So Im thinking about pursuing a career as a Nurse. NEED ADVICE!

[omgodzilla]

So I would like to pursue a career as a nurse.

There are so many questions that I have.

First of all, Im 20 yrs old living in Tx.

I'd like to get an associates degree in nursing, and was wondering if I could land a decent job with just an associates degree.. I would eventually continue to get a Bsn in the future, but I would work with the Adn degree for a few years.

Will I be making a decent amount of money with just the Adn??

Please give me your input.

Also, I was wondering if clinicals were early in the morning during Nursing school.

What should I expect upon entering nursing school?

Is the program heavy in math? If so, what type?

Thanks so much in advance for any info!

[mommybess, BSN, RN]

Nurese are in demand. Wether you have an ADN or BSN finding a job should not be a problem. Pay depends on where in the country you will work. In Texas starting pay is on average $22/hr for an RN.

Clinical times depends on your school. They can start early morning or start late evening. Some schools have weekend clinicals.

Expect to devot all of your time to school. Nursing school is intense.

Math isn't difficult but you need to have a good math base.

[Vito Andolini]

so i would like to pursue a career as a nurse. welcome! please don't fall into the current fad of starting sentences with "so". it drives me nuts!!!

there are so many questions that i have.

first of all, im 20 yrs old living in tx.

i'd like to get an associates degree in nursing, and was wondering if i could land a decent job with just an associates degree.. i would eventually continue to get a bsn in the future, but i would work with the adn degree for a few years. this is a fine plan, as far as i know. you might want to talk with some actual employers to hear directly from them what they are looking for in new hires. do they want bsn's? do they want ad's? best to get it straight from those who are in the position to offer you work, both in the future as an rn and maybe now as an assistant or technician of some sort.

will i be making a decent amount of money with just the adn?? see above.

please give me your input.

also, i was wondering if clinicals were early in the morning during nursing school. generally, clinicals are early, starting about 7 a.m. monday - friday. however, to accommodate students with varying needs, some schools offer evening hours, some have weekends clinicals. check various schools to see what they offer.

what should i expect upon entering nursing school? lots of stress, study, and hard work, mentally and physically, as well as emotionally. it's hard to see people at their worst and hard to see people suffer, especially babies and children, especially when the reason is usually not known. you would do well to check yourself out on what your own spiritual and religious views are, maybe get ongoing counsel and support from your own spiritual advisor and/or trusted loved ones - your parents, spouse, whoever you're close to. you might want to keep a diary, as writing your thoughts can be therapeutic. also expect new friends, some of whom you might keep in touch with for life. expect to learn a ton of information and a whole new language and culture. expect the chance to help people and to grow in so many ways. you will hopefully not be exposed to any toxic students or teachers - people who really do not belong in the world of nursing or education.

is the program heavy in math? if so, what type? you need to be able to calculate medication dosages. go online and start looking up medical math, nursing math, dosage calculation to begin to familiarize yourself with it.

thanks so much in advance for any info!

i wish you well. why not check out the student nurse forum here? keep us posted on your progress. if you are not already involved in working in a hospital or a skilled nursing facility/nursing home/long term care facility, this is a good time to start. you can be a receptionist, work in dietary or another department, just to begin to get familiar with the setting, atmosphere, culture. see if you enjoy it. what makes you want to be a nurse? :redbeathe

[LegginMF1]

You need to have a sense of humor and you need to genuinely care for your pts. It is very easy to forget that they are real people with real feelings not just a job. Look at different areas of nursing. Every one has their niche. I absolutely love alz/dem. i am working towards my RN and have been looking at jobs that will keep me in that area. peds breaks my heart and normal med surg just bores me to death. You will know when you find the right niche, your heart will sing when you head for work. I agree that you should try to get some exp in the a medical setting. It can be very shocking if you have not been exposed to it before. I have seen several nursing students quit because they were unprepared emotionally for it.

[omgodzilla]

Wow,

thank you all for all of the great responses.

This is an excellent forum.

Do all nurses work inside of a hospital?

And are all nurses require to work the graveyard shifts?

[omgodzilla]

Nursing school here i come

[Babs0512]

Nursing is much like any other job, most nurses work in hospitals, but there are many, many other nursing positions out there. Like any other job, the "newbies" often have to take the evening or night shifts for a while, very few people like those shifts, so those are where most openings are. It's sort of "paying your dew's" - we've all been there.

You can make a pretty good living with just a 2 year nursing degree. I make more than Master's degree counselors and social workers - so you can't complain. Even so, we nurses have an awful lot of responsibility and really, in most cases, don't get paid enough for all the BS we have to deal with.

Good luck to you