Trouble with career choices

jemb · Aug 19, 2004

Education.

nursemary9, BSN, RN · Aug 19, 2004

Hi

How about becoming a clinical specialist; also staff develooment; A manager;

take some business classes & go into administration.

Lots of choices for you out there--I'm at the end of my career & only wish that I had gone on in school.

Good Luck

Mary Ann

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 19, 2004

Where I live, it is just the opposite situation. There are so many Nurse Practitioners that new ones have a lot of trouble finding a job. Yet, the hospitals are screaming for Master's-prepared Clinical Specialists, Staff Development Instructors, Managers, etc. Also, the local nursing schools are having a terrible time finding people to teach undergraduate clinical rotations.

llg

purplemania, BSN, RN · Aug 19, 2004

I agree with the above posts. Education is so versatile. Administrators are always in demand too. Talk to some people already in those jobs and see if you are a "fit".

Trauma Columnist · Aug 19, 2004

I'm doing an MSN in Management and Leadership and want to go into education.

santhony44, MSN, RN, NP · Aug 19, 2004

If you don't really have a desire to be a nurse practitioner, then don't do it! Look into a variety of options, many of which are already mentioned by others. Find out where your heart is, and go there!

KacyLynnRN · Aug 19, 2004

Where I live, jobs for nurse practitioners are few and far between. However there are tons of nursing education jobs open, and from what I hear at school a lot of difficulty filling them. Good luck!

CNMtobe2012 · Aug 19, 2004

Where I live, it is just the opposite situation. There are so many Nurse Practitioners that new ones have a lot of trouble finding a job. Yet, the hospitals are screaming for Master's-prepared Clinical Specialists, Staff Development Instructors, Managers, etc. Also, the local nursing schools are having a terrible time finding people to teach undergraduate clinical rotations.
llg

Where can I find out more about the roles and responsiblities of each of these areas, i'm also interested. I am currently in a BSN program and know that I will be returning for my MSN but am unsure what path I will be persueing.:)

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 19, 2004

First, I suggest you speak with your Nursing Student Association (or whatever you call it) and your faculty. This is information you should be receiving as part of your school experience. Most schools don't do a very good job of educating their students about nursing careers, but they will probably only do better when the students start asking for it. Schools often just focus on that first job after graduation.

The school could organize a career day ... or several smaller events ... during which they highlighted the many different roles available to nurses today. People who have those roles could come and speak: they could provide literature on the roles, etc. When I was an undergraduate, my clinical instructors used to invite hospital nurses in different roles to meet with us briefly during post-conference. The hospital I work for now has offered to do that sort of thing with the students who come here, but no one takes us up on our offer to help. I think it is a shame.

Another thing you could do is to browse you local nursing library. There are books on the profession of nursing and different types of nursing roles. You wouldn't have to read all the books, just browse them a little to get a feel for the different roles and specialties. In each specialty field, there are also books about that specialty. Just browse a bit ... explore ... that's how you find good stuff.

You could also skim through some of the journals of the major roles. For example, to learn more about the Clinical Nurse Specialist role, look at their journal (CNS). To learn about staff development, look at the Journal for Nurses in Staff Development. Look at some of the nursing management/administration journals to learn about those roles.

Finally, while I think it is great to start thinking about these things and exploring your options while you are still a student ... I would recommend you not settle too firmly on any one thing yet. Graduate first, then "try out" the specialty of your choice to see if you really like it. And just as important, volunteer for some projects that will put you in contact with people in a variety of advanced practice roles. Sometimes, what seems attractive to you as a student may not seem so great when you actually "dip your toes into the pool" and try it out. For example, you might think you like to teach and therefore would like to be a nursing instructor -- but you might find that you hate certain aspects of teaching and would be happier as a staff nurse preceptor or perhaps a staff development instructor. When I entered my Master's program, I thought I wanted to be an administrator -- but changed my mind and became a Clinical Nurse Specialist.

Give yourself the opportunity to actually "try out" some aspects of the various roles and interact with people actually in those roles before you invest a lot on a specific education. Sometimes things look good from the outside, but don't feel good once you are in them.

