Thinking about school for nursing-but what is it actually like to be a nurse

[HappyGrace]

Right out of school, do most nurses work in a hospital or dr's office or what? Because there are some types of nursing I don't think I'd like, and I'm not sure how much choice you have about where you work. Is it relatively easy to find jobs? How about just part-time, while I homeschool-is that hard to find? (For instance, do you need to "pay your dues" as a full-timer first before you can go into part-time?) Is there good longevity in the field? I'm already 41, and would like to pursue something I can do part-time now, and then go to full-time once I "retire" as a homeschool teacher in 10 years or so-would I be too old? How long could I continue? Also, is the schooling really difficult?

Edited June 4, 2010 by HappyGrace

[Guest The Real Janelle]

I'm an RN working part-time and homeschooling. I've been a nurse for 15 years and have only worked full-time for about 1 year of that (when my husband was laid off). My first job was in a nursing home, which taught me to work fast, prioritize, etc. when the workload is near impossible. I have worked in several hospitals since. I have always found it very easy to get a job. We've moved several times over the years due to my husband's job, and when we get to town I apply at the local hospital, interview, and start working very quickly. I currently work per diem... so no benefits, but 15% more pay. I choose the days I want to work the next month, usually 10 shifts a month (mostly on friday, sat, sun). If something is going on, or hubby is out of town, I just keep those days off. If money feels tight...(we're currently remodeling our bathroom) I add a shift or two. If I wanted to, I could schedule myself 5 days/wk...but yikes!

 

I am very thankful for my nursing liscence. I feel my role is primarily wife, mom, teacher...and I work part-time to supplement our income. But I get payed very well...so my little bit of working makes a big difference financially. That's nice. It's also nice to know that I could carry this family if necessary.

 

Janelle

[misidawnrn]

Right out of school, do most nurses work in a hospital or dr's office or what? Most likely you would work at a hospital and most likely in a place like Medical/Surgical to get experience. You can get an entry level in an immediate care clinic (I did) but most doctors offices want you to have some experience in the field they are in. Because there are some types of nursing I don't think I'd like, and I'm not sure how much choice you have about where you work. You absolutely have a choice of where to work. I work Labor and Delivery and would never work Oncology (cancer) for instance. Is it relatively easy to find jobs? For the most part it is. Nurses are in demand, expecially in bigger cities. Even in smaller communities, hospitals are looking for nurses but then the nurses do a little of everything (in the rural hospitals in Montana anyhow) How about just part-time, while I homeschool-is that hard to find? (For instance, do you need to "pay your dues" as a full-timer first before you can go into part-time?) Nope, part time is totally doable. You just apply for a part time job! I work 2 days a week (12 hour days) but I have been a nurse for 13 years. I also did about 6 of that as a night shift nurse. That is where you mostly start in the hospital setting. Is there good longevity in the field? I'm already 41, and would like to pursue something I can do part-time now, and then go to full-time once I "retire" as a homeschool teacher in 10 years or so-would I be too old? It depends on how long you want to work. That is all up to you. We just had a nurse a few years ago get her nursing degree in her mid 60's and retired at 78 and only then because she had to have both knees replaced and didn't do so well with that. How long could I continue? Till you wanted to quit. Also, is the schooling really difficult? It was a lot of sciency stuff, biology, microbiology, anatomy and physiology, chemistry (ick!!!), some math, lots of writing papers and research. I would think that in today's day and age it would actually be easier than when I started some 17 years ago. I didn't have the internet and did all of my research out of a book and went to the "computer lab" to type all of my papers so I had to find daycare for my son ALOT! My sister is in nursing school now (has her LPN and going to get her RN) and she does all of her homework at home and has 4 kids. We just talked about how much easier it is to do it at home, vs. going to the library and computer lab that weren't open all hours of the day for instance. I find it a very rewarding field and wouldn't change it for the world. I couldn't imagine doing anything else except being a full time stay at home mommy but I do like the job/pay/adult converstion! and taking care of my patients. I wouldn't delay if I was you. Try to do some of the prerequisites online now like the science, englishs, maths etc to get them out of the way. Don't try to do it all at once with the nursing program or you will drown, expecially if you have kids at home. Good luck! [/QUOTE]

:001_smile:

[Nakia]

Go for it! I love being a nurse. Nurses are in demand, and I think you will find it pretty easy to find a very flexible job. I agree with the pp who suggested working on a Medical/Surgical floor to begin with to get experience.

