Should I pursue a career as an RN? Help

Libby1987 · Jan 17, 2015

You're not passionate about anything? There must be something.

Just a starting point on areas of interest..

Fitness/sports/physiology = PT

Problem solving = RN

Nutrition = RDA

Technical = X-ray, Sonography

Communication = SLP

Fine motor/function = OT

xlightx · Jan 18, 2015

Please I need more answers everyone, help me

BSNbeauty, BSN, RN · Jan 18, 2015

We can not convince you to become a nurse. This is something you need to figure out. Some nurses love their job and some hate it. You will find that with most careers. Figure out what you want to do and are passionate about .

NurseLatteDNP, MSN, DNP, RN · Jan 18, 2015

I'm posting my experiences, but it is very subjective.

Positives:

Great pay- shift diff, bonuses, high base pay

Job security- my area always needs nurses. If you move, chances are that you will find a job somewhere fairly quickly.

Flexible schedule- 8 hr shifts, 12 hr shifts, 16 hr shifts, weekends only, M-F, only 3 days per week, nights, days, and the list goes on. This has saved me money in day care fees.

Many variations of nursing-if you get tired of one area of nursing, there are many others. I have done oncology, nephrology, case management, teaching nursing at a university, hospice, and nurse director. You will always be able to find an area of interest.

Rewarding work- there is nothink like it.

Respectable profession-nurses are voted as the most honest profession year after year.

Back to school-miost hospitals offer tuition reimbursement when you decide to go back to school.

Negatives:

Stress-nursing has been very stressful for me. Especially when I went into management. But bedside nursing is not what it once was before. It has turned into a major business and profit is the most important thing.

You take work home-I have never worked as a nurse where I didn't think about work, or had to do work from home.

Emotions- sometimes it is hard to see helpless people go through hardship. And many times there is not much you can do. I have see this a lot in home hospice and oncology nursing.

GN-as a new grad it can be very hard to find a job. I have hired new nurses who spend months working for car dealerships or restaurants because no one is hiring new grads.

Would I do it again: ABSOLUTELY! Stress aside, it's been the best career choice for me and my family.

xlightx · Jan 19, 2015

Ivana

When you said you take home work, What kind of work can you take home as an RN? Is it all RNs or is it because you said you taught nursing

guest64485 · Jan 19, 2015

The majority of people I know, myself included, changed their major several times in college. Try not to stress so much right now regarding what you will do for a career, and instead focus on choosing a college you'd like to attend. When you get there, take gen-ed courses, and dabble in other random courses to see what areas pique your interest.

PacoUSA, BSN, RN · Jan 19, 2015

If you hate being in school for something you want to do as a career, that's a clear sign you shouldn't be in that career.

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mursinary · Jan 20, 2015

There's no reason why you have to go to college immediately after graduating high school and in fact several studies have shown that taking a year or two off after high school can be very advantageous. Nursing wasn't my first career choice. I graduated high school and immediately went to Engineering school. I tried, for years, to force myself to love engineering and I just couldn't. Somewhere in there I took a break and got a job as an ER tech at a local hospital, a job I loved. I never would have even considering nursing had I not done that.

My advice:

1) Don't feel like you have to know what you want to do with your life. You're young, you have time.

2) Take a year off after high school.

3) Get a patient care oriented job at a hospital. You'll get to see what nurses do every day. Try to visit as many different units as possible to get a good idea of what different jobs are like.

4) Relax. You're going to be fine.

To answer your questions:

3 on 4 off is the best.

Wearing PJ's to work is awesome.

I make good money but wished I made more.

If I had the chance, I would rather be a race car driver. Or astronaut. But this isn't bad.

One last thing to add... lately I've been getting tired of my job. I've been doing it for 8 years now and it's beginning to wear on me. You know what? There are all kinds of different nursing jobs out there that I'm qualified for. If I'm willing to try, I should be able to work until retirement without ever getting too bored.

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Jan 20, 2015

First, to answer your questions: Yes, I like being an RN. I'm part-time so work 2 days one week, 3 the next. FT 12 hour shifts were not as simple as 3 on, 4 off. In a 3-week rotation, I worked one 36-hour week, one week off, and then a 72-hour week. Yes it was nice having more days off than your typical FT worker, but that 72-hour work week was absolutely grueling. I did almost nothing but sleep at home, with a little time playing w/ the kids, eating dinner, and showering. One of the things that I like about nursing is it is so open to PT work. I'm happy with my life, but I've had jobs where if I'd had to work them full-time I'd have been completely miserable. I wouldn't say it's "easy" to provide for my family...I mean I do get paid well, but I work hard for every penny. It is reassuring though, that if something happened to my husband I would be able to provide on my own. My benefits are fine; I wouldn't say better or worse than the next person's. No, I wouldn't have chosen a different career.

To answer the question about taking work home, some nurses--e.g. home care nurses--literally take work home as they might not have time for all that documentation while doing the actual visit. Other nurses like myself--hospital, nursing home etc.--take work home in a mental sense. It's something I'm working on, but sometimes you can't help but think about some days, some patients, some families after leaving work. A while back, I got patient from the OR who died just a few minutes after arriving on my unit. This was due to an accident so completely unexpected, and the family was devastated. To make matters worse, there were children involved in the same accident. I won't go into specifics, but it was one of the saddest things I've come across in 12 years of nursing, and I felt drained for several days after that night.

For me, the pros are: flexibility--we can work part-time if we want and are able to. I like working weekends because it minimizes the time the kids are away from a parent. Pay is good (at least in my area with 12 yrs' experience.) I like being able to help people when they need it most.

Cons: Working holidays. It's stressful a lot of the time. Not all patients/families appreciate you. Right now the job market is tough (depending on location.)

I'd suggest finding a CNA (certified nursing assistant) class in your area. You'll learn the very basics of nursing care, get your toes wet, and work with nurses, and then get some idea of whether this is something that you might want to pursue. And you'll have a job you can do while in college that pays more than min. wage (I worked on a casual basis; I picked up extra shifts and worked nearly full-time hours while on my breaks, and then very part-time hours while classes were in session.)

xlightx · Jan 20, 2015

I like the answers so far, keep posting everyone:)

Nienna Celebrindal · Jan 21, 2015

IMO if you don't feel passionate about nursing (at least in the beginning) nursing will eat you up and spit you out emotionally and physically. And you patients will feel your lack of passion. Find something you actually like. I love nursing. it is not always wonderful, sometimes it blows for varies reason, but the fact that under it all I like it is why I can get through those times.

Maybe consider the military? I was in the Navy. I saw the world (literally), tried all kinds of crazy stuff that was well beyond my what my actual job was (I was a Corpsman), met people from all over the country and all over the world. I learned a lot about myself, it gave me time to grow and mature. Getting money towards school certainly was helpful.