Nurses, talk to me, please.

[cupcake]

I have avoided thinking about nursing school for years despite multiple friends going into nursing and even into medical school, but life circumstances have thrown this profession in my face once again, and I feel that maybe it is something I should do.

My main questions are:

How competitive is it for a female to get into a nursing program in general?

What was the hardest part about the nursing program?

How do you chose which area of nursing you pursue?

Which area of nursing did/do you hate?

Do you feel the nursing field is too saturated and it will be difficult to find a nursing job in a couple of years?

Are doctors typically difficult to work with?

Are you happy being a nurse?

If you could choose a career over again, would you choose nursing again?

What is the best advice you would tell your nursing school self (if you are already working as a nurse)?

If I decide I need to pursue this, I was thinking about being a scrub nurse or possibly peri-anesthesia because the OR appeals to me.

I have always, always said that if I go into nursing, I want to become a nurse anesthetist, but those programs are so competitive...I don't know. I'm scared and intimidated to be honest. It is either medicine or law for me. As much as I love art, that field isn't stable or predictable enough for me to risk going to school for and hoping I can support my family afterwards. If any field is about connections and competitiveness, it is art.

[Aramire1]

I have avoided thinking about nursing school for years despite multiple friends going into nursing and even into medical school, but life circumstances have thrown this profession in my face once again, and I feel that maybe it is something I should do.

My main questions are:

How competitive is it for a female to get into a nursing program in general? I think that for the most part nursing programs are very competitive..at least in my area..MIdwest..I went to school at the University of Wi Eau Claire and there are about 300 applicants every semester and they only take 30. Thankfully I got in on my first try. I have heard that other schools are just as difficult. I have heard of some technical schools that don't seem quite as bad.

What was the hardest part about the nursing program? The NCLEX! Not really part of school I guess..but it's the test to get your license and it's so hard! You can get a range of number of question from 30 to like 300 depending on how you do and mine turned off after 30 And I was pretty positive I failed..called my mom crying! Haha! But I passed!

How do you chose which area of nursing you pursue? I think the main way is just thru your interests and experiences. I always thought I wanted to do pediatrics and then when we had our clinical at childrens hospital in Minneapolis I knew I definetly love peds! And thru other clinical experiences I found areas I didn't really like so much..like psych, colorectal and orthopedics (which I actually do like now by the way)

Which area of nursing did/do you hate? PSYCH....no question...not for me! I can't deal with those ppl.

Do you feel the nursing field is too saturated and it will be difficult to find a nursing job in a couple of years? When I graduated nursing school (6 years ago) we were in the "nursing shortage" and there was jobs everywhere! But now that has definetly changed. I know of a few ppl that have had a lot of trouble finding jobs. One did travel nursing for awhile in London until she finally found something in the twin cities. I feel like this is getting better though and there isn't quite the shortage of jobs that there was a year ago.

Are doctors typically difficult to work with? I would say as a whole, at least in my facility, most doctors are fairly easy to deal with. Most have a very trusting relationship with the nurses and value our opinion. I work nights so there are usually no doctors around and we just have to call them..and there are lots of times when they say.."well what do you think we should do?". So basically you call and tell them what you want and they agree. . But of course there are always those A holes that are rude to the nurses and have to make everything difficult and the worst part is that usually they are super nice to the pt...so the pt thinks they are just great and but really they are an A hole!

Are you happy being a nurse? I am happy being a nurse. The first 2.5 years I worked on a general medical/ surgical floor..it's a small facility...about 50 beds..so everything on one floor. And I liked that but then about 3 years ago I went to labor and delivery/postpartum and I love love love that! So now i do a combination of both. I'm hoping to get into strictly Ob soon when a position opens up. In kind of sick of the medical junk.

If you could choose a career over again, would you choose nursing again? Yes

What is the best advice you would tell your nursing school self (if you are already working as a nurse)?
Im not sure about this one...will have to think about it.

If I decide I need to pursue this, I was thinking about being a scrub nurse or possibly peri-anesthesia because the OR appeals to me.

I have always, always said that if I go into nursing, I want to become a nurse anesthetist, but those programs are so competitive...I don't know. I'm scared and intimidated to be honest. It is either medicine or law for me. As much as I love art, that field isn't stable or predictable enough for me to risk going to school for and hoping I can support my family afterwards. If any field is about connections and competitiveness, it is art.