[sparrow]

Right out of school, do most nurses work in a hospital or dr's office or what? Because there are some types of nursing I don't think I'd like, and I'm not sure how much choice you have about where you work. Is it relatively easy to find jobs? How about just part-time, while I homeschool-is that hard to find? (For instance, do you need to "pay your dues" as a full-timer first before you can go into part-time?) Is there good longevity in the field? I'm already 41, and would like to pursue something I can do part-time now, and then go to full-time once I "retire" as a homeschool teacher in 10 years or so-would I be too old? How long could I continue? Also, is the schooling really difficult?

 

There must be something in the air! I'm planning on doing the same thing, same age (I'm 40), and in the same time frame :001_smile:.

 

I think I'll have some prerequisites covered with transfer credits, but I know I'll be taking Anatomy & Physiology and Chemistry again, because it has been too long :tongue_smilie:.

 

I'd love to hear how things go for you. I'm excited to get started :D. Good luck!

[HappyGrace]

Sounds great so far-thank you for taking the time to reply!

 

I only had a little college, and that was 20 yrs ago. I have no idea but I doubt I could use any of that! How do I find out what I need? Would it be unbearable to have to start from scratch with college? Is there a website or something to get information on how much time it takes to get an LPN or RN, etc. By the way, is it worth it to get an LPN or do I need an RN or what?

 

I'm so sorry for so many questions; I'm in the very beginning of trying to figure out if this is doable! :)

[Nakia]

Sounds great so far-thank you for taking the time to reply!

 

I only had a little college, and that was 20 yrs ago. I have no idea but I doubt I could use any of that! How do I find out what I need? Would it be unbearable to have to start from scratch with college? Is there a website or something to get information on how much time it takes to get an LPN or RN, etc. By the way, is it worth it to get an LPN or do I need an RN or what?

 

I'm so sorry for so many questions; I'm in the very beginning of trying to figure out if this is doable! :)

 

Call your local community college and set up an appointment with an advisor. They will let you know where to start. It takes about 2 years to get a nursing degree. But a lot of people take non-nursing classes for a year or two before they actually start the nursing core. By that, I mean classes like English, Anatomy, Microbiology, etc that are required for a nursing degree. You can start that now, and then apply for the nursing program next year. And yes, go ahead and get your RN!! There are too many restrictions on LPNs.

[HappyGrace]

I see, so you can actually get a nursing degree just through a community college? Even an RN? That would be great!

 

Misidawnrn even says that you can get some of the prereqs done online-even better! But I don't think the community college would let me know about that though, unless *they* offer the online courses.

 

I guess I'm just not sure where to start then! :confused: I'm trying to google about it, but I'm just getting nursing schools and not really how to go about it.

 

I guess I need to find out:

1. what prereqs I need, how to do them online, and with whom

2. then I could go to the comm college

[Nakia]

I see, so you can actually get a nursing degree just through a community college? Even an RN? That would be great!

 

Misidawnrn even says that you can get some of the prereqs done online-even better! But I don't think the community college would let me know about that though, unless *they* offer the online courses.

 

I guess I'm just not sure where to start then! :confused: I'm trying to google about it, but I'm just getting nursing schools and not really how to go about it.

 

I guess I need to find out:

1. what prereqs I need, how to do them online, and with whom

2. then I could go to the comm college

 

Our local community college offers tons of classes online, so be sure and ask about that. I think most do. I got my nursing degree at the community college, and I am happy I did that.

