Really scared after reading "No I wouldn't reccomend nursing"!

Nurses General Nursing

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So I am thinking about going to school to get my RN but after reading about low pay, being unappreciated, long hours, etc. I am really scared now. I am torn between marketing and nursing (I know 2 totally opposite fields). I'm just wondering if I was to go through schooling and decided that bedside nursing is not for me, are there many clerical positions in nursing? Also, one of the things that really drew me to nursing was the flexibilty of schedules. But after reading stories on here, it sounds like the hours are long and irregular? I really need some help in deciding if this is right for me. I know I didn't mention this before, but I love helping people but I also love office, clerical work. Any advice??

Specializes in ER, Psych.

Unless you can find that rare job shedules are flexable but not fixed. I sometimes can't remember the next day that I am "on" or "off" from one moment to the next. If there is a shortage or staffing issue where I work those who make the schedule will not hesitate to put you on mandatory overtime or take you off of days you signed up for and put you on others. I am not trying to turn you away from nursing I just wanted to realistically share what the schduling situation is in my neck of the woods incase that is important to you.

"nursing by far offers more flexibility, the ability to control your income (somewhat) and the ability to change jobs if you want to. "

this is one of the reasons i'm changing careers. i've been in marketing/public relations (corporate management level, not sales) for over 15 years. i beat out over a hundred candidates for each of my two most recent jobs; lost each of them after a few years due to layoffs. marketing is great work if you can get it, but there's no job security. plus, it's very difficult to leave a job if you don't like it (unless you want to be unemployed!) because there are so few good jobs out there.

my priorities are different now than they were when i graduated with my first degree 15+ years ago. back then i wanted to conquer the world and didn't mind working 50+ hour workweeks that often included nights and weekends. now i want to be there for my family - i just recently married and had a child and my priorities have changed.

i do want a job with loads of opportunity; one that's challenging and fulfilling, and one that lets me have a life outside of work. there aren't too many careers out there that are family friendly, and nursing is one of them. plus, i can shift from full to part time, or pick up extra hours as my family's needs warrant. this opportunity is priceless! just my two cents!!! :-)

i don't mean to sound all "doom and gloom" about marketing - it's glamorous and exciting and it's great work - if you can get it. but it's hard work to get and hard work to keep.

good luck making your decision!!!

Don't forget getting sent home from the hospital when the census is low.

Also, where I am now, we have had a lot of cases close down (private duty nursing) and now there are a surplus of nurses willing to work. So where I was getting $21/hr they have cut me down to $17/hr and if I don't like it I can leave because they have more than enough nurses willing to work for $17/hr.

(of course, the pendulum swings both ways and as far as I'm concerned this agency is cutting off its nose to spite its face and if at all possible when I'm out of the slammer and can have a choice I will leave and never look back.)

So, the best way I can describe nursing is that it is volatile.

Some of the jobs that nurses can do include:

teach in a school of nursing (You need a Master's or Ph.D. to do this.)

work as a school nurse (great if you like being off when the school is closed

and it is great if you have kids in school but pay is

pretty low; Mon-Fri day shift; if you work for a

college, you and your dependents might get a real

break when it comes to tuition)

work on a cruise ship

work on movie and TV sets (very hard to get into but you might be able to

get in)

work for a corporation that has an Occupational Health program

work in prisons, jails, employed by state or local or Fed gov

work for an insurance company or for attorneys (You probably need some

experience under your belt for the latter, as they

need you to be an expert and review med records

with an eye to see what, if anything, went wrong in

the care of their clients)

work in different types of Nursing in the hospital - OR, ER, Psych, OB, Peds,

GI Lab, outpatient surgery department, work in

Admitting office or as an OR scheduler or in the

clinics, if you are in a large teaching hospital that has

clinics;

climb the ladder of Nursing Administration - become a staff nurse, then a

unit manager, then an Assistant DON, then a DON

(director of Nursing), become VP of Nursing, etc.

work for a Nursing Journal, such as AJN (American Journal of Nursing)

open your own staffing agency and find jobs for other nurses;

become a Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Anesthetist, or Midwife;

Work in a skilled nursing facility/nursing home and help the elderly and chronically disabled.

Work for a physician's office.

There are probably others, such as get certified as a Radiography Technician and also become an RN and you can work in Radiology and utilize both sets of knowledge.

If you find you don't really like the bedside but enjoy helping people and like to do phone work and maybe some field trips, consider becoming a Social Worker.

Work in Hospice, Palliative Care, and/or Home Care.

Be an Admissions Coordinator.

Be a Case Manager.

Go into Utilization Review/Quality Assurance.

I wish you lots of luck.

Specializes in Critical Care.

Nursing and marketing are completely opposite worlds! I know this because I'm married to a person in marketing, and I'm an RN. Both careers (as any) have their ups and downs. There are hell days that my hubby faces in his career just as I do mine. There are things I like about his job-- the flexibility of hours (he, for example, has the luxury of leaving the office to care for our new puppy, while I'm locked in for 12 hours), a "normal" work week (for the most part-- he had to put out fires on Saturday and hours can often go to 7pm if they're schmoozing clients), free concert/ show tickets, tons of bonuses, the chance to wear NORMAL clothes to a job, etc. But I also know that although the 12 hour shifts can be long and I really have no life on the days that I work, I also have 4 days off every week, can pick up overtime if I want to get some extra cash, and feel as though I'm doing the people I meet some good. I'd have a hard time doing a 9-5 shift again! And I can work in the comfort equivalent of pajamas and don't have to "dress the part" to land a deal. AND I don't have to take calls/ extend my hours past my work shift if I have a difficult patient (clock out and go home!), whereas my husband has to often hold the hands of his most difficult clients to seal a deal. That would suck.

So, both have their perks and drawbacks as professions. My suggestion would be to shadow someone in each field and see which one you find the most stimulating. It's the only way that you can find your niche.

--Heather

So, both have their perks and drawbacks as professions. My suggestion would be to shadow someone in each field and see which one you find the most stimulating. It's the only way that you can find your niche.

--Heather

Don't forget there are about a million other careers out there you can look at like pharmacy, occupational and physical therapy for instances.

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