NT NURSES OR NURSING MAJORS!!! PLEASE COME IN

[solarius49]

So I have been giving serious consideration to changing my major to nursing for awhile now. I'm currently an elementary education major, but I've pretty much decided that I dont want to be a teacher. I have been seriously interested in becoming a paramedic, but everybody I know says that I should go all the way and become a nurse (especially since the GI Bill is paying for school.

can I please get some insight.

THANKS!

 

[johnny cakes]

Nursing is very rewarding, and the pay is pretty good as well. I would lean towards that. But basically talk to some schools, talk to some people in school doing nursing and also talk to nurses. I would recommend you seek advice here http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=113
 

 

[cj863]

Nursing curriculum is rigorous, be prepared for 2 years of science prereqs :x
Not sure *** true it is but I've been hearing the field is wayyyy over saturated and there's nurses that can hardly find jobs. Talk to your advisor as well.

 

[vanillagorilladx]

^ Just depends on your location.

I was a nursing major. Just found a job at a children's hospital. Nursing school was stressful as hell, but it's not indicative of the real world. Every nurse has told me it's a lot easier once you start working.

 

[soundwav3]

17 senior, looking also at nursing when in College. Got two family members who are nurses (Filipino haha) and they say its a good job. From what I hear though there is always a job for nurses; hospitals, home health cares, and what not so job safety is not an issue (at least from what I hear). Hoping I get this NRTOC Navy Nurse scholarship and after I get my BSN work at the Naval hospital in San Diego . Hoping other NT Nurses can chime in and give some info on nursing. Scared to be honest.

 

[vanillagorilladx]

There is always a demand for nurses, but the thing is, some hospitals aren't willing to spend the money to train new graduates. Like I said, just depends on your location and its needs. I'm in Texas and just graduated and mostly everyone I graduated with has a job.

 

[DadNboujee]

i got a family of nurses, also my gf is a nurse also.. if you can be serious about school and not slack off, with a lot of patience. And can deal with nuts and guts, go for it. There is a reason why this job pays well for RN's. Also i dont know if there is a real demand for nurses, there is a demand for experienced nurses, not unexperienced nurses. in this field the same rules apply, it's who you know... Also i have a cousin in the Navy who is a corpsman (SP?) and he thought he could uses his experience in the navy when he gets out. but found out it doesnt count when he becomes a civilian, so he pretty much has to start over with school and what not, but being a veteran is a plus when applying for jobs.

 

[humpasaurus rex]

I just started my RN program 2 weeks ago, our summer is 6 Weeks Process 1 and 6 Weeks Process 2, so Fundamentals is 12 weeks in total. The reading is crazy and I have my clinical test tomorrow. Physical assessment and vital signs. It's been a lot of work and not a day goes by where I don't read. Wish me luck, hell week. Tues, Clinical Demonstration Exam, Thurs, Lecture Exam, Fri, Pharmacology Exam :x

 

[thenewjs23]

Nursing curriculum is rigorous, be prepared for 2 years of science prereqs :x
Not sure *** true it is but I've been hearing the field is wayyyy over saturated and there's nurses that can hardly find jobs. Talk to your advisor as well.

Don't listen to this guy. Come to Houston and you will find work. Our local news and newspaper reports on a regular basis how our medical center in in need of nurses. Cancer treatment in Houston is our second largest buisness to Oil and Gas. We have a medical center that resembles some cities downtown and it is rapidly growing. They just opened a high rise building dedicated just to delivering babies.

 

[jjs]

Ask Rck sactown, he's going to be a nurse.

 

[dayman]

im currently in nursing school as a early career change (worked in corporate). The difficulty of the courses is not too bad, just a lot of memorization. However, the work load can be overwhelming at times, but it's actually not that bad either. It might just be me, since a lot of my classmates seem to complain every week. I have one more year to go and the first year went by real quick. They say the first year (2nd semester - psych/med surge) is the hardest part of the program and the 2nd year should be smooth sailing. Hope it's true. 