Look within your post above for answers to questions . I always thought I would want to go back to school for anesthesia or nurse practitioner but at this point I have no desire to do that I am very satisfied with where I am now.

Hope that helps


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[laury]

Hey cupcake, I'm not a nurse, but my sister is and has been for many years. She's been a pediatric nurse (which nearly killed her because she has 4 kids of her own) and now she's an OR nurse. She loves it. I can pass these questions to her if you want.....

As to the job opportunities, I can speak for south Texas. We're booming in the medical field in San Antonio, and it's not predicted to slow down for several years. Nurses, especially OR and mental health nurses/psychiatric nurses are in huge demand and can pretty much name their conditions.

[cupcake]

laury, I would love if you could ask your sister. I have a few more nurses off-site I can talk to, actually, but I feel I want to hear a lot of different opinions.

One of my besties from El Paso is a nurse and he works ER with a goal of ICU pretty soon. He is a great nurse, but definitely has not had the positive experience with doctors that Aramire has had. He told me to avoid the OR at all costs unless I like dealing with a bunch of prima donna surgeons. Haha! Maybe he's right?

Aramire, your post was very helpful! Thank you!

[g.rod00]

I have avoided thinking about nursing school for years despite multiple friends going into nursing and even into medical school, but life circumstances have thrown this profession in my face once again, and I feel that maybe it is something I should do.

My main questions are:

How competitive is it for a female to get into a nursing program in general?
I think that it's competitive period, at least in my area --central FL.I hear there is an entrance exam to many programs now also.Best way to have an upper hand is to have the highest GPA possible. What was the hardest part about the nursing program?
Going to class 30 hrs a week and spending hours upon hours studying for exams and completing assignments.Nursing school consumes people's lives , but I would still do it again !
How do you chose which area of nursing you pursue?
from what I have observed most people have an area they like for whatever reason and they grow a passion for it when you do clinical rotation.Others decide what they don't like and go from there.
Which area of nursing did/do you hate?
Nursing home,not geriatrics just the atmosphere. AND Peds , I can deal with the kids, but the parents are who did it for me.
Do you feel the nursing field is too saturated and it will be difficult to find a nursing job in a couple of years?

Possibly ..I am in search of my first job as a registered nurse now ( since late OCT) There are plenty of jobs ...just not for me ,as a first-timer SO I am just hanging in there anticipating any opportunity .I do believe the more specialized you can become, the better . Chosing a bachelor degree over associate would be a must if I had to re-do.
Are doctors typically difficult to work with?
Can't really can't speak much from personal experience
Are you happy being a nurse?
I know I will be a very happy nurse when I find the right job !
If you could choose a career over again, would you choose nursing again?
so far i wouldn't change it
What is the best advice you would tell your nursing school self (if you are already working as a nurse)?

Self-discipline ! Having a strong support system is priceless.

If I decide I need to pursue this, I was thinking about being a scrub nurse or possibly peri-anesthesia because the OR appeals to me.
This has appealed to me too...
I have always, always said that if I go into nursing, I want to become a nurse anesthetist, but those programs are so competitive...I don't know.They are and not an abundance of programs either BUT not impossible to accomplish ! I'm scared and intimidated to be honest. It is either medicine or law for me. As much as I love art, that field isn't stable or predictable enough for me to risk going to school for and hoping I can support my family afterwards. If any field is about connections and competitiveness, it is art.

Hope that helps , Overall, I think nursing is a wise career-path when your heart is in it

[NYCwife]

Hey Cupcake,

I am not a nurse, (but I play one on TV.) but I have recently thought about doing the same thing. I have been working in public health for nearly 20 years and currently hold a position as a health educator that would normally be done by a nurse. Of course they would probably get paid about 30% more than I make. I just thought that I would add my $0.02 to the conversation.

I will ask that you weigh my answers knowing two facts: I am at least 15 years older than you. The cost of living in NYC is much higher than in the rest of the nation.

So.... Nursing programs are competitive, especially if they are any good.
Nursing is hard work, though rewarding
Nurses gain much of their knowledge through clinical experience.
Most people learn what they love and figure out their focus as they are in school.

