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 Expert
Posts: 1302
 
Location: California | ..or a field related to it. How many of you are in the medical field and was it worth the schooling? What do you love and what do you not like about your job? Any advice? Thank you! |
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Expert
Posts: 1302
Location: California | bump for the evening crowd |
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 Georgia Peach
Posts: 8338
  
Location: Georgia |
I graduated in May with my Bachelors in Health Administrastion, which is basically healthcare management. I'm not cut out to deal with what nurses deal with, but I knew I wanted to do something healthcare related. However, I have yet to find a job. Everyone wants 3+ years experience before you can even apply. So my advice is dont take that route. If you can be a nurse, then go to nursing school. Guaranteed job and good pay. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| You need to be a people person to be a nurse
You don't get every weekend off to barrel race, most of the time you will not be working 9-5
You need to be good with time management, and be able to leave everything at the door when you leave. Be comfortable with death.
I love nursing, I loved emergency, but it is hard on your body.
If you want summers off and want to barrel race be a school teacher.
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 Expert
Posts: 1410
Location: Peach State | I'm a peds nurse. I love the kids, the parents drive me crazy. Understand that work isn't fair you will always be over worked and not all nurses pull their own weight lol. If I can't be a rich pro barrel racer going all over the rodeo trail I guess nursing is the next best thing for me lol ;) |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | Nursing is horrible - you're just a glorified waitress. |
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 BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25352
Location: Bastrop, Texas | Dreamingofcans - 2015-10-27 8:03 PM
Nursing is horrible - you're just a glorified waitress.
Too bad you feel that way. I'm sure there are quite a few who share your sentiments. Fortunately, I haven't had to work with many who feel this way.
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Dreamingofcans - 2015-10-27 8:03 PM
Nursing is horrible - you're just a glorified waitress.
I disagree with this
As a nurse I have had so many humbling moments, many heartaches, and so many triamph moments with patients.
Advocating for a single mom who has no support during her delivery, you are the one holding her hand and cheering her on when she is about to give up. You are there to see the personality change from doom to the happiest moment when she sees her child.
You are the one who is holding the hand of the elderly person dying of cancer who has no family. Your presence takes away the fear in their face and allows them to cross over peacefully.
You are the one who comforts grieving families during the end stages of life, you are their comforter, you do this with compassion and kindness advocating for the patient, making sure the doctor knows their wishes, drugs or no drugs, fluids no fluids. You communicate with the families so they understand what is occuring and put them at ease.
During a trauma, you do everything in your power to save the individual's life, then you are there to comfort the family after the doc has spoken to them.
You hear abused victims stories and you advocate on their behalf to get the proper help whether it be the police social services or the women's shelter
There are so many moments that I believe were a privilege for me to be a part of at that moment.
A nurse sees people at their worst, and try to make it a positive experience by assessing, planning, consulting with doc, communicating with family, and implementing a plan for the patient to have the best experience possible, sometimes this is administering pain meds, giving a back rub, holding their hand, sometimes it is a lot more. |
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BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25352
Location: Bastrop, Texas | To the OP, I'm not a nurse, but I've been lucky enough to work with them for about 35 years. I think nursing can be a fantastic career, but that depends on what's important to you. The actual career options, once you've earned your degree, are limitless. You can find a niche, and do very well for yourself. Nurse Practitioners and anesthetists can earn 6 figures, for example. It's challenging and very rewarding. Nurses make a difference in people's lives on a daily basis. They are unsung heroes on the "front lines", at the bedside, watching monitors, and dealing with families constantly. They often have to deal with temperamental, surly doctors over the phone in the middle of the night. If you are thin skinned, don't go into nursing.
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Expert
Posts: 1302
Location: California | Thank you to everyone who responded. I have been going to school for a Bachelor's in Business and aboslutely cannot stand the fact that I feel as if I am going into debt to get a degree that I feel will be useless. I have been a veterinary technician for the past several years and absolutely love the medical knowledge I have gained. I have very tough skin and am good with people and the good and bad parts of them. I want to do something that makes a difference, increases my knowledge, is worth going to school for, and that I can make a living doing. I have many friends in the field and have spoke to random nurses here and there and all of them say it was completely worth it.