Good luck,

llg

CNMtobe2012 · Aug 19, 2004

First, I suggest you speak with your Nursing Student Association (or whatever you call it) and your faculty. This is information you should be receiving as part of your school experience. Most schools don't do a very good job of educating their students about nursing careers, but they will probably only do better when the students start asking for it. Schools often just focus on that first job after graduation.
The school could organize a career day ... or several smaller events ... during which they highlighted the many different roles available to nurses today. People who have those roles could come and speak: they could provide literature on the roles, etc. When I was an undergraduate, my clinical instructors used to invite hospital nurses in different roles to meet with us briefly during post-conference. The hospital I work for now has offered to do that sort of thing with the students who come here, but no one takes us up on our offer to help. I think it is a shame.
Another thing you could do is to browse you local nursing library. There are books on the profession of nursing and different types of nursing roles. You wouldn't have to read all the books, just browse them a little to get a feel for the different roles and specialties. In each specialty field, there are also books about that specialty. Just browse a bit ... explore ... that's how you find good stuff.
You could also skim through some of the journals of the major roles. For example, to learn more about the Clinical Nurse Specialist role, look at their journal (CNS). To learn about staff development, look at the Journal for Nurses in Staff Development. Look at some of the nursing management/administration journals to learn about those roles.
Finally, while I think it is great to start thinking about these things and exploring your options while you are still a student ... I would recommend you not settle too firmly on any one thing yet. Graduate first, then "try out" the specialty of your choice to see if you really like it. And just as important, volunteer for some projects that will put you in contact with people in a variety of advanced practice roles. Sometimes, what seems attractive to you as a student may not seem so great when you actually "dip your toes into the pool" and try it out. For example, you might think you like to teach and therefore would like to be a nursing instructor -- but you might find that you hate certain aspects of teaching and would be happier as a staff nurse preceptor or perhaps a staff development instructor. When I entered my Master's program, I thought I wanted to be an administrator -- but changed my mind and became a Clinical Nurse Specialist.
Give yourself the opportunity to actually "try out" some aspects of the various roles and interact with people actually in those roles before you invest a lot on a specific education. Sometimes things look good from the outside, but don't feel good once you are in them.
Good luck,
llg

Thanks alot will do.:)

Dixiecup · Aug 21, 2004

First, I suggest you speak with your Nursing Student Association (or whatever you call it) and your faculty. This is information you should be receiving as part of your school experience. Most schools don't do a very good job of educating their students about nursing careers, but they will probably only do better when the students start asking for it. Schools often just focus on that first job after graduation.
The school could organize a career day ... or several smaller events ... during which they highlighted the many different roles available to nurses today. People who have those roles could come and speak: they could provide literature on the roles, etc. When I was an undergraduate, my clinical instructors used to invite hospital nurses in different roles to meet with us briefly during post-conference. The hospital I work for now has offered to do that sort of thing with the students who come here, but no one takes us up on our offer to help. I think it is a shame.
Another thing you could do is to browse you local nursing library. There are books on the profession of nursing and different types of nursing roles. You wouldn't have to read all the books, just browse them a little to get a feel for the different roles and specialties. In each specialty field, there are also books about that specialty. Just browse a bit ... explore ... that's how you find good stuff.
You could also skim through some of the journals of the major roles. For example, to learn more about the Clinical Nurse Specialist role, look at their journal (CNS). To learn about staff development, look at the Journal for Nurses in Staff Development. Look at some of the nursing management/administration journals to learn about those roles.
Finally, while I think it is great to start thinking about these things and exploring your options while you are still a student ... I would recommend you not settle too firmly on any one thing yet. Graduate first, then "try out" the specialty of your choice to see if you really like it. And just as important, volunteer for some projects that will put you in contact with people in a variety of advanced practice roles. Sometimes, what seems attractive to you as a student may not seem so great when you actually "dip your toes into the pool" and try it out. For example, you might think you like to teach and therefore would like to be a nursing instructor -- but you might find that you hate certain aspects of teaching and would be happier as a staff nurse preceptor or perhaps a staff development instructor. When I entered my Master's program, I thought I wanted to be an administrator -- but changed my mind and became a Clinical Nurse Specialist.
Give yourself the opportunity to actually "try out" some aspects of the various roles and interact with people actually in those roles before you invest a lot on a specific education. Sometimes things look good from the outside, but don't feel good once you are in them
Good luck,
llg

You're absolutely right, they don't explain much! I'm embarrased to say that I am more confused now than ever.

So, someone help me out here. After BSN, I thought it was just one more year to get your masters. But if you wanted to go on for NP it was two years after that. If I go into administration or education ( which is really more of my cup of tea) Is it still 3 more years after BSN, or how does it all work. You'd think I would be smarter than this but it's all rather confusing. Thanks to anyone who can simplify this! :confused: