FIND MY CARREER!!!

naughtoj

naughtoj

Cathlete
Ok, guys, need your input......


Right now I am going for a Nursing career, start in the fall. But.....like always, I am having second thoughts, thinking about Medical Technologist, techinician, ultrasonography, radiology tech, personal trainer, etc. Please read how I would describe myself and try to fit me to a career.


I have a natural interest in healthcare. I like learning about different diseases. Of course, I am also interested in exercise and fitness. Specifically I enjoyed microbiology in college. I have an analytical mind. I am somewhat social but would describe myself as an introvert. Others would probably describe me as likeable, but moody. I am not very patient and I don't much like whiny, complaining people. I have a strong desire to be an "expert" on things that I know (and things that I don't know?:). I like to have other people come to me for guidance. I don't recall liking science or math in particular in college, but I value science much more than art, and suppose I do truly like science. I DO NOT like to sit, want to be as mobile as possible in my next job. Don't really know if I work well under pressure. I do not wish to travel and would like to work close to home, possibly even part time. Flexibility is somewhat important to me as I am looking to have children in several years. I want job stability and if I go to school, I want to make decent $$.

Again, I have not started nursing yet, but I am very intimidated because I am scared I am not going to be compassionate or social enough to survive. I am wondering now if I truly have a desire to help people or do I just have a desire to be right? Do I need more of a loner job? I plan to try it out anyways in the fall, but I would love any words of wisdom.....especially from those of you with healthcare jobs. In addition, If you could do it over, what would you have been?

Please help me figure this out!!!
 
i'd recommend going to a career counselor. i've not taken my own advice yet, and should, but I think they have all sorts of ways to analyze your strengths/weaknesses.

from what i know about nursing, you are pretty much guaranteed a job as soon as you get out of school and the money is GOOD. There are tons of different environments that you can work in - hospital, hospice, home health care, private office, er, etc etc. I don't think you are going to get the kind of stability, location, and income that you want with other jobs as much as with nursing.

Nurses can be very mobile - depending on where you end up working. patients ALWAYS have questions for nurses.

In addition, it seems like there is a trend for nurses to do a lot more than what they used to do....for instance, at the ob/gyne office I go to, the nurse midwives do all the deliveries, UNLESS a doc is required to attend. I pesronally preferr a nurse/midwife to a doc. They spend a lot of time with you.

Good luck with your decision!
 
Janice - given what you've described, I would stick with the nursing track. Although you do get your share of whiners and complainers as patients, whiners and complainers usually comprise about 92% of the standard-issue personal trainer's client base, and on top of that you'd have to stump for your own clients to keep your book of business going. Job stability is far more the case with nursing than with training.

That said, I'd suggest a dual-track, preparing for a traditional medical-support career as you already are doing, AND at least getting certified in personal training and starting to dabble in it on the side. IMHO, in coming years there's going to be a real merge in the healthcare and exercise practioning disciplines, and you'd be well-positioned to blend your two careers that way.

JMHO -

A-Jock
 
Well said, Ajock! Yeah, kinda figured there were LOTS of whiners/complainers as a PT!LOL! HOW do you do it?????:) I like the dual tract idea...


Great advice so far! Kelli...I have gone to a career counselor, done the tests, blah..blah.. They said I should be a doctor/geneticist/rocket scientist/microbiologist....all things science. AND, I hate math. Go figure.
 
Hi Janice,

Have you been assigned a faculty advisor (or something similar) in your nursing program? She or he might be able to answer some of the "Is this right for me?" questions that you're coming up with.
 