There is a lot of movement in nursing and the pay is pretty good, although I feel we should get paid more for the amount of work and responsibility we have. I don't think 75k/yr is good enough, although some RN's make close to 6 figures with OT (at least in NY). You will clean poop, but as an RN in the hospital, u wont clean much poop since u really dont have time to wipe pt's butts lol. It's usually the CNA. I cleaned 2 pt's poop in geriatric nursing home, but I didn't wipe any butts in psych or med surg. And honestly, piss and poop is not that bad...especially after seeing a stage 4 ulcer or dead necrotic tissue with bone sticking out. You'll get used to it.

Not sure what else to say. The job market is crap right now for NEW GRAD RN's, but if u have experience, you're gonna have no problem finding jobs. I know RN's who are getting 77-82k/yr base salary and they have per diem shifts at other hospitals getting paid $42-50/hr and that's how they hit 6 figures.

Just focus and get into a nursing program first and worry about the job market later. It might get better due to the new obamacare and who knows how the job market will be like when you become an RN.

If you have any questions, just reply in this thread and I'll check back and answer any questions u may have.

edit: im not sure how competitive the nursing programs are in your area, but here in NYC, it's very competitive and many schools have waiting lists. Just make sure to get a near perfect pre-req GPA and u should be good to go. And dont screw around when you're taking pre-req courses.

 

[i2endmc]

my girl JUST got hired as an RN down here in so cal after a year and a half from graduating. she said it takes about a year for the average new grad to find hospital work. there's plenty of work out there, but most of them require experience, and a lot of hospitals don't want to train new grads. also, location is important. so cal is saturated with new grad RNs, but like someone above said, houston is needing nurses.
maybe it's time i put a ring on it lol.

 

[raysweatshirt]

Thanks for making the thread OP. I'm a nursing major in Louisiana, have a 3.3 gpa and I'm taking my last pre-req class this summer (Anatomy and Physiology Lab 2). I already applied to two schools and didn't get accepted (cause I had a 2.8 then) so I re-took some courses and boosted my gpa to a 3.3. I'm applying to plenty schools for the fall and I'm also applying for Respiratory Therapy school also, which is good pay just incase I don't get into any nursing schools. OP you should look into Respiratory Therapy also.

 

[dacityslanga]

in the DC area, most nurses are able to find work in any type of hospitals, rehab centers, private practices, etc. My ex gf is a nurse. She got a job after graduating and passing the boards. Her classmates, 5 that were guys were instantly hired due to a shortage with Male nurses. Plus most hospitals offer sign on bonuses if you can stay for at least 3-4 years which is plenty of time to get your training in and when your time is up there, you can go elsewhere.

 

[superblytrife]

Best thing about being a nurse? Being able to go anywhere in the country and being able to find a job with relative ease (if you're experienced). There are a lot of places with high nursing needs and they pay top dollar, too.

I'm not a nurse (wife is/mom was) but you can't go wrong with the profession. You get to help people, get paid well and you can work a lot less days per month than the average person. It's definitely HARD work, but the pros outweigh the cons.

 

[Los Angeles]

Been a charge nurse for 3yrs+ in a Psych hospital.

After 2 long years I've finally got into the county jails, also as a charge nurse.

I'm pretty stoked about this, Psych has really paved the way for me.

Also, Nursing has a whole lotta different fields you can choose. I've never been too much of a "bedside nurse" so Psych was my calling.

Jobs in socal are scarce though especially as a new grad, but that shouldnt stop you from changing your career.

Hard work and dedication will pay off.

 

[soleobjective]

my girl is a nurse, she found a job easily in the emergency room. she started out in pediatric care, but told me it got REALLY boring so she moved onto a more challenging unit. anyway, from what she tells me its a great job, just a lot of hard work and long shifts. you can't slack off at all in nursing school, she literally put in serious hours in the library study and memorizing material for exams. so obviously its gonna be a ton of work and requires a great deal of focus because at the end of the day, people's lives will be in your hands on a daily basis and you gotta be prepared for that responsibility.

