Yet another "thinking of going into nursing" post.

ZASHAGALKA, RN · May 30, 2006

I'm sure other people have asked these same questions a few billion times, but I need to take my turn asking questions. And expressing a few worries.

Look into accelerated programs w/ universities. They allow previous bach degreed professionals a 14 month pathway to BSN. Since your bach is an arts degree, I don't know how that would affect those programs, it might require a few extra classes, I simply don't know.

I think they do the whole "you're going to get your period" talk to the fourth-grade girls around here, or at least they did when I was in school

That's a VERY simplistic view of school nursing. School nurses organize lots of medicines, the do lots of teaching - to students, families AND teachers. They are highly independent in that they are normally the only 'healthcare' staff on site. School nurses are sometimes called to 'intervene' in dangerous situations with students, and that requires LOTS of fortitude. It's a BIGGER job than putting a bandaid on a booboo or having an 'afternoon special' type of conversation w/ a menarche'd young lady.

What sorts of jobs do school nurses do in the summer? Could you get work in, say, hospitals, or would it be more like summer camps? Do school nurses get very involved with individual students, or is it more of a general public health thing?

A school nurse can work anywhere they want during the summer, or take it off. Most schools allow the option of being paid on the '12 month' plan. But, an RN can work any RN job they feel comfortable, qualified, and oriented to work.

How long are shifts in hospitals, in general? Is it organized like three 8-hour shifts, or is it 12-hour shifts?

Most hospitals have moved to 12 hr shifts. But, you can find 8 hrs shifts, they just require some effort to find.

"How do patients usually treat their nurses? I've had "service" jobs that were just demeaning, because people felt like they were paying your salary, so they have the right treat you like crap. I'd hate to go back to that."

Nursing is the ultimate 'service' job. And sick people - AND THEIR FAMILIES - are not always in the best mood. Lots of people think they 'have the right' to treat nurses like crap: PATIENTS, FAMILIES, DOCTORS, ADMISTRATORS, OTHER NURSES. If this is a deal breaker for you, then nursing isn't for you.

Also, t.v. shows usually show some animosity between doctors and nurses. Is that real, or just t.v. drama?

There is NO relation to what you see on TV and real life. On TV, the DOCs or their RESIDENTS do EVERYTHING, and nurses are just love interests for the docs (think Hathoway on ER).

In real life, nurses are high tech bedside monitors and interventioners. If you want to see how nursing REALLY is, volunteer at your local hospital for awhile.

And, based on another post I read, how often do you do little basic are things for your patients, like helping them brush their hair or shave?

ADLs we call them: Activities of Daily Living. Nursing involves lots of that. And not just 'little' basic things, sometimes BIG things, like cleaning up poop and/or vomit. If that bothers you, again, nursing isn't the right job for you.

Part of the reason this stuff is on my mind is that I recently visited a friend in the hospital after she had major surgery, and she had a horrible experience with the nurses there.

A common misconception is that nurses are 'angels'. No, they are people, and many times, they are people in very high stress and busy jobs. Just like ALL people, some will be rude, short, or just rub you the wrong way. And some won't.

Also, when I first walked into the hospital, I thought it was odd that so many people were wandering around the lobby in their pajamas... until I realized that those people were the nurses! Ugly, baggy scrubs, plastic clogs, sloppy ponytails. Not professional-looking, and as I later learned, not professional-acting, either.

Some nurses would agree with you, and some would think that if you don't like it, find something else to do. Or, to put it this way: YOU TRY WORKING FLAT OUT FOR 12 HRS AT A TIME, ALL ON YOUR FEET before you criticize clogs and clothing designed to protect against the various 'body fluids' that come our way.

You try keeping your 'ready for work' appearance for 12 hrs. It's not like nurses always have time to re-apply the right amount of lipstick and redo their 'do at every whim. Sometimes, nurses can go hours without the time to use the restroom, much less to 'freshen' up.

And food during that 12 hrs? Sometimes that's just a wish.

Not professional acting? That's sort of unkind of you to say, on the outside looking in.

Another young woman I know who's a nurse told me that she loves her job, but that she had to quit the last one because of the stress of dealing with nurses who hated their jobs!

It IS a high stress job. And, as I said, nurses are people. PEOPLE are 'catty' in EVERY profession. There is a misconception that nurses are 'angels' and so, above being PEOPLE. Not so.

Hope this helps. I'm not trying to 'put down' your aspirations, but before you seriously go down the road to nursing, you might want to volunteer and see what nurses REALLY do. It seems like you have some unrealistic expectations. But, that's not a criticism; the public at large seems to hold many of these unrealisitic expectations about nurses.

