What kind of Nurse Should I Be?

nhinds2 · Jul 10, 2014

Be cognizant that, since Galen's program is non-accredited, earning that master's degree or PhD might take a bit longer than you might have envisioned. Transferability of credits is often a stumbling block when one's initial nursing education was received at a school that lacked national nursing accreditation.

Galen is sacs accredited , sorry I didn't see someone else say the same thing and they are half way through with getting their other accreditation. It starts with a N , I forgot the name

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Jul 10, 2014

Honestly? The self-description you gave looks much more like a kindergarten teacher than a nurse. I'm not sure THAT isn't what you should be looking toward....? Have you ever considered the Education track, rather than nursing?

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Jul 10, 2014

I always told my students to ask every nurse why s/he did what s/he did, and also why s/he didn't do what s/he didn't do. Lots of people can tell you why they like something, but it's when they tell you why they don't like something that you can make a decision. Also realize that you will be exposed to many different kinds of nursing in your education, and most people end up doing something entirely different than they envisioned when they applied.

Examples:

"Mother-baby nursing! I love it! What better opportunity to get a new family off to a good start-- a good birthing experience, establish breastfeeding, and all that. And when a new family has a good birth experience, they'll come back to our hospital for care later on in life."

"Mother-baby nursing, yeeeeecccchhhh! Tits and fundi and peripads and screaming brats and if I never see another whiny entitled ***** with a six-page birth plan and a mother-in-law it'll be too damn soon."

And second, or third, the recommendation to reconsider grad school if you don't go to a regionally accredited school. You need to know the difference.

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-student/you-need-know-900804.html

DeeMerri12 · Aug 20, 2014

All this talk of accreditation - from Galen's Tampa Bay Nursing school website:

"Galen College of Nursing is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate degrees. Our institution is also nationally accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education. We are approved by the Florida Board of Nursing and Florida Commission for Independent Education, and are a member agency of both the National League for Nursing and the National Organization for Associate Degree Nursing. We are licensed by the Florida State Commission for Independent Education.

Galen has articulation agreements with several colleges and universities to facilitate the acceptance of credits earned at Galen towards advanced nursing degrees."

AspiringNurseMW · Aug 20, 2014

I'm just starting my prerequisites reqs so I may be totally wrong. School nurse? Post partum nurse? there is a lot of teaching there. Then teach after your masters/PhD. Have you done clinicals yet?

MrsICURN14 · Aug 20, 2014

Well certainly don't do anything in critical care if you can't think on your feet.

I agree, something non-acute like OB or maybe school nursing.

RNs at MD offices aren't very widely sought out. A lot of MDs prefer now to hire MAs because they're far cheaper and essentially the job doesn't require many RN skills.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Aug 20, 2014

what kind of nurse should you be? The kind that is kind and considerate, regardless of where you work. Good luck

DisneyNurseGal, BSN, RN · Aug 20, 2014

I think that you are too early in your nurse development to make a decision like this. When I was in Nursing School I would have killed to be a Labor and Delivery or Postpartum nurse. That is all I wanted to do, and all of my decisions were based on that goal. I accepted a job on a Med Surg/ Oncology unit knowing I was just going to take a year to a year and 1/2 and get some experience then try to move to L&D. I have learned so much about myself in the last 8 months, that L&D is not even on my radar anymore... I want to head towards the Palliative/Hospice nurse area. That is [one] of the great things about nursing, there are so many opportunities in nursing, you don't like where you are... you can make a minor change and be in a completely different area. Trying to make a decision about how to specialize while in nursing school is like a freshman in high school trying to decide their college major.

,

You did not say how far into school you are... my advice to you, just wait. Do your clinicals, learn about different specialty areas. You are not going to get to be too choosy with your first job, so get some experience, then you will start to have an idea where you want to head.

Good luck to you! This is such an exciting time of your life... enjoy it!

Guests · Aug 20, 2014

What kind of nurse should you be?

You should be a hard-working, honest nurse who does his/her best to provide excellent care to his/her patients while being a dependable colleague who will help a brother/sister out without even being asked to pitch in.

Be the nurse that you want caring for your kid; be the nurse that you want to work with.

It matters not which specialty you're in, the preceding always apply.

NurseSpeedy, ADN, LPN, RN · Jan 10, 2015

Hi everyone,
I'm currently enrolled in a 2 year RN program at Galen in St. Pete and basically I just wanted to hear some advice or feedback on what kind of Nurse I should become. Just so that I don't waste time doing the wrong thing.
Some info on me to help out..
-I am 20 years old
-I love kids
-I love teaching people how to do stuff
-I am a great leader and the best advisor
-I'm clumsy and an airhead at times so thinking on my feet isn't always there
-I don't want to working in the hospital or anywhere really depressing
-I want to get my Master or PhD in whatever I do

I'm thinking that since this thread is still open you are still enrolled and would be about 6 months into the program by now? Have you had any clinicals yet? I can speak as a nurse with almost 15 years of experience that more than likely before you get a job that isn't in what you consider depressing you will need to work in a hospital or similar environment before you would be considered for a job elsewhere (such as teaching, managing, etc). Pediatric offices usually hire LPNs or MAs unless you work with the doctor as a Nurse Practitioner (which would be the higher level degree). Honestly, this is something that should have been considered before enrolling in a very expensive private school program. Many public colleges offer nursing programs that you are required to get many prerequisites first and then during that time you could think about what it is that you really want to do for the next 40 years or so. At least then the credits that you have will easily be applied to something else if you change your mind. Since you said that you want to make sure that your not wasting any time it seems like maybe you're reconsidering your decision since you've had a chance to learn more about the career. This is something that cannot be answered by a stranger in an online discussion forum. I would consider taking the time to evaluate what you want out of life and then make a decision. I would hate to see someone go to school, pay all that money, and then end up hating their career choice and then have to start out all over again. It's sad because I've seen it happen to a lot of people, and not just nurses. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

MedicalPartisan · Jan 10, 2015

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