Leslie Said:

What are some of the details about a career in nursing? is anyone a nurse?

We Answered:

I do not recommend nursing as a career if you are not sure that you absolutely WANT to be a nurse, and you have the ability to do something else.

Nurses are the "expendable" pawns in healthcare more often than not.

Unless you get a prime job like flight nurse, own your own business (I.e. Footcare nurse), etc. you are likely to burn out and become disillusioned with nursing. Only those who truly love it and have a passion for it stay, or remain happy.

Everyone must start out in the same boat (with few exceptions). You will do bedside care, which includes cleaning up various bodily fluids and BM (poop). You will deal with smelly, violent, and abusive clients. Some (even in the ER) will treat you like an educated waitress. They may even call you that. You will often work understaffed and overtime. You will often feel that you slave for little thanks. Your career is often not respected by other healthcare workers and/or the general public, which is to be expected when you think of what the job includes. It doesn't matter how much "science" (typically only basic science courses) you learn in school. You won't see an MD ever wiping someone's butt. ;)

You'll often not get the respect you deserve. You'll usually work with women, who can be immature, catty, stupid, and all around unprofessional to work with. It may be hard to get another job in another field with a nursing degree.

Pay is typically good, but if that's your only reason to stay, I'm 99% sure that you'll burn out and hate your job within 5 years...

If you are sure you want to be a nurse, I suggest job shadowing and talking to as many nurses as you can.

Sorry to sound so negative, but I think that the perception of nursing that you learn in nursing school does NOT translate in present day nursing reality once you hit the floor running. Nursing is not a glamorous job. You have to love it because you have that internal drive to do it. Some people are born doctors. Some people are born lawyers. Some people are born nurses.

It doesn't mean that you can't have a fulfilling career as a nurse, but rather that there are a lot of unhappy, burnt out, and/or injured/sick nurses out there. There is always a "nursing shortage" because there ARE enough nurses, but many of them are not working in nursing anymore, are injured/sick, or retired early.

There are many other jobs in healthcare, such as tech positions, medical research, therapists, pharmacists, etc.

Katie Said:

What kind of job should I get for this summer to help my future nursing career?

We Answered:

If you can, try doing volunteering at a hospital or nursing home. You may not be able to get a paid job without the experience, esp. b/c there are so many applicants for jobs right now. Internships and volutneering can really help you in the long run, not only do you get experience for your resume, you get to know the staff and build relationships so when you graduate you know who to talk to and get a job.

Kathleen Said:

Law or Nursing Career? Which is the choice better of the 2?

We Answered:

My boyfriend is a lawyer and my sister is a nurse. The con of being a lawyer is the student loan you will have once you finish grad school. My boyfriends loan is over $80,000 and he said that's actually on the low side. To get a big paying law job ($100k+) you must be in the top 3% of your class coming out of law school. And those big law firms work you 60+ hours a week. But the pro is you do have the potential to make the money or have your own practice.

My sister the nurse. The con according to her is working with the over egotistical doctors. The pro is she can ALWAYS find a job no matter what city, state, she lives in. And she can pretty much pick her days and hours she wants to work.

Annie Said:

Will my Bachelor's Degree help me in my nursing career?

We Answered:

It will help if you ever want to get into administration

Guy Said:

Is it better to go to a traditional four year school for nursing or to just go to a nursing program?

We Answered:

Nursing is a great job, I have met many lovely nurses in my life, both ladies and gents. My daughter stumbled upon some great tips about it on the site in the box below, and now she is in her inaugural term of training.