Darlene Said:

Nursing career path?

We Answered:

The life of a student is a rough one. I relied heavily on financial aid and loans; I think that's what gets most students through. At this point in your life, you can't expect to get a job that pays top dollar. You don't have your degree yet. I would absolutely try to get some financial aid or take out a loan. When you are worried about cash flow, your studies suffer. A part-time job is about all you can handle when you are a full-time student. Try to get a job in a hospital as a nursing assistant or a unit secretary. This will look really good on your resume and get you some medical experience. That's how I worked my way through nursing school. Good luck!

Joyce Said:

What is the best military career path for nursing? I want to join reserves and have a civilian job.?

We Answered:

To be a Nurse in the miltiary, you must have gone through civilian Nursing school *before* you will be considered. No branches of the military educate or train you to be a Nurse.

If you get the ADN, you would only be able to do Reserves though from what I understand even the Reserves is starting to trend toward only accepting Nurses who have graduated with a BSN. Also, there is a $50,000 student loan repayment option that has been available to Nurses joining the Army (either reserves or active duty). The thing about those types of incentives, though, is that they come and go. So by the time you are ready to join after having graduated Nursing school, that incentive may no longer be available. And as far as I know, none of the other branches offer the same time of student loan repayment option. Whatever you decide, good luck to you.

Misty Said:

Nursing career path help! Read for more info & questions...?

We Answered:

I was a nurse for 13 years... Oncology for 3 & Hospice for 10. I used to love being a nurse. I couldn't believe I was being paid to provide such a noble service to people. It felt right and really it was hard to imagine doing anything else. Plus a great nurse can make all the difference in many terrible situations just because her patients know she really cares. But I do feel the need to warn people that the burnout is tremendous. Once you're burnout, then it's just a job. A job that has a load of responsibility as well as liability, tons of paper work, thankless more than you would imagine and exhausting both physically and mentally. Don't get me wrong, I can power through a shift, but you really do feel it once you stop going at that pace. I quit 2 1/2 years ago when I really began to notice that it did not nourish my soul anymore, it was more parasitic in nature. I like nursing itself, I just can't cope with the hassle and headaches anymore. But let's answer your specific questions.

1- All nursing careers need the characteristics you listed. If this is a description of you, you will be fine.

2- a)Not so much applicable to me until years into the career. Then stress and depression did become an issue. You will feel good helping people, but it is a highly stressful job none the less. I definitely think decompression/stress relief should be imperative when training as well as a priority to employers. Mental health is vital to curbing burnout. I think if you are feeling well then it's easy to do a great job. Things would fall in place as a result. But I'm idealistic, what can I say?
b) I think counseling is great for some people and it is a great tool to help you figure some stuff out

3- Both advanced positions will have their own unique stresses and challenges but would not be any less rewarding. You make more money overall, but like any other nursing career, you're going to work hard for it.

Hope this helps some. Feel free to contact me if you think I can help. Good luck!

Wanda Said:

I need nursing career path advice, can you help?

We Answered:

Study nursing administration.

Cecil Said:

What's a good nursing career path for me?

We Answered:

How about home health care. Many companies to it mainly for geriatric patients. My mother had a fallen bladder and she had to catheterized every so often. Visiting RN from home health care performed procedure. Most school districts have one RN in every school. Even large employers have Rn's on staff. HMOs use RNs to determine necessity of procedures. Good Luck