[Alenee]

I don't want to discourage you but give you my take on the same idea. I wanted to be a nurse for as long as I could remember but last year I changed my mind. I was in a hospital for an MRI for my dd. The children's hospital that my oldest had an MRI in ASKED me to come into recovery to help her wake up securely. This last time however with my youngest dd, we were at a regular hospital. I asked the nurse when I could go back to be with dd and she told me that it wasn't allowed. I had been watching a nurse *carrying* crying, screaming children out of recovery, IV's hanging, and became MAMA BEAR. I was so frustrated with the policy and then seeing these kids being man-handled. My blood pressure was rising! I stated the policy at children's but was stone-walled. I did insist that my dd be wheeled out in her bed and they complied.

 

This whole experience showed me a side to nursing that I realized I could never live with. I understand policy needs to be in place. That's fine. However after that experience I realized what kind of stress I must have put that nurse through. Putting myself in her shoes, I realized that a nurse is often not able to be the "comforter" to the patients which was why I would've wanted to do that job. I knew there would be opportunity to serve people in need but it just never occurred to me that there would be people like myself, getting angry at the policy, and then the nurse being the one who takes the brunt of that frustration.

 

If you are one who likes to push boundaries because you don't believe in the reason for the rules, and if you're one who wants to do the job for the more comforting side of being a nurse, you may want to consider a different side of the field.

 

I think nurses/doctors jobs get sensationalized unfortunately. I was also told by an RN that she would've preferred to stay in a lower level nursing position because she wasn't getting the time with patients that she desired. She spent a ton of time just doing paperwork.

 

Just my 2 cents!

Edited June 4, 2010 by Alenee

[Jean in Newcastle]

In our area, it isn't so easy to get hired as a nurse. Many hospitals are short-staffed but for financial reasons have hiring freezes. My dh is a nurse and they have just started hiring a couple of nurses after a 2 year hiring freeze. Many hospitals want nurses with experience. I have 2 friends who were RNs years ago, took time to raise their kids and then got licensed again recently. Both had a very hard time getting jobs because of lack of experience. You might look at what jobs are actually available in your area and what level of experience they ask for before making a decision on this.

[HappyGrace]

Hearing all these different perspectives is SO helpful. I guess that is one of the things I am worried about-the day to day of it all, and what that's like. I've been "captain of my own ship" (albeit in service to the Lord) for so long as a homeschool mom, it would be hard to go back to doing such an important job someone else's way. I am picturing all this nurturing and comforting, and it may not turn out that way!

 

Good advice too, to look into my area and see what the job availability is!

[Heather in AL]

Hearing all these different perspectives is SO helpful.

 

If you have the desire, it's definitely not too late.

 

Several yeras ago (maybe 9 or 10? 11?) I **seriously** thought about going back to school to become an RN (I have a Bachelor's in business). I even went so far as to consult admissions and apply. My kids were young, and dh traveled a lot, so I decided against it, but the thought is still there.

 

Do you have a university near you? My local university offers a 4 year Bachelor's degree in nursing, so that's where I started. The cc offers a degree, too, but since my credits were already with the uni, I figured that would be the way to go.

 

Way back when I researched the opportunity, the internet wasn't as 'big' as it is now, but there were forums similar to this one out there. The ladies were very helpful!! I'm sure there are still forums, so you may want to look into them.

 

I say if you want this, then go for it!! There are so many areas of nursing that you are sure to find something you love doing. The day-to-day will depend on the area you work in, so finding a forum would be the most help there.

 

Good luck, and remember if you go for this, to keep us updated. I am so encouraged to read about other moms going back to school. I still think of it myself, too... either for nursing or accounting. Maybe one day... In the meantime, I'll live vicariously through moms like you who *are* doing it! :D

[Nakia]

Hearing all these different perspectives is SO helpful. I guess that is one of the things I am worried about-the day to day of it all, and what that's like. I've been "captain of my own ship" (albeit in service to the Lord) for so long as a homeschool mom, it would be hard to go back to doing such an important job someone else's way. I am picturing all this nurturing and comforting, and it may not turn out that way!

