Senior in high school, dreaming to be a nurse!

Zookeeper3 · Jan 31, 2011

Understand, the nursing job market is very specific to the location.... meaning nurses in upstate NY have zero opportunities, in NC there are many depending upon the area.

To be successful... I would as you suggested doing CNA work, here you will not only do the 'grunt work" but can pick the brains of the RN and learn. From a CNA, you will learn the most important aspect of nursing... if you don't provide the basic care, all the bells and whistles matter none. Meaning in my ICU environment,,, if I don't turn and elevate every bony prominance every two hours, provide nutrition and do pulmonary toileting... every patient will possibly die due to nosocomial infections (bedsores, pneumonia). These basics hold true to any area you work. once you get the basics down... see iffy looking patients and see how the RN treats it... look for subtle changes like confusion in the elderly which could mean infection.... you have a solid basis to determine if you want to progess further and be solely responsible for those patients. No one to run to, you decide what needs to be done...

For some, the toileting and call bell ringers alone drive them off and that is a huge part of what we do...so working as a CNA will give you a great picture as to if you wish to devote three or five years of college doing what you already are, with meds, treatments bells and whistles. It would be a good decision to make once you know what it is all about.

Too many nurses are getting their BSN and have never really cared for patients and are getting the shock of their lives... don't be one of those, even if you do three to six months of CNA work. You'll love it or hate it...and only you will know what is right for you.

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Jan 31, 2011

Bless you, Vegas Chick, for wanting to help children and their families.
Yes, becoming a CNA is an excellent way to learn what the world of Pediatric Nursing and Nursing in general are all about.
The only trouble is that at this time, there isn't a whole lot of work for nurses. I don't know how the employment picture is for aides. You should absolutely explore this question before becoming a CNA. That is, talk to some employers and find out if they are hiring. I would hate for you to encounter what nurses are encountering. They go to school and then can't get a job.
I would SERIOUSLY advise you to explore other interests. I'm not saying to totally abandon the idea of becoming a nurse, specifically a Peds nurse. But just don't put all of your eggs in one basket. I must say that I am totally shocked that no one else here has brought this up - how hard it is to find work, I mean. It is really a very serious problem and I think it's not right to not let you know about it - how hard it is to find work, I mean.
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More thoughts: explore what they call ancillary or auxillary health care fields. These include Radiology Technician, Ultrasound Tech, Anesthesia Tech, Heart-lung bypass machine Tech, Respiratory Therapist, Speech Therapist, Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Social Worker, Case Manager, and probably more. There is also medical billing and coding, Medical Assistant, and maybe more. Explore these options, too, to see if they are hiring in the area where you plan to live.
I think it's very important to know whether or not you will find work once you graduate from a long and costly course of study, like becoming an RN. No one can really predict the future, but a lot of us have seen that hospitals bring in nurses from other countries and then pay them less than they would American nurses.
Also, are you aware that nurses who work in hospitals and nursing homes are required to work on holidays and weekends, also during the evening and graveyard (night) shift, at least at some point in your career.
As long as you know this and go into Nursing with your eyes open re: job possibilities and working conditions, I can wish you a hearty Right on!
Others have said you can go to the community college for an AA degree or AS degree for the least amount of money. True. Problem is waiting list to get into Nursing program. However, you can do your pre-requisites while you wait and work as a CNA.
Or, go for a BS in Nursing at a four-year school. More expense, takes longer, probably will get you a little higher salary and you'll have more jobs open (sometimes) than an AA nurse has.
LVN or LPN = one year of school, lower pay than RN, does almost everything RN does, lots of LPN's go back to school later for RN.
Check it out and let us know what you think!
I wish you all the best

mee9mee9 · Jan 31, 2011

the areas i plan to move to are dc, dallas, houston, baltimore,pittsburgh, philladelphia, columbus, charlotte, chicago, or remain in my hometown of nashville.

dolphincatch · Jan 31, 2011

Thanks for all your replies! I spoke to a cardiologist who works at one of the major hospitals and he said there is a huge shortage of nurses and aides so there's always work available. Plus, I have browsed many hospitals and nursing homes and they're all hiring too, thank goodness!

NurseBlogger, BSN, RN · Jan 31, 2011

Don't sweat the job market. There will be a shortage for a long time. If nursing is what you want to do then do it. The CNA is a good idea but if you network you can probably get a position in the field somewhere. Unit secretary, registration, etc. In Illinois you can work as an aid once you get your first clinical done. Try to find somewhere with tuition reimbursement. I know our hospital pays $8000 a year towards nursing if you work full time. But they are a magnet hospital and really rock! Hopefully they will help!

Warning though, I was a Marine for 9 years and I went home more tired and sore some days than in the corps. Salute out for all those hard working CNA'a!!!!

Keep open mind on what type of nursing you want to do. Nursing kind of explodes while your in school and moving around in clinical. I always want to do more but only so much time.

Mainly just wanted to let you know a good nurse will always be offered more work than they can do. Nursing kind of cycles. Jobs were everywhere when I started school and harder to find when I graduated. Been through several up and down cycles. Good lucK

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Feb 1, 2011

The new graduates who have been trying to get work for a year or more would not agree that "a good nurse will always be offered more work than they can do". Nor would experienced nurses who can't transfer to areas that they want to transfer to.

But maybe it's not like that for aides. And I know that some nurses are finding some jobs. The situation as it is today does not mean there won't be work in the future.

At least you are aware that there is a possibility, Vegas, that it won't be a bed of roses to find work. And you have been exploring the job market where you are. Glad to hear that. You are aware.

The cardiologist isn't necessarily the best person to know about a huge shortage of nurses. As you will read many times on allnurses, it's not that there is a shortage of nurses available to hire. There is a shortage of nurses who are willing to work under poor conditions.

A lot of nurses who are wealthy enough (live frugally and have savings, married well, inherited money, won it, whatever), and don't HAVE to work to survive, simply will not agree to work when they are daily, routinely assigned too many patients to care for properly, when they can't get a lunch break or even a bathroom break on shift after shift after shift, or work where they are mandated (ordered) to work overtime for as much as a whole extra shift up to whatever amount of time is legal in their state (usually 16 hours and it always is longer because of the half hour lunch break - that they probably had to work through), they choose to work in some other field or not at all or work only the bare minimum in Nursing.

You need to get the scoop from HR departments about their hiring situation and from aides and nurses about what working conditions are like where they work.

Question HR anonymously if possible. You don't want to create a problem for yourself in advance. Talk with workers or observe when you are volunteering or visiting or even working as a CNA.

That's all from here. Best wishes. I hope your dreams come true.

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Feb 1, 2011

Ah, just one more thing.

As a licensed professsional, a nurse can have that license taken away for several reasons. God forbid but you could make a grievous error and find yourself battling to keep the license. You could be charged with immorality of some sort and be threatened with loss of licensure. There are other reasons, too, I guess. Check out the law by studying the licensure laws in your state or the state where you want to work.

Just so you develop a beginning awareness of what life is like as a nurse.