What did you do before nursing?

[richardgecko]

No camming, although I knew several who did.

[Farawyn]

But no camming?

Tch, Here.I.Stand

Camming is SO May/June!

It's p4p now (or whatever NOADLS said that one time.)

[sjalv]

I worked at a small Italian restaurant chain restaurant. Experience working in a restaurant is surprisingly applicable to nursing, especially when it comes to talking to irate patients/family members.

[AnonymousLPN]

Voc Rehab Caseworker

Assisted Living Administrator for a developmental disabilities agency

State Nursing Home and ALF Surveyor

[Wrench Party]

I did molecular biology at a large Research I institution for most of my 20s fresh out of college. Loved the academic lifestyle (worked 10a-6p, my ideal schedule ever) but then decided I was not into getting a PhD School for 8 more years? Are you kidding?

Did some thinking, decided nursing was a career I could have a variety of adventures in. Here I am 2 years in, about to settle down into the hospital again and also do some home care/clinical trials stuff per diem. What other career do you know of that allows that diverse of options?

[michlynn, BSN, RN]

I was a bartender and a dance teacher. My first Bachelor's degree is in Dance :)

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

In high school, I worked at Goldblatt's department store. I sold bras.

Fun fact: Goldblatt's is the real store depicted as Higbee's in A Christmas Story.

[Julius Seizure]

I was a theater/event technician - mostly lighting and staging, but also worked sound sometimes, as well as a tech coordinator for conferences.

Oh and before that I delivered meal trays in the hospital to patients (in high school:dummy1: )

[fantwi]

I was in accounting in my native homeland for ten years, always wondered if I could work in healthcare. The chance came when I moved to USA. Became a CNA in 2005, LPN in 2006, and a BSN in May, 2013. Now 53, pursuing my MSN in nursing education. Everybody can do it if I can.

[angeloublue22, BSN, RN]

I was a supervisor at a pizza place. I had worked there for 7 years. My father in-law got his LPN and encouraged me to do it too. I didn't think I could but I'm now a RN and very happy with my choice.

[weirdscience]

Second career nurse. I worked in housing, mostly finance/closing-related jobs. Started taking pre-reqs when the market was trending towards the big crash in '07. Officially left when I graduated in '12, having managed to stay employed (and make pretty much the same money as I do as an RN) throughout. Sometimes I feel like a sucker--I incurred debt and am still incurring debt for this gig--but then I remember real estate "emergencies" 😏, never really taking a vacation because clients were always calling me, and working 10 hours/5 days a week...and I relax.

[Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN]

I remember real estate "emergencies"

I had a professional career prior to nursing, and this was one of my motivations for becoming a nurse. I felt as though if I were going to be dealing with emergencies, I'd rather have them be actual, real life and death emergencies, not perceived, irrelevant, pseudo-emergencies that have no bearing on anyone's quality of life.