 

Good advice too, to look into my area and see what the job availability is!

 

The great thing about nursing is that there is so much variety and so many opportunities! I work as a Mother-Baby postpartum nurse, and there is a lot of nurturing in my position. Previously I worked on a Women's Oncology unit, and it was such a wonderful place. There was a lot of comforting and nurturing there too. Nursing is a ministry for me, and I know I was born to be a nurse and a mother. Of course, it has its moments, but what job doesn't? You can find the right place for you, and it will be a wonderful career! :grouphug:

[cjbeach]

I was a nurse. I miss it, then I don't;). It wasn't the patients, it was the other nurses I worked with that I had the most issue with. Some nurses are just not cut out to be nurses (knowledge base, personality, lack of empathy). Ugh. That's a HUGE con for me.

I contracted a lot as a nurse: I had scabies I don't know... 2 or 3 times. I had herpetic whitlow where my glove ended on my right wrist. I'm mrsa +. I also have a bad back from pulling patients up and my hands were a mess (not from the gloves per se, but from the constant friction of handwashing, gloves on/off, etc...)

But there are areas in nursing where you do actually feel like a nurse... I loved homecare for the autonomy but actually got into holistic care home infusion which was a little more techy. Eventually I found my home in hospice. I'm a mushball and I have BTDT on the hospice front personally with my mom, so it's a fit for me.

I worked on a floor in a hospital during school then that floor hired me as a GN and I worked there as a RN then floated the house for a while. Then I got into homecare, nurse auditing, home infusion, hospice, back inpatient on a bone marrow transplant unit (ugh) then to middle-mgmt in a homecare agency then middlge-mgmt in a hospice. Soooo, there are many things you could do, so many places you can work but IMO I think everyone should start out inpatient.

 

Now, looking back on it, if I had to do it over again... having had a mom who had a major CVA and having a child with ASD I wish I had looked into Speech Therapy then Speech Pathology. I think the therapists (PT, OT, STs) are looked upon as professionals. Nurses (because of the varying educational levels) aren't always so fortunate to be considered a professional.

[Bee]

Hospitals in bigger cities generally pay more than those in smaller cities and towns. Nurses who work in hospitals are usually paid more than those who work in nursing homes and those who work in dr's offices usually make less than that. But it all depends. And there are jobs in prisons, working for private companies and school nurses. And don't forget the home health agencies. If you work in a facility you can get hired for part-time if that is what you want, even as a new graduate. But as a new graduate and last hired you have the least seniority. That means you probably won't get your choice of holidays or shifts you want to work, at least for a while.

If you have never worked in the healthcare field, I strongly encourage you to work as nurse aide. Nurses do everything that nurse aides do and more besides. But I've seen people waste their time and money going to nursing school only to find out that they hated the realities of being a nurse. It isn't what you see on tv. Carli's right; there is a ton of paperwork and it does take time away from the bedside.

[eight_gregorys]

I've seen these policies and while I don't necessarily agree with them, I understand why they are in place. Some children waking up from anesthesia, especially if they had morphine, can be quite violent and uncontrollable. When I worked at the Peds ward while deployed to Iraq, I saw this a lot with children. I do understand wanting to be there b/c I would want to be there as well for kiddos, but some parents didn't handle this very well. Just something to consider.

 

I don't want to discourage you but give you my take on the same idea. I wanted to be a nurse for as long as I could remember but last year I changed my mind. I was in a hospital for an MRI for my dd. The children's hospital that my oldest had an MRI in ASKED me to come into recovery to help her wake up securely. This last time however with my youngest dd, we were at a regular hospital. I asked the nurse when I could go back to be with dd and she told me that it wasn't allowed. I had been watching a nurse *carrying* crying, screaming children out of recovery, IV's hanging, and became MAMA BEAR. I was so frustrated with the policy and then seeing these kids being man-handled. My blood pressure was rising! I stated the policy at children's but was stone-walled. I did insist that my dd be wheeled out in her bed and they complied.