~faith,

Timothy.

Darth Nightingale · May 30, 2006

I have no experience with school nursing other than I saw one when I was a kid. Uhmnn.. if you're easily bored my first guess is that being a school nurse isn't for you... not too many code on the playground me thinks. If you love children, want to model good behavior for the next generation and yu want to do it... then sure. go for it.

As far as nursing in general... look on this site for all the different specialties there are. I'm a second career person too. From what I've gathered nursing is almost as generic as being an engineer. It's one of those degrees that opens lots of doors to different pathways. Just got to get through nursing school first.

My advice is that if you bore easily with a job nursing should be perfect for you as there are so many vastly different nursing roles out there. Critical care, Peds, neonatal, education, forensics, industrial... geez... You could spend a few years in each area (in theory) and still retire before you tried them all.

Just my humble opinion... hope it helps.

EricJRN, MSN, RN · May 30, 2006

I really like nursing and I'm happy where I am. That said though, if I had the job-hopping/chronic dissatisfaction issue, the last thing I would do is pursue a career where so many red flags were already going off for me.

VirtualMe · May 30, 2006

A common misconception is that nurses are 'angels'.

I never said they were angels. But this one nurse was actually going out of her way to antagonize my friend's mom, and made the whole experience way more difficult than it had to be.

Or, to put it this way: YOU TRY WORKING FLAT OUT FOR 12 HRS AT A TIME, ALL ON YOUR FEET before you criticize clogs and clothing designed to protect against the various 'body fluids' that come our way.

I work in a warehouse right now. It's office work, but I sometimes go out into the warehouse. I own a pair of very sturdy shoes specifically made for construction workers who have to walk around on rebar and other rough surfaces all day. They're very sturdy, very comfortable, and look like any standard brown oxfords. During my marching band days, I had a pair of black shoes that looked like dress shoes but were designed for walking several miles at a time. Clogs aren't the only comfortable shoes out there.

I've been a waitress, a cook, and a dishwasher, I'VE DONE JOBS THAT INVOLVED BEING ON MY FEET FOR A LONG TIME, and I know that looking like a slob isn't required for potentially messy jobs.

If you love children, want to model good behavior for the next generation and yu want to do it... then sure.

That's pretty much what was pushing me toward teaching. I like little kids (I have no idea what to do with teenagers), and I would like to be able to help those whose parents can't provide the resources that my parents were able to provide.

My first career field, my first "real" job out of college, was one that provided an amazing amount of variety, but it was with a company that was poorly run, and it kind of soured me on the whole experience. That, plus it's a shrinking industry, with fewer and fewer jobs available every year, prompted me to leave the field altogether. I'd love to have the freedom to say, "Y'know, I don't like working here. I'll apply somewhere else." Instead of, "I don't like working here. Guess I have to stick it out or get completely retrained to do something different."

That said though, if I had the job-hopping/chronic dissatisfaction issue, the last thing I would do is pursue a career where so many red flags were already going off for me.

Yeah, that's a huge concern. Lately, I'm really afraid of starting anything new. I've gotten into this really bad routine in the past couple of years where I bounce from place to place and never really commit to anything or finish anything. Chronically unhappy, I guess. I'm just trying to find a job with some freaking meaning to it.

My favorite jobs in the past were actually volunteer jobs, where I was working with people who had legitimate troubles and needed help. People always laugh when I tell them that, because they know how much I HATE doing customer service. But there's a big difference between some jerk yelling at you on the phone because his order arrived a day late, and the occasional rude comment from someone who's been kind of cut off from regular society and is just desperate to talk to anyone who might be nice to him. I guess I tolerate the rudeness better from people who seem to have a reason to be rude.

Well, thanks for the feedback, anyway.

Natkat, BSN, MSN, RN · May 30, 2006

My favorite jobs in the past were actually volunteer jobs, where I was working with people who had legitimate troubles and needed help. People always laugh when I tell them that, because they know how much I HATE doing customer service. But there's a big difference between some jerk yelling at you on the phone because his order arrived a day late, and the occasional rude comment from someone who's been kind of cut off from regular society and is just desperate to talk to anyone who might be nice to him. I guess I tolerate the rudeness better from people who seem to have a reason to be rude.
Well, thanks for the feedback, anyway.

It sounds like you would be very happy as a social worker. I think social workers do a lot of good and aren't paid nearly enough. You might think of getting a master's of social work degree. I have two friends who are recent graduates and love what they do, and at the Master's level the pay is quite a bit better.