Hi! The best Advice I can give someone who is thinking about entering the nursing field, is go work as a nusing assistant and see how you like that. You really find out a lot about what happends on the floor and how to interact with patients and other nursing staff. I worked for many years as an assistant before becoming a nurse over 10 years ago and it was the biggest help to me. Many hospitals offer free CNA courses and they usually last only a few weeks. This way you can view many areas of health care like techs, x-ray, nuc-med, lots and lots. Really check it out. You will be working side by side with most everyone in the hospital. Denise
 
18 years of critical care nursing speaking here ... you won't make as much money right away in any of the careers you listed as you will in nursing. Here in the Cleveland area new grads are making around $21.00 an hour. I made considerably more than that before leaving hospital nursing two months ago, and if you get a couple of solid years of experience in the hospital, you can make about $40 to $50 an hour doing work for an agency.

As for flexibility, there isn't much to start with. Yes, new grads will have jobs, but nursing shifts in hospitals or nursing homes are where the majority of those jobs are. Nursing home jobs traditionally pay much less than hospital jobs. The "prime" jobs in offices, clinics, other health care settings are taken by experienced RN's, and they're few and far between. As someone hiring for those jobs, I would insist upon an experienced nurse. You would have difficulty as a brand new nurse working in a setting like that. You need solid experience behind you first. Those jobs will come later in your career, but at first you can expect to work in a more "traditional" setting, and you will have the off shifts as the new kid on the block. Even if you find a day shift job, you will most likely still have to work weekends (at least every other or perhaps every third), and at least two holidays a year (more than likely more).

As for whiny people, they're in every field ... every job ... everywhere I can think of. Yes, you have to deal with them. And they're not always your patients or their family members!! LOL!! Sometimes they're your bosses or your co-workers!! It's true though. Sick people are more needy, and they do whine, and the really sick ones don't whine (they're usually too sick to whine or are unconscious!!), but their family members make up for it. Trust me on this one.

You won't sit in a traditional nursing job. Not at all. LOL!! You also more than likely won't go to the bathroom or eat all shift.

As for working well under pressure, you'd best be able to do that. You might literally hold someone's life in your hand at some point in your career. Probably on your first day.

You will NEVER be expected to be an "expert" on nursing issues, nor should you ever believe you are. The day you think you "know it all" in nursing is the day you should quit your job and work at McDonald's. I'm serious. Nurses who think they know it all are the bane of our existence, and they're dangerous. To the patients, to the rest of us, and to the medical community at large. Medicine is not now and never will be an exact science. It's a constantly evolving, ever-changing field, and the best we can do is stay current with whatever field of nursing we're in at the moment. We can never know it all, and no one should expect you to. If you go into it expecting it of yourself, you'll be miserable.

As to being a personal trainer, I can't speak to that. I'm not one, and never have been.

As to the other medical careers you asked about, all I can say for sure is they work the same areas and hours as nurses, but make a bit less money.

I can understand what a difficult choice this is for you. You don't want to invest time and money going to school, only to find out the path you've chosen is the wrong one for you. I like the idea someone else posted about career counseling, and I also like the idea of working as a nursing assistant. It will give you a true feel for the scut work we do as RN's!!

Best of luck to you, and I hope this voluminous post helped!!!

Carol
:)
 
Hi, Janice! I do it by NOT being a trainer, instead only a lowly pipsqueak aqua instructor who gets paid whether people show up or not.

I'm not saying training isn't a good field to get into at some point, but you gotta be prepared for the fact that most of the potential client base is NOT like the Cathe crowd.

A-Jock
 
Carol...

Thank you for such a lengthy response. I know every word of it is true, from what I have heard.


I think I just have to remember that nursing offers many opportunities. Since conjuring up this idea of nursing I have visited countless websites, spoken on forums, researched....blah, blah. I think I am burned out already just looking into this field. I am most likely doing more work than is necessary. It is good to know something about the field you want to pursue before you pursue it, but at the same time, much of your final opinion should really be formed by the work itself (nurse assisting)


Luckily, the Nurse Assisting classes are exactly what I am enrolled for. They begin in less than a month. So.....in about 2 months I will probably know "for sure". I guess if I hate it, I will research different things then. If the nurse assisting scares me, do you think I should throw in the towel? I already have the pre-reqs and am applying for the ADN program in Jan 05'. Any advice??