I am very excited for this next step and am looking forward to what it can bring. I can't afford to compete without a career and I haven't been able to for awhile now. So once I have a career and a stable income if I can afford to race here and there then I am perfectly happy. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 246
Location: Idaho | The best thing about nursing is the options. You can have nights, weekends, holidays off, in the right setting. However, you might make less. I started in dialysis and went to school to be a dialysis nurse. I loved the schedule because it was a small clinic. No nights, no weekends only Monday, wednesday, Friday. It is a specialty so it usually pays better. I have worked in private in home care which I enjoyed. Paid well and flexible schedule. I have spent 3 years in the family practice clinic. No nights, no weekends, no holidays but less pay. I'm getting ready to go back into dialysis. I was never a fan of shift work so I stayed away from the hospital setting, however you get lots of skills and experience there. The best thing about nursing is there are so many areas. I like repetition so dialysis works great for me. But others like the rush of the ER. I think if I ever wanted to get into the hospital setting I'd like to go into surgery, especially out patient surgery. I spent time there in school and liked it. I hated nursing school. I had a bachelor's degree in health education and then went back to school to become a nurse. I'm glad I did it but I hated every minute. It went by quickly and helps pay for my hobby! :) |
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Expert
Posts: 1302
Location: California | TSlashO - 2015-10-27 7:29 PM The best thing about nursing is the options. You can have nights, weekends, holidays off, in the right setting. However, you might make less. I started in dialysis and went to school to be a dialysis nurse. I loved the schedule because it was a small clinic. No nights, no weekends only Monday, wednesday, Friday. It is a specialty so it usually pays better. I have worked in private in home care which I enjoyed. Paid well and flexible schedule. I have spent 3 years in the family practice clinic. No nights, no weekends, no holidays but less pay. I'm getting ready to go back into dialysis. I was never a fan of shift work so I stayed away from the hospital setting, however you get lots of skills and experience there. The best thing about nursing is there are so many areas. I like repetition so dialysis works great for me. But others like the rush of the ER. I think if I ever wanted to get into the hospital setting I'd like to go into surgery, especially out patient surgery. I spent time there in school and liked it. I hated nursing school. I had a bachelor's degree in health education and then went back to school to become a nurse. I'm glad I did it but I hated every minute. It went by quickly and helps pay for my hobby! :)
Oh I absolutely love the rush! I definitely am thinking ER or surgery, ICU, ect. I like always not knowing and figuring things out. A good friend of mine works 7-7 night shifts 3-4 days a week and gets paid time and a half since it is the night shift. She makes great money and has time and the funds to have some nice horses and race. |
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Veteran
Posts: 246
Location: Idaho | And that's what makes good nurses, is finding a place you love that fits your strengths. I love repetition, knowing what's coming through the door, not a lot of surprises. That maybe wouldn't fit you but the rush of the ER stresses me out! :) Also, I like that when I feel like my work isn't challenging me or I've gotten to a plateau I can change things up and do something different for a while. It's a very good option if horses are your hobby :) |
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Veteran
Posts: 246
Location: Idaho | Also, I always felt being a flight nurse would be cool! I've gotten to see some in action and it was pretty cool, but a little too high stress for me. But if you like a rush, that might be a cool option! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 617
| Nursing is awesome in the fact there are so many different things you can do! Although it does pay well, don't go for just the money or you will be miserable. Your heart has to be in it 
I was an EMT before I did nursing. Perhaps get your feet wet first with something like that especially if you think you want to work in the emergency department. |
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Member
Posts: 32
| i highly recommend nursing. I have my bachelors and masters in nursing and am working towards my doctorate. Your options are endless. And if your life changes, you can always find a job that will work for you. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 443
Location: Southern IL somewhere between KY and MO | I have been a trauma ER nurse going on 28 years... yes I am that old. Somedays I hate my job and somedays I love it. It is not just what I do it is what I am. Was it worth the money, YES definately.
Colleen, RN BSN TNS CEN
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 434
Location: Northwest Florida | Have you considered medical technology?
I'm a med tech and I absolutely LOVE it. I just kind of jumped blind into this career field after choosing not to continue vet school, and it is the best decision I ever made. The demand is extremely high, simply because people know so little about it. You will NEVER be without work.
It's sort of a thankless, behind the scenes job working in the laboratory, so if you are looking at nursing because you want patient contact or are a people person then it probably isn't for you. The only contact I ever have with a patient is when phlebotomists and nurses can't get a vein, they may ask me to come help draw some blood.
My typical day is maintenance on the analyzers, running patient tests, reviewing and reporting results. You do crossmatching and issue blood transfusions, cultures, review blood smears and urine microscopics. Some would call it boring, but I find it very exciting. You're helping the doctors reach a diagnosis on the patient. I learn every single day.
Not to steer you away from nursing, but I just want to make sure you at least know about medical technology because so many people don't. Our pay is typically less than an RN, but more than and LPN. I support myself and my critters quite comfortably as a med tech.
Good luck to you! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 933
Location: north dakota | I've been an RN since 2001 and nursing is a tough field. You have to be empathetic, good with time management, thick skinned, fast thinking,have good problem solving skills and the ability to stand up for your patients rights. I work in a small hospital and it's just me and a CNA. We have a doctor and another nurse on call. I take care of any inpatients and any Emergency patients that come in. I do everything from taking care of the patient to mixing IV medications, answering phones, we do breath analyzers for the 24/7 program, draw blood for the police, EKG's and I can use protocols to mange emergency patients till the doctor gets there or I contact E Emergency and use their Doctors via the tv and camera since its out of my scope to diagnose and prescribe medications.
Edited by ndcowgirl 2015-10-28 4:24 PM
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
Location: Kansas | Dreamingofcans - 2015-10-27 8:03 PM Nursing is horrible - you're just a glorified waitress.
dang........last I checked...the only nurses who felt that way were the ones who only cared to get a paycheck and had no emotional connection with the patients....
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