detail but there were somethings that I did not enjoy doing. I was talking to my friends and they said that i was just probably scared and that i need more real-world experience in order to feel more comfortable around patients. So they told me to apply for a student tech job at our local hospital to immerse myself with bedside care. I told myself to give it a try. I eventually got a job there but I ended up not liking it. 2 semesters have passed and I only have 2 more semesters left and not even a year to graduation. I kind of blame myself for not having shadowed a nurse before considering nursing school. I think i would of went an alternate route. My option now is 1) switch majors or 2) finish my bsn and find a non-traditional career in nursing. Do you know anyone that didn't work at the bedside and did something completely different? I'm willing to go to grad school if that will make me more competitive for non-traditional nursing job? Also can you guide me and list me a few careers that nurses go into that are unique? thanks, that way i can research them
I too realized in nursing school that bedside nursing wasn't for me. My professors urged me to stick it out because there are so many options in nursing. Also, if you are close to graduating, having a nursing degree will only add to your resume. It is true though that a lot of non-bedside nursing jobs DO require experience. I worked at a pediatric office after nursing school for a few years, and then an allergy/asthma office before landing a school nurse position in May 2014.
In all of these jobs, there is way less "hands on" compared to the bedside, which was what I wanted. At the pediatric office, I did a lot of triaging, which required a lot more thinking (you are figuring out what is going on, and when/if they need to be seen or giving out homecare advice, etc.) So perhaps an office setting may work better for you? As someone else mentioned, research may also be an option too.
Either way - good luck! I hope you find something that suits you!
Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
lol, well since you brought poop, i did have a c-diff patient for the first time and his poop smelled so bad, my goodness, i almost vomited. Even wearing a mask didn't help that much. Yeah i guess im more of the introverted type. I really enjoyed the class and lab setting because their isn't that much interaction with people. I've always considered myself a thinker, i just love to sit there and think but not do much talking. I was always the quiet type. the hospital is too dynamic and interactive for me.
Not sure why a self proclaimed introvert choose a career that puts you in close intimate contact with people but what's done is done. Things like the poop smells you get used to. You might look into Pharmaceutical or medical device research companies or firms that do drug studies. A friend of mine does data correlation for a huge Down's syndrome/Alzheimer's study and has very little actual patient contact. Still when the study is done she'll be out of a job.
Please don't let anyone else tell you how to be a nurse. Of course there is a right/wrong way to do a sterile dressing but I mean your PATH. When I graduated my nurse relatives insisted that I do med-surg because "you just have to pay your dues ". I respectfully disagree. You have to pay your tuition and NCLEX fees but dues is in the eye of the beholder. No way was I taking a pay cut from my agency CNA job to work MS as a nurse so I went into dialysis which included paid, in depth training. While I may have "missed" some skills learned on MS I made a great living and my assessment skills were beyond belief. I took a job 5 years later in the hospital for twice what I was offered as a new grad. I Have worked psych, corrections, dialysis, occupational nursing and training and development with no prior experience in those areas. They were each very different animals and I don't feel my time in MS assisted me, the on the job training did. Cut your own path and never settle. This is your career.
I think that you should look into clinical nursing (MD's office) or telephone nursing. But if you think that nursing isn't for you at all...then it would be best to switch majors.
Re: my post about case management-- my response did state that I heard it was hard to come by without experience. However, I wanted to mention it to the OP to demonstrate the versatility in nursing, to see if it would be something she might be interested in for the future.
On that note--my agency accepts new grads for case management because the need is so high. But I understand this is not the norm, and yes, it's good for OP to know that case management is likely not something she will be able to jump into after graduation.
OP, you're further along than I (I'm jealous! lol) --like everyone else said, see how it goes and you'll be exposed to more and more. Wish you the very best.
I haven't even started school yet but have you looked at case management nursing? I currently work as an associate alongside nurses who are case managers in a public health agency. It is a great fit for me. Phone and home assessments, research on diseases, coordination of care, follow up, communication with doctors, insurance companies and social workers, health education for the patient...however, i have heard that this job is very hard to come by without experience. but just something to keep in mind, regardless :)
i have been certified in case management for many, many years. Don't even think about doing real case management without an excellent working knowledge of how hospitals, other settings, reimbursement, regulations, scopes of practice, and how to manage physicians with expertise all work. This is SOOOOOO not a game for rookies, and besides, nobody would hire you without experience and the CCM and/or the RN-BC credential in case management.
Consider going to the yellow bar at the top of the page and spending a few days (!) perusing the Specialties tab. Also remember that people and organizations that want to hire a nurse in a nontraditional setting want you for your nursing experience and judgment (which comes from experience), not just your degree and licensure. There are jobs that will hire new grads for "management" work, but believe me, you want to run away, run away when they do.
I'm really not that old but I find myself becoming increasingly grumpy with the volume of new grads and students who come here wanting directions to the yellow brick road that leads straight to a job that pays well and requires little to no direct patient care.
I wonder if this is a manifestation of the way these whippersnappers are now or if people really think it's possible to do things like case management fresh out of college () and get awesome jobs with minimal experience. Is it this the entitlement generation or something????? God, it makes me feel old. 29 years old and I'm already saying "Kids these days."
This is why I think its great many nursing programs are requiring a CNA class before applicants apply. You get to shadow a nurse and get bedside experience with patients. You find out really fast if nursing is for you, and whether you want to pursue professional level nursing.
CNA's are your friends TREAT THEM WELL! :)
In your case, hindsight is 20/20. You are nearing the end of your program.
So many people enter nursing for the pay, and never bothered to consider whether they have the temperament for the job. If you're not a social, nurturing, people person, nursing isn't for you.
Have you ever considered being a Medical Lab Tech? I would imagine most of your courses would transfer. It would be a little more time, but you'd be in the lab where you said you enjoyed yourself. Folow your bliss, not your pocket book! Your loans will wait and should have a lower interest rate while you are in College. Don't spend your life in a job you hate, simply because you're almost done with your program of study. Look into some kind of Lab.
Wish you the very best..thumb.gif.9c97ffa9443a5f22ff38e1eac832292c.gif){kind=avatar}
) and get awesome jobs with minimal experience. Is it this the entitlement generation or something????? God, it makes me feel old. 29 years old and I'm already saying "Kids these days." 
nyy2
77 Posts
I too realized in nursing school that bedside nursing wasn't for me. My professors urged me to stick it out because there are so many options in nursing. Also, if you are close to graduating, having a nursing degree will only add to your resume. It is true though that a lot of non-bedside nursing jobs DO require experience. I worked at a pediatric office after nursing school for a few years, and then an allergy/asthma office before landing a school nurse position in May 2014.
In all of these jobs, there is way less "hands on" compared to the bedside, which was what I wanted. At the pediatric office, I did a lot of triaging, which required a lot more thinking (you are figuring out what is going on, and when/if they need to be seen or giving out homecare advice, etc.) So perhaps an office setting may work better for you? As someone else mentioned, research may also be an option too.
Either way - good luck! I hope you find something that suits you!