ZASHAGALKA, RN · May 30, 2006

I'VE DONE JOBS THAT INVOLVED BEING ON MY FEET FOR A LONG TIME, and I know that looking like a slob isn't required for potentially messy jobs.

Yes, but did that job require you to prioritize between 10 things at once, probably 2-4 of which being CRITICAL things? For the whole 12 hrs? If your nurse had to pick between getting your loved one morphine in a timely manner or touching up her hair; which would you prefer she do?

I'd love to have the freedom to say, "Y'know, I don't like working here. I'll apply somewhere else." Instead of, "I don't like working here. Guess I have to stick it out or get completely retrained to do something different."

Lots of us got into nursing for that reason. That is perfectly reasonable. But that mobility has its price. Nursing can be a TOUGH job.

I'm just trying to find a job with some freaking meaning to it.

Another great reason.

I guess I tolerate the rudeness better from people who seem to have a reason to be rude.

Well, you are a better person than me. Dealing w/ rude behavior is a common part of the job of nursing. I don't 'tolerate' it all that well, however.

My advice: read a few threads that have the concept of impossible families in their titles. Recently, hospitals have begun this 'customer service' approach to management with the result that extremely rude behavior is tolerated because we want to keep our 'customer service' numbers high. Ugh.

~faith,

Timothy.

jcarew · May 30, 2006

Hello,

I am 39 years old and will graduate next year with an ASN. I am currently working as a student nurse extern in the ER. That is my background. First, I understand what you were saying about being bored. I too switched jobs frequently, because it drove me crazy. Nursing is nothing like that. Each day is very different and it is much more a team environment. It is difficult to get bored. Even you do get bored with a current assignment there are soooooooooooooooo many areas to go into that I cannot see ever getting bored with nursing. I personally don't know anything about being a school nurse. I have heard though that it is better to get some hospital and/or clinic experience under your belt before going solo as a school nurse. That would be something to consider, because it may take a few years after you graduate before you could be a school nurse. Then again that's just what I have heard. Either way good luck and God bless!

Jenny

VirtualMe · May 30, 2006

Edited because I can't figure ot how to delete something completely.

TazziRN, RN · May 30, 2006

My pride is more about my performance, not my appearance. I really don't care what nurses wear on their feet because it's what's in their brains and hearts that are important. There are places that do not give good nursing care, and that is the fault of admin for tolerating it. It could also have been the PATIENT.....people who are normally absolutely wonderful can turn into total witches when they are pts, sometimes especially nurses.

Faeriewand, ASN, RN · May 30, 2006

Whatever you decide it looks like you need to go back to school. Try taking those science pre-reqs the nursing school requires. Also, if you can, get some CNA training this summer to get an idea of what working in healthcare is like. I just finished my CNA training and there are so many jobs for techs in hospitals. I've applied all around! An ER tech would not be bored! And you could see what nurses do all day.

And if it were me I would not tell everyone right away what I intended to do. Just do it. :) Then they will have nothing to say. Just say you are going back to school. Who could knock more education? "I'm just taking a few classes that interest me"

I don't think there's anything wrong with not knowing what you want to do with your life. So many nurses out there started this as a second or third career or started later in life. And you are only 30! Don't be so hard on yourself! I've heard that people usually have about 7 careers over a lifetime. No biggie (my favorite saying that I stole from a friend. Helps me to keep things in perspective)

And you know, once you decide on something you really want and have to work to get it, it just might make you really want it that much more. I'm happiest when I'm working towards a goal.

Keep us posted whatever you decide :)

VirtualMe · May 31, 2006

There are places that do not give good nursing care, and that is the fault of admin for tolerating it. It could also have been the PATIENT.....people who are normally absolutely wonderful can turn into total witches when they are pts, sometimes especially nurses.

That was my first tought, too, when the mother started complaining, since she can be a pretty high-maintenance person, but then her daughter (the patient, aka the nicest person on earth) agreed that there had been some serious and inexplicable problems with a couple of the nurses.

FWIW, they were in love with the ostomy nurse.

And if it were me I would not tell everyone right away what I intended to do. Just do it. :) Then they will have nothing to say. Just say you are going back to school. Who could knock more education? "I'm just taking a few classes that interest me"

I'm trying to figure out a way to do that. :) I work for my dad right now, and if I quit he's going to insist on knowing why.

Try taking those science pre-reqs the nursing school requires. Also, if you can, get some CNA training this summer to get an idea of what working in healthcare is like.

That's a good idea. Thanks!