In NYC, the nursing market is fairly saturated. This is a big difference from even five years ago, when jobs were plentiful. While you can still get a job, it is often per diem and sometimes in less than appealing circumstances. With experience, as in any other industry, someone who is skilled and personable will always have work, but it does look like the market for nurses, will not be so rosy in 10 or 20 years' time (at your age, you should be thinking in terms of a decade or two in advance). This may not be true for Nurse Practitioners, as NPs will probably replace PAs in most practices in the next few decades. If I were to go into nursing (which I have ruled out as primary goal), I would look into becoming an NP (they can bill and prescribe through medicaid and medicare). This will make a difference in the coming years (I am channelling Nostradamus).

Anyway.... My undergraduate degree is in English (which has proved to be as useless as I was warned). What this means is that I lack the credits in Biological sciences to apply directly to post bac nursing programs and which would mean I would need 4 semesters (part time) of Bio/Chem/Anatomy classes before a post bac program would look at me. At this age, it would be too long to start up and get into a program and I would be 50 before I finished nursing school. Yikes!

I have decided to go into an emerging field that combines my experience in public health/medicine with my long-standing love affair with all things tech. I am in a graduate certificate program in Health Information Technology now and am really learning a great deal and thanks to "The Stimulus Package" it is heavily subsidized by the ARRA bill. The statistics say that with the push for electronic health records, something like 50K people will need to be trained to fill the need of this market. The potential income in this field is at or above the rate for nurses. It was really the best decision for me, but time will tell how marketable I am when I finish this spring.

Anyway, since I work in a clinical setting I think doctors are easy to work with. By necessity, most doctors are serious (medical school, residency, fellowship......these all take commitment, drive and stamina)....so they tend to appreciate professionalism, skill and humility. A good attitude will always go a long way, too. The nurse/doctor relationship is a two way street (although some learn this the hard way) A nurse who feels respected will always make a doctor's life easier.

I work with an infectious disease specialist and he and I make a great team. He is courteous, humble and always respectful.....I am ballsy, frank and to the point. We complement each other and get our work done (and do it well) to make for the best possible outcomes for our patients (who I should mention are the hardest to treat, most underserved of the population.)

Oh... by the way, surgeons have always had and will always have the worst reputation in medicine, Gray's Anatomy notwithstanding. There is no room for error and that necessitates a perfectionist attitude. Having undergone surgery, you will have appreciated that.


I hope you make the best decision for you and for your family. If the spousal unit is supportive, GO FOR IT! Do not wait. I wish I had had enough drive to go back to school years ago. (oh, and let me add.....do not let the competitiveness of any field keep you from throwing your hat in the ring.....I am now in an ivy league program and constantly am surprised to realize that there are people far dumber than me who have PhDs and and MDs!
Let me tell you....you are way smarter than most of the people walking around on this blue marble. 4realzzzz.)


Best,
nycgrrl (btw,....this may be my longest post eva!)

[cupcake]

NYC, It definitely may be your longest post ever, but it was hella good! Thank you so much. I think the perfectionism thing may be what appeals to me about working OR, possibly going to CRNA or AA at some point. The need to follow protocol, the need for effective communication and teamwork, dealing with patients in these types of settings, and the pressure/challenge are things that appeal to my personality, I guess.

I wish I was smart enough and felt I had enough time to go to medical school and then go into anesthesiology. Even if I were to start school today, take 18 credit hours a semester, no hang ups, I wouldn't be getting into an anesthesiology program until at least 2018. My son will be almost be going to college himself.

g.rod, I have definitely been advised to skip the AS altogether and go for a BSN. Thank you for that insight. I have also heard that dealing with the families is probably one of the more difficult aspects of the job. Good luck finding a job!

If I could have things my way, I would be taking pictures and composing music and making money doing both. This isn't the reality though.

[Aramire1]

Totally agree about the BSN! Many of my co-workers are now going back to school to get their BSN and I am soo glad that I did that the first time around! Many of the big hospitals in my area are now making it a requirement for their nurses to have a BSN.

[cupcake]

Do any of you ladies know which areas of nursing are typically desirable when applying for a nurse anesthetist program? One of my friends said he has heard CRNA programs prefer applicants to have ICU experience. I know I am getting way ahead of myself right now, but I like to think about these things a lot

[Aramire1]

Definitely ICU experience...and most ppl I know of have been in a cardiac ICU.


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