Which field of nursing ...

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Apr 2, 2012

Had to double check the date on the OP - thought for a minute that it may have been an April Fools post. .

There is NO "Recession Proof" area in health care. Since there is no Federal mandate on minimum nurse-patient ratios, the number of nursing positions remains at the whim of employers - with the exception of California and union contracts. As long as employers continue to be squeezed by shrinking reimbursements for health care, nursing jobs are always on the line.

The areas with the most hi-tech are those in which the most invasive/medical treatments occur. So this would be critical care units (my area of practice). Working with machines does not make you a better or smarter nurse... just one that works with machines. Patients in these areas tend to have less ability to interact and the majority of care is "medical" (physician delegated) rather than nursing. Nurses apply medical protocols to adjust the machinery and maintain the requested parameters. A word of warning - these areas are also rife with ethical conflict arising from quality vs. quantity of life issues. Just because we can does not mean that we should.

Math??? Are you trying to avoid or want to do it?? LOL Human errors related to mathematical calculations are frequently the root cause of clinical errors, so the majority of organizations have automated systems that perform these tasks - unit dose, 'smart' IV pumps, integrated hemodynamic monitoring, 'smart' ventilators, etc. You'll probably have to calculate various indices (CI, PVR, etc) in order to demonstrate your understanding/ability in a training course, but rarely will have to make any manual calculations in the real world. It's just too risky for our patients to be just one human error from a medical mistake.

Y-Chromo_nurse2b · Apr 4, 2012

I guess I should have made myself more clear.

1. Which area of nursing is more marketable or usually has the most transferable skill set. ie General (Med/Surg) vs. Specialized (Critial care).

2. Thanks for the reply.

3. I enjoy math. I know that in peds, everthing is based on weight or BSA; but peds is not my thing. I do not want to have to start IVs on babies or kids.

oliverh79 · May 5, 2012

I think nursing informatics would make maximum use of technology and math. As for being recession proof, all nursing jobs are pretty much that. If you are interested, you can check out the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Administration at Stevens-Henager College. The school offers an emphasis in nursing informatics with this program. However, I do believe that this degree is available only to practicing nurses. Visit the college website for more info.