 

This whole experience showed me a side to nursing that I realized I could never live with. I understand policy needs to be in place. That's fine. However after that experience I realized what kind of stress I must have put that nurse through. Putting myself in her shoes, I realized that a nurse is often not able to be the "comforter" to the patients which was why I would've wanted to do that job. I knew there would be opportunity to serve people in need but it just never occurred to me that there would be people like myself, getting angry at the policy, and then the nurse being the one who takes the brunt of that frustration.

 

If you are one who likes to push boundaries because you don't believe in the reason for the rules, and if you're one who wants to do the job for the more comforting side of being a nurse, you may want to consider a different side of the field.

 

I think nurses/doctors jobs get sensationalized unfortunately. I was also told by an RN that she would've preferred to stay in a lower level nursing position because she wasn't getting the time with patients that she desired. She spent a ton of time just doing paperwork.

 

Just my 2 cents!

[misidawnrn]

I don't want to discourage you but give you my take on the same idea. I wanted to be a nurse for as long as I could remember but last year I changed my mind. I was in a hospital for an MRI for my dd. The children's hospital that my oldest had an MRI in ASKED me to come into recovery to help her wake up securely. This last time however with my youngest dd, we were at a regular hospital. I asked the nurse when I could go back to be with dd and she told me that it wasn't allowed. I had been watching a nurse *carrying* crying, screaming children out of recovery, IV's hanging, and became MAMA BEAR. I was so frustrated with the policy and then seeing these kids being man-handled. My blood pressure was rising! I stated the policy at children's but was stone-walled. I did insist that my dd be wheeled out in her bed and they complied.

 

This whole experience showed me a side to nursing that I realized I could never live with. I understand policy needs to be in place. That's fine. However after that experience I realized what kind of stress I must have put that nurse through. Putting myself in her shoes, I realized that a nurse is often not able to be the "comforter" to the patients which was why I would've wanted to do that job. I knew there would be opportunity to serve people in need but it just never occurred to me that there would be people like myself, getting angry at the policy, and then the nurse being the one who takes the brunt of that frustration.

 

If you are one who likes to push boundaries because you don't believe in the reason for the rules, and if you're one who wants to do the job for the more comforting side of being a nurse, you may want to consider a different side of the field.

 

I think nurses/doctors jobs get sensationalized unfortunately. I was also told by an RN that she would've preferred to stay in a lower level nursing position because she wasn't getting the time with patients that she desired. She spent a ton of time just doing paperwork.

 

Just my 2 cents!

I agree that nurses doctors jobs get sensationalized and not many people know the "behind the scenes" part of it. I can't speak for a doctors life but I know I wouldn't want to be one! Lots of call, peoples lives in your hands and getting sued just to name a few. My legs and back hurt VERY BAD after 4 12 hour shifts in a row. I hate that people that do drugs can have baby after baby and the educated ones can't have one! I hate the part of my job that has me taking care of women whose babies have died...(actually I am on the bereavement team so I am most likely to get that lady over anyone else due to extra training so I love helping them but it does affect you) I am lucky in that our floor is very well staffed with a very low patient/nurse ratio. 1 labor pt:1 nurse or 3 mom/baby couplets:1 nurse but other floors aren't as lucky. Med/Surge for example might have 7-10 patients, all of whom are a lot more intense than a woman who just gave birth.

