Hello everyone! I was trying to give my friend some insight on reasons not to leave school nursing for her first bedside nursing job. She is not a part of this wonderful community so I will have to show her your responses.
She says she loves school nursing (4 yrs), but says this is an opportunity too good to pass up. I told her consider her age (44 yrs, not old just being realistic) and how hard bedside nursing is on the body, plus it is a night shift.
Specializes in School Nurse. Having conversations with littles..
Just another yokel that it would seem didn't actually take the time to read the thread and look around the environment and assumes that we school nurses are in nursing school... like i'd do THAT again!
If i had it do do all over again i'd go to trade school for welding.
Flare- I "Liked" your comment for your first sentence about a "yokel". Not the part that you would be a welder if you did it all over again. Then, we would never have gotten to "know" you.
I don't know; I'm leaving school nursing at the end of this year. It's been a fun two years and there are a lot of great perks that I'm going to miss (e.g. not working on weekends or holidays--this was my first job that I got this, being with my children during the school day, summer/spring/winter breaks, cheap benefits, etc.). I'm going to miss the kids like crazy! I've grown a lot as a nurse and I wouldn't trade that for anything.
But, as a pretty new nurse (three years in June), I feel like I didn't give the bedside enough of a chance. I worked full time noc shifts at the hospital during my first year, as well as went to school full time for my BSN (along with a pretty extensive community health practicum that led me to this school nurse gig in the first place!)...and kids...and life. In addition to the "new grad blues," I think the amount of stress I was putting on myself with outside things really didn't allow me time to learn as much as I could have and enjoy the experience. I think I have so much to learn that I can't learn in the school and it would make me a stronger nurse all around.
I do work at the hospital twice a month to make more money, but considering that I make half my school nurse wage in two days, it just doesn't make logical sense to continue--those weeks I work at the hospital are lonnnnng. I just don't want to continue to have to basically lose two weekends a month to supplement my income. It's definitely not all about money, but it is a factor.
So there are probably a lot of reasons your friend is considering changing career paths, and I think that's okay. She might find out she hates it and might want to run back to school nursing. I might find out the same. But the beauty of our career is there are so many paths we can follow.
it's more of a mandatory age thing and years on the job thing... i think i'll have 30 years in by then
I thought it through a little more after I posted that. I was thinking that my dad retired after 20 years of teaching, but hadn't factored in that he didn't start teaching until he was 40.
it's not a force out thing here - i think they'll let you work here until they find you dead at your desk. I'm going for minimum age to retirement. (i say that now - let's see what happens when it gets closer ha ha)
Cattz, ADN
1,083 Posts
Flare- I "Liked" your comment for your first sentence about a "yokel". Not the part that you would be a welder if you did it all over again. Then, we would never have gotten to "know" you.