The DU Lounge

Just some quick thoughts...take as you will.

Been an RN for 10+ years, with another 3 or so in various areas of healthcare prior to nursing.

If you're looking at Nursing, realize that more and more hospitals aren't hring ADN (associate degree) RN's - they're going to BSN (Bachelor) as the baseline unless you have been an ADN for X years. Even those RN's aren't getting hired and are having to be in a BSN program upon hiring with