 

But, I wouldn't trade all of the above for an clerical job, a clerk at Walmart or even as a CEO of a company. Every job has it's good days and bad AND every job has it's good employees and bad. Not every nurse is as cold and heartless as the one described above. AND as nurses we have bosses and rules to follow too. Trust me, I was the mean and heartless nurse many times this winter when we couldn't allow children under the age of 18 on the Maternity floor. I didn't make the rules but I had to follow them. We couldn't break them and our boss was a harda$$ about it! People just couldn't understand why their 4yo couldn't come see mom and the new baby and they thought I (and the rest of my coworkers) were just being mean.

 

I think that nurses should be comforting, even if their patients aren't in pain. They aren't in their own home, bed or clothing for that matter. They aren't eating their own food or doing their own normal routine and we should be comforting in that matter. As a patient I have had a LOT of nurses that I wonder why they are still nurses. So, if you become a nurse, keep that in mind when you are crabby, burned out or busy. Each and every patient deserves to be treated like they are your one and only and like you have all the time in the world to help them feel better. Treat each patient like you would want to be treated if you were in their gown (hehehe not shoes!)

[misidawnrn]

I just read some of the other posts and have to agree. You could always start out as a nurses aid. They are the nurses right hand man and I am not kidding. (some nurses don't appreciate CNA's but I started as one and I do not take them for granted. They work HARD!!!!!) Then you would get a taste of nursing, the routine and the long hard hours before you invested your time and money in college. Most hospitals and nursing homes have their own CNA classes. CNA's can work in nursing homes and in hospitals.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I have been an RN for about 23 years and I worked for about 20 years mostly full time. It is great since there are many aspects of nursing to choose from such as med-surg, critical care, dialysis, hopsice, home care, long term care, public health nursing, etc.

 

Some cons to be aware of is that generally most nursing jobs are very physically demanding as well as emotionally demanding. If you are not in great physical shape that would severely limit your options in nursing IMHO since most of them are very physically demanding. There are some jobs that are less so such as physician offices and what not.

 

Another con is that most nursing jobs are short staffed IMHO. Therefore, it is often difficult to feel like you have done everything that you would like to do to deliver high quality care. I found critical care to be the best staffed but there is a burnout factor there potentially.

 

Another con is that most new job opening are for 3-11 or 11pm-7am shift. Also, every other weekend and every other holiday is usually the norm.

 

Lastly, a small percentage of doctors can be verbally abusive to the nurses. Some areas of the country tolerate this less and stick up for nurses better though. If you are sensitive like me, then this could cause a little angst at times. I forgot to add that nurses can be abusive to one another as well and some are notorious for eating their young and for being unprofessional IMHO. Fortunately there are many great nurses as well.

 

Nursing is a great profession and I enjoyed taking care of patients:001_smile:. I do think it is important to be aware of the potential cons though.

Edited June 5, 2010 by priscilla

[Alenee]

I've seen these policies and while I don't necessarily agree with them, I understand why they are in place. Some children waking up from anesthesia, especially if they had morphine, can be quite violent and uncontrollable. When I worked at the Peds ward while deployed to Iraq, I saw this a lot with children. I do understand wanting to be there b/c I would want to be there as well for kiddos, but some parents didn't handle this very well. Just something to consider.

 

But see that was the thing. At children's, THEY asked me...not the other way around. At the regular hospital I just expected it would be the same way. When it wasn't, AND that male nurse was carrying screaming children around the way he was, like I said, MAMA BEAR was in full force. I truly felt sorry for the nurse who had to hold her ground about the policy. I would not have wanted to be her dealing with me.

[Alenee]

 

Not every nurse is as cold and heartless as the one described above.

 

 

 

I just want to be clear about my statements. I wasn't saying that nurse was cold and heartless. She had a policy for THAT hospital and she did her job. I was just trying to give the opposite perspective. Policies are there for a reason. What I was saying though was that this poor nurse had to deal with a person who had an experience with a different policy and when told they had a different one, the nurse had to deal with a very frustrated mama. As I think back on it too, I could tell the nurse wanted to let me go back, especially when I pointed out the screaming children being carried by the other nurse. But she had to follow the rules.