[cadabra]

Hello
I have been reading some of these postings and find them helpful.
Im getting married in November of this year. I really want to do something in the medical field but am really unsure of what to do. I was told numerous amounts of times that nursing is the way to go so I am currently in the process of trying to pursue it. Getting into a program is tough and I think I may have a link into Jefferson through working there and then in return payment for school through contract.
The only problem is... Im not a nurse and nor do I know anyone that is. Everyone around me (it seems) is throwing all of this negativity in my face about the nursing career. I know there are walls I have to break through and overcome but why does it seem as if everyone thinks Nursing is not that great. Alot of the bad things people are saying has to do with the hours that nurses work. "Being a Newlywed..Nursing will stress the marriage" they say.
is there any information anyone can give me or even maybe a little encouragement in this aspect.
Im pretty sure this is what I want. I just hear nothing good about it.
I know this post is already super long but also...
Im not going to be the breadwinner in my family, my husband will be so its not the money im after but i certaintly want a normal life. I dont want to find that after three years in a program and after all the testing and hard work that I have to become nocturnal and work crazy shifts. LOL.
please explain,help or try to encourage...
thank you:frustrated:

[AmandaWIRN]

I was a newlywed during nursing school, It's stressful, but if your husband is supportive of your decision, it shouldn't "tear your marriage apart." I have no regrets about going into nursing- I have a job where I can help others, don't have to sit at a desk all day, I don't dread going into work each day, and I make decent money. Now, I chose to work the night shift, because I prefer it. A lot of new grads end up working nights at least for a short time simply because there are not a lot of day positions available- that doesn't mean you won't be able to find one, though. What most nurses do is work nights for a while & then take a day position when one opens up on their floor/unit. If you really want to go into nursing, don't let people who are not in the profession tell you bad things about it- they are not nurses, how would they know??? I suggest you try "shadowing" a nurse or two to see what it's really like- contact your local hospital or school of nursing and ask if you can arrange to shadow a couple of nurses in different areas of the hospital- that'll give you an idea of what nusing is really like.

[Ricu]

Hi everyone,

I second everything that Amanda has said but would like to add more in defense of nursing. Certainly it's an extremely challenging career but the benefits can be equally rewarding. There is a flexibility to this job that would be very hard to match. In the field of healthcare but especially nursing, any possible combination of hours and shifts can potentially be arranged and on certain days or weekends only. The list of workplaces available to nurses is also extensive; hospitals, longterm care, rehab centers, physician offices, schools, correctional centers, public health, industry, education, and so on. There are any number of specialties ranging from pediatrics to gerontology and in all systems; neurology, cardiology, orthopedics, cancer care, hospice- really too many to list. You may choose to become a nurse practitioner and open your own primary care practice.

Backing up a bit, as a new nurse, you will likely end up starting at that night position that it seems we all did and like Amanda, you might find that you prefer it. I stayed on nights for many years because it worked out well with young children. You may be there some day yourself and fortunately, you will be in a career that can be adapted to fit your family needs, even as they change. As you can see, it would be hard to get stuck in this profession but unfortunately, that does happen sometimes and burn-out does occur. I've been there myself but can honestly say that it happens because you let it happen. Sure, there is plenty to get burned out over but taking care of yourself, staying away from negative people and making those occasional workplace changes refreshes your attitude and keeps burn-out under control.

Good luck and stay in touch.

R

[cadabra]

Hello Again!
Sorry I was having difficulty with this website technically with security on my computer.
Anyways Thank you for all of the help. I think I will shadow the nurse thing and see if nursing is really what I want to do. Thats a great idea.
I really dont mind working the night shift at first, I guess, but my fiance has already made it perfectly clear that...he wants to sleep next to me everynight and not by himself like he is now.

Oh and Also..
I think I may be way confused with this Nursing thing.
After the community school program what do you get out of it? LPN?? RN?? I didnt understand the difference. I thought that after you complete all of your classes you take the test (boards) and your and RN?
is there a difference? I know I probably sound ridiculous to you guys! HAHA:houra:

[Ricu]

Originally Posted by cadabra

Hello Again!
Sorry I was having difficulty with this website technically with security on my computer.
Anyways Thank you for all of the help. I think I will shadow the nurse thing and see if nursing is really what I want to do. Thats a great idea.
I really dont mind working the night shift at first, I guess, but my fiance has already made it perfectly clear that...he wants to sleep next to me everynight and not by himself like he is now.

Oh and Also..
I think I may be way confused with this Nursing thing.
After the community school program what do you get out of it? LPN?? RN?? I didnt understand the difference. I thought that after you complete all of your classes you take the test (boards) and your and RN?
is there a difference? I know I probably sound ridiculous to you guys! HAHA:houra:

Your question is not ridiculous at all. There is a difference between an LPN and an RN. LPN stands for Licensed Practical Nurse and a person with this training carries out most nursing duties but not all. The specific limitations vary from state to state but for example, the LPN cannot administer certain drugs by IV, cannot administer blood or blood products, and I believe, cannot take telephone orders from a physician. There are some restricitons on where in the hospital an LPN can work too like critical care areas. LPNs are also called LVNs which stands for Licensed Vocational Nurse. Training for level of nursing is from a trade school and the graduate receives a certificate and then is eligible to take the licensing exam. I'm really not sure about the program specifics. RN training can be from a diploma school which takes three years and is usually connected to a hospital. These programs used to be all there was but now they're hard to find. Most RNs graduate from two year associate or four year baccelaureate programs. Both programs graduate nurses who then sit for the RN licensing exam. On the practical side of things, both ASN and BSN nurses have the same scope of practice and generally, there is no difference in pay. As you can imagine, this is a point of contention at the national level which is causing a movement to restrict the practice of RNs with an associate degree. I'm not sure where this is going but I suspect that at some point, only RNs with baccelaureate degrees will continue to function in the way that both ASN and BSN graduates do now. If after you do your job shadowing, you find that you really want to become a nurse, I recommend for the above reasons that you make it your goal to get at least a BSN degree. Otherwise, you just may find yourself being told that you are no longer qualified to do the things that you have been doing all along. LPNs have been experiencing this for the past ten or fifteen years now. Actually for this reason, I'm surprised that there are still LPN programs.