Thanks again everyone. You are all great friends and have helped me alot.
 
Janice, I don't really know how to answer your question. I guess it depends on what you mean by "scares" you. One thing to try and remember is that as an RN you'll do more than what the nursing assistants do, depending on where you work and what support staff they have available. For example, at a large city hopsital in an ICU environment you'll typically have one to three patients, and they will be very involved. Lots of IV's, probably a vent, tubes everywhere, and lots of things going on at once. The unit may have assitants, who can typically do things like empty foley catheters, take vital signs, do a bath and other things like that. If you work on a med-surg floor in any hospital, you'll have anywhere from approximately 10 to 20 patients - or more - but they won't be as involved. That's where you really rely on your assistants to take accurate vital signs and help with all the tasks. They typically cannot do assessments or pass meds, and some can't do things like irrigations, dressing changes or anything like that, so it falls to the RN. Your responsibility as an RN involves the total care of the patient, not just the "tasks" a nursing assistant typically does for all patients - or most patients - on a unit or floor. If you work as one, you'll be able to see all the many things the RN's do. I think it's a great idea that you do that first! You'll know very soon whether or not you want to pursue getting your RN.

I'm only letting you know the "reality" of nursing, because a lot of times people can glamorize it, and it's anything but. I have no regrets about my past 18 years, and I wouldn't trade my career for anything. There have been plenty of dark times - for sure - but the bright times when I know I made a difference in someone's life outshine all those dark times a hundred times over!! It's a truly rewarding career. VERY demanding physically, emotionally, in terms of time away from your family on important days, and in terms of not getting normal sleep patterns, but I have loved every minute of it!!

Keep us posted, and if you ever have any questions or want more info, I'd be happy to help in any way I can!!

Carol
:)
 
LOL Mindi!! If it paid enough and was stable I would do it for sure!!:)


For the nurses...why do so many nurses who have been a nurse for a long time HATE nursing? Today, I told a nurse at the healthcare company I work at that I was starting nurse assisting classes in a month. She said, "Well, I hope you like to wipe butts!" and when I told her I wanted to go on for my RN, she said " I wouldn't wish being an RN on anyone", that it is a "crappy, crappy" job. I sorta gave her the brushoff. While I value the advice of those experienced, I am trying to not form an opinion until I experience it myself.

But, it had me thinking........do they hate it because of the shortage? What is their major malfunction? The nurses in my company are case managers and don't look like they have "ran their butt off" in ages. What gives????
 
Janice, I think in any profession you'll find people who are simply miserable human beings. I would have to agree though that there does seem to be a few more of them in the nursing profession than in others, but of course that's a biased opinion since I'm an RN myself. It always distressed me when I came across an RN who, in my opinion, should never have gone to nursing school to begin with. But on the up side, I have run across MORE caring, dedicated, wonderful nurses than the miserable kind, so take heart!!

Carol
:)
 
Janice, try to find these books at your local bookstore (in paperback):

"Intensive Care" and "Condition Critical", by Echo Heron.

These are two autobiographies by and about a woman who became a nurse in her mid- to late 20's; "Intensive Care" describes her training and early years as a nurse, and "Condition Critical" describes her life as she becomes a very seasoned (and sometimes burnt out) nurse. I found them quite interesting, and I think they would be very motivating for someone who's contemplating that career.

A-Jock
 
Thanks for your advice everyone! Ajock.....thanks for the recommendations! I went to the library lastnight and checked those out along with some Anatomy books.


I will let you all know how I fare...
 
Janice,

Nursing has so many options. Bedside nursing is only one of them and it is the FIRST that pops into a person's mind when they hear the word.

There are SO many opportunities out there and you will never be without a job. But, you will have to be able to work under pressure. Trust me, if you can make it through nursing school, you can make it as a career.;-)

Be prepared to work hard. To adjust to other people easily. (that' where the social part comes in). You will need to have an open mind and learn that EACH person is individually correct for themselves. (that's where the ALWAYS being right part comes in).
 
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