Your journey (jobs) as a nurse?

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How has your career surprised you as a nurse? What paths have you taken you never expected to cross? Have you stayed in one job forever or have you had many? I love hearing about how many different paths we all take.

As for me I started out in med surge and have done that pretty well for 6 months. I am now moving on to Public Health nursing mainly because of having young kids making night shift incompatible. I can't wait to see how my career changes as the years go by. Will I become an NP? Or will I go back to bedside as an RN? Or will I go into school nursing? So many options!!!

Where has nursing led you?

[ked20]

I started as an outpt dialysis nurse. I wanted PICU. But, that was the only job I could get. I did that for a year. Then I moved to CA b/c I was offered an ICU position. I told someone there I knew how to do dialysis and my phone rang off the hook. Big $. So, I did travelling acute dialysis which took me all over the state. I saw a lot of pts that were in failure or dying b/c of medical malpractice. So, I moved back to Boston and went to law school. I prosecuted medmal caes for 7 years. But, I was unhappy. Every office I worked was full of angry people. Trial attorneys are always in adverserial mode. After thinking long and hard about it, I went back to travelling acute dialysis. I really liked one of the hospitals I travelled to. So, one day I asked for a job. They gave it to me on the spot! I did acute dialysis there for 5 years. I then transferred to I.R. to do proceural sedation. I had been on call most of my working life. An opportunity arose to do procedural sedation without oncall. However, I found myself in a very dysfunctional practice. So, after 3 years I transferred to the call center to do telephone triage. That's where I am now. It's the best job I have ever had!

[ked20]

6 yrs as a NA, 6 yrs in tele as RN in California, 1 yr med-surg as a registry nurse in Hawaii, 2 yrs in level 2 nursery, Hawaii, 1 yr in home health in Virginia, 7 years postpartum and newborn nursery , Virginia, 7 yrs house supervisor, same hospital in Virginia, 8 yrs couplet care (3 yrs in Florida, 5 yrs in Arizona). Next year I retire :).

What is couplet care?

[Indus]

Hi!

Pediatrics > Medical ICU Stepdown > ENT/General Surgery > Cardiac/Gen Surg > Surgical ICU > Respiratory ICU > Adult ER > Pediatric ER/Level 1 Trauma > Infusion/Home Health > Pediatric Cardiac Surgery ICU > Cardiac Cath Lab > EP Lab > ICU > Cardiac Cath Lab/EP Lab (current)

I've worked almost 42 years full time, the longest in Cath Lab/EP Lab and dedicated EP Lab. While I have enjoyed all of my career, and have worked with excellent staff, the best of times were in the Pediatric ER and the Cath Labs.

I've had to 'semi' retire last October due to health issues, and will fully retire this fall!

Best of Luck to All!

[NutmeggeRN, BSN]

Candy striper (eventually worked as a GN>RN in that hospital)

Nurses aide in High school and college

Grad with BSN and went to 500 bed teaching hospital for 2.5 years

Relocated and was DNS for a small LTC/AL facility 1.5 years

Office RN multispecialty group practice for 2 years (Int Med and OB/GYN) Part time Family Planning for two years while in office job

Home care for 5 years fulltime and 3 years perdiem Part time in Family Practice 17 years (while doing homecare and school job)

Full time school nurse in my 19th year Part time ICF (in my 5th year as perdiem)

Full time exhausted working two jobs since 1987....

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To ked20

Couplet care is postpartum with baby rooming in. Nurse takes care of both Mom and baby. In the past Mom and baby had different nurses. Trend now is toward couplet care.

[silverbat]

3 years CNA, then 3 years CNA/CMT, then LPN(4 years) in hospital-medsurg, ortho, behavioral health, ER, PCU, then RN in hospital 5.5 years, same areas as LPN, then RN in different hospital 4 years with triage, ER, med-surg, ortho, peds, Now 7 years RN in LTC. Worked part time in NH, boarding homes as both LPN and RN during the years I worked in hospital. Did 1 year as PT occupational health in a factory..

[Queakous]

One year inpatient surgery/ Mama-baby (small hospital) 4 years med-surg in a fast paced high census hospital. 6 months in Hawaii as ante-partum in an Army hosp. and triage at an Army Post. Now have been in male corrections for 10 months and have found my home!