Good luck going forward OP

 

[bsp84]

I've been a nurse since 2006.  back in '06 to like '07, if you have your nursing license, you can get a job easily. Then for a few years it was hard for a lot of new grads to get a job, but now it's lightening up.  Basically it was pretty much everywhere you go they want experience but at the same time, no one was hiring new grads. I worked in nursing homes, clinics, and school nursing.  The pay is GREAT but you have a lot of responsibility/liability. 

Another good thing is you have a lot of different fields to choose from.  Hospitals, clinics, health centers, etc.  I work in the allergy dept. of a big health company and my job is pretty chill compared to a nurse who works in a hospital.  Usually (not all the time), newer nurses get the crappier shifts like evenings, nights, weekends, or holidays.  But where I'm at since it's a specialty department, I get holidays off, weekends, etc.

Just make sure it's what you want to do.  A lot of people do it for the money and are just miserable.  Other people enjoy because it really is their calling in life.  School is crazy though, super stressful.  Pretty much most of your social life/free time is gone. 

 

[ricky409]

We talking real nurses here, right?

NOt the kind birds post on Facebook and say their in medical school.

Can someone explain the differences?

which is the dope 6 figure nurse ...

And which is the 8 week program 24k nurse?

 

[Comparison Ford]

We talking real nurses here, right?

NOt the kind birds post on Facebook and say their in medical school.

Can someone explain the differences?

which is the dope 6 figure nurse ...

And which is the 8 week program 24k nurse?

8 week program Nurse- CNA

Dope 6 figure Nurse- RN Charge Nurse/Nursing Supervisors, Director of Nursing, some RNs with their BSN

Even doper 6 figure Nurse- Nurse Practitioners, Nurse Anesthetists, etc.

 

[Deleted member 38182]

^I think you're talking about LVN CNA. It's like a 16 or 24 week program or some **** I shake my head whenever I hear people are looking into that program or try to brag about it

Also bugs the hell outta me when I meet people who claim they are a nursing major when they aren't even in the programs yet. Probably got me salty since I applied for about 2 years all around Cali and surrounding states before getting

Can't wait to graduate this fall. The reading is :x :x :x but luckily **** I read sticks with me pretty easily so the memorization stuff isn't too bad.

I ain't gonna do bedside. What are you all planning on doing once you graduate??

Ideally I want to work ER and just get like 3-5 years of nursing experience in before moving to state work or a private company. My aunt went that route after 10 years of working as a typical RN and then going into Govt grants :\ I just can't see myself working as a nurse long term, especially if there are easier office jobs with similar pay.

I wish I had the desire to keep going and aim for NP or anesthetist but I am done with school

 

[Comparison Ford]

^I think you're talking about LVN. It's like a 16 or 24 week program or some ****

I shake my head whenever I hear people are looking into that program or try to brag about it

Also bugs the hell outta me when I meet people who claim they are a nursing major when they aren't even in the programs yet. Probably got me salty since I applied for about 2 years all around Cali and surrounding states before getting

Can't wait to graduate this fall. The reading is

but luckily **** I read sticks with me pretty easily so the memorization stuff isn't too bad.

I ain't gonna do bedside. What are you all planning on doing once you graduate??

Ideally I want to work ER and just get like 3-5 years of nursing experience in before moving to state work

I just can't see myself working as a nurse long term, especially if there are easier office jobs with similar pay

Naw.  LVNs/LPNs have a year-long program, I think.  They can make $50K/year.  Certified Nurse's Aides need 75 hours of class time and 15 hours of clinical as a federal minimum.  I just finished a 7 week course and I'm currently waiting to hear back when my state exam is.

 

[Deleted member 38182]

I was hearing from one of my professors that hospitals are starting to only hire RNs and staying away from LVNs. Y'all hearing that too? (Not that it really applies to us)

 

[Comparison Ford]

I was hearing from one of my professors that hospitals are starting to only hire RNs and staying away from LVNs. Y'all hearing that too? (Not that it really applies to us)

Completely true.  LPNs are pretty much confined to long-term care facilities nowadays.

 

[Deleted member 38182]

Glad I didn't win the lottery to get into my community college's LVN program

It was basically a blessing in disguise that it took me an extra year to get in an RN program instead