RN becoming a massage therapist

[carebear01, BSN, RN]

I'm 25 years old and graduated from Nursing school in October 2007. Currently, I work full-time on a med-surg floor and I am also attending school to become a Nurse Practitioner.

I've always been interested in massage and think it is a wonderful skill to be able to pick up. Sometimes being a staff RN is extremely stressful and I often feel burnt out. I work 3 -12 hour shifts but I often feel drained. I was thinking about going to school for massage therapy. Once I would graduate from MT school, I would work part-time at the hospital and possibly part-time as an MT.

I love being a nurse but sometimes the demands of the job are overwhelming. I would really enjoy to continue working as a nurse but maybe pick up another skill and help people feel better in a different way. What do you all think?

[NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN]

Thats a great idea !

[Quidam]

Why not? If you have the time and will...do it! The more you know and all that. I think it is a great idea.

[Iam46yearsold]

I think that is wonderful. I get at least one massage a week. I fully believe in pampering myself totally. I'm worth it.

[Larry77, RN]

Maybe you should work in a place that does botox, massage etc...they use a lot of RN's in my state for this...might be less stressful and you could use both your interests.

[touchhealth]

I'm the opposite of you: a massage therapist working towards getting my RN. I currently work as part of a massage therapy team in a hospital and love working with patient populations. Massage is growing very popular as a complementary therapy to allopathic care...especially in post-op, oncology, and pre/post partem. A lot of hospitals are starting inpatient massage programs, and there are also special needs for outpatients.

Have you checked out the "nurse massage therapist" board in the specialities section on this site?

Good luck on your studies!