When do going back to school STOP!!

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I have a burning question that have been on my mind for a while now. I have been in the Medical field for over 28 years, and I must say it have been very challenging. I have notice that Nursing is the only career that requires a educational move than a promotional move. I'm thinking this is not always good, CNA's have to go back to school, LVN's to become RN's, RN's back to school to become Nurse Practitioners and if you want to specialize into anything, you have to go back to school to for that position. To become a midwife requires more education, a Nurse anesthetist requires more education; it's non ending to just wanting a career. On top of that, keeping up CEU's and other necessary requirements.. When does this stop? What ever happen to just getting regular promotions within a job, instead of going back to school??

Specializes in Pedi.

Certainly you are not suggesting that a CNA should be able to be "promoted" to an LPN then RN then NP then CRNA with no formal schooling. Educational advancement and professional advancement are not one and the same. If a CNA wants to be promoted she can utilize the clinical ladder at her place of employment and become a level II CNA.I si

I disagree that each degree in nursing is a dead end. With my BSN, in 8 years I have done bedside nursing, school nursing, home health nursing, clinical management and now am a clinical liaison. There are countless opportunities to advance within the profession.

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Specializes in Pedi.
I have a burning question that have been on my mind for a while now. I have been in the Medical field for over 28 years, and I must say it have been very challenging. I have notice that Nursing is the only career that requires a educational move than a promotional move.

This is not true. If a teacher wants to become an administrator, she needs to go back to school. In my state, teachers need to be masters prepared within 5 years of obtaining employment in the school system and, for them, getting their master's degree gets them more money but no promotion or new job. If a nurse gets an MSN, she becomes an advanced practice nurse provided she passes her boards. A teacher gets a master's degree and gets to keep her job.

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Specializes in CVICU.
A lawyer is still a lawyer. He can climb the ranks and become partner, but one lawyers office still is like any other lawyers office. And guess what no matter where he goes he will always just be a lawyer. No other degree he can get without schooling. Nursing on the other hand has so many new and exciting avenues to choose from to spice up your nursing career

Perhaps someone has already told you this (I didn't read all the replies), but there are MANY different types of law which lawyers can practice. For example, I have one lawyer friend who works in immigration. And another who works in medical malpractice cases. Both went to law school and have their JD, but work in totally different areas of law. While it is true that many professions will entail the same kind of work no matter where one is, law isn't one of them.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
"The older you are the harder it gets. Experience counts for a whole lot but letters after the name speak louder. "

Not true. I have an associate degree. Experience earned me a six figure income.

I think your experience is pretty atypical. Most experienced nurses don't land six figure jobs in nursing, without luck, connections or putting in a lot of overtime!

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Specializes in Critical Care.
He did go to college, but he only went once for one degree - and he held more than 15 job titles with the company.

There are new avenues to spice a nursing career up, for sure, but they are all for personal gain and not professional gain. Cath lab makes the same pay as med/surg makes the same pay as postpartum. It just is what it is. I'm not saying any one specialty should be paid more, because every nurse does valuable work, but it is discouraging to do so much education and training just to maintain the status quo. Most companies would reward you for the amount of training a nurse does just to be a nurse. The reward in nursing is you get to keep your job.

I think most non-nursing people would laugh at you if you told them there was another job that they could take to change things up, and you'd have them orient for three months, complete 30+ online education modules, work with a preceptor, and complete an inch thick stack of skills competency check offs - so they could get paid exactly the same salary they are making right now or even take a pay cut.

I guess this is just a personal issue for me because I am the "poor kid" of a high achieving family, so the topic of lack of promotions and lack of "better" career opportunities in nursing makes me a little bitter.

I get where you're coming from and I too am the "poor relation" in the family, my siblings all make a lot more than me and obviously work in other better paying fields. Career ladders or whatever they are calling them these days are a joke for a promotion or pay raise. What I don't get is why we are called professionals, yet still expected to clean and turn people, breaking our backs with no end in sight. Nursing is the only profession I know of where back breaking blue collar physical labor is considered part of one's job duties. No other profession would put up with these working conditions. It is crazy and especially when you think ICU nurses, for instance, have to know so much and yet most places don't even have CNA's to help. There is such a disconnect in nursing. You're right the only way to be able to use your brains and not your body is to go back to school and take out student loans in most cases. I don't see a way around it.

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Specializes in Critical Care and ED.

Not true. I have an associate degree. Experience earned me a six figure income.

While I applaud your success, you are an exception nonetheless. I'm not sure where you live, but in the NorthEast it's almost impossible to get a position in acute care unless you have a BSN. Many people applied for my job who had as much or more experience than me but I got the job because of the letters after my name. The director told me this. I was able to go back as per diem with my old dialysis company and they hired me at automatic top payscale because I had a degree and two certifications. Other nurses I know who did not go back for their BSN feel stuck and unable to get a better job because of the competition from younger less experienced BSN nurses, and several of my peers have gone back to school to remedy this. I know for a fact I wouldn't have my current position if I hadn't done it. It's the changing face of professional nursing and there are always exceptions but this is definitely the growing trend and one would be perilous to ignore it.

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I have a bsn and don't plan on going back to school. I will however, complete CEUs to maintain my certification. In healthcare the learning never ends.

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Specializes in ICU + Infection Prevention.

OP, not to be snarky, but judging from your barely coherent post, you didn't pay attention much during your 28 years in the medical field.

If you are planning on going to school, I recommend that you find a remedial English course to prepare you for the rigors of professional communication.

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The medical field is ever changing, with new advancements happening very fast. One would not want a nurse with 1950's-esque knowledge in today's hospitals. Why? Because the information that nurse was taught is outdated. Same with a nurse from even 1980, 1990, and today's nursing will be different than that of future courses. That is, it would be, if it were not for continuing education mandates for nurses. This is for safety. You do mention you are in the medical field, so I am sure you must know this.

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Specializes in my patients.

I can only speak for myself but I personally like to learn and I think I'm a better nurse because of it (not in spite of it). I think this benefits my patients. I have spent my own $$ on continuing education because my state, at this time, doesn't require it and I feel it is important. But that's just me.

It's just a thought...but if someone doesn't want to continue learning/growing/evolving, maybe they should consider something else that isn't nursing? There are other "medical type" jobs/careers a person can have besides nursing...just a thought...

Allie

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From her previous posts, OP is in California working as a Method 3 LPN and seems upset that no other state BON will accept this background for licensure in their state.

What exactly is a Method 3 LPN?

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Specializes in Neuro.

I feel like OP was referring to pay promotions, not job title promotions. I don't believe she meant a CNA could get on the job training to be a nurse practitioner or anything. but I also feel OP could go back to college just to benefit from a college English class, her thread title was barely coherent and she lacks basic middle school grammar. It does seem like she is overly angry at the fact her LPN status won't transfer (I don't think she actually went to LPN school, perhaps on the job training; if that's even possible, I'm not sure) so she is taking her incoherent anger out on the profession as a whole. Continuing education in the field of nursing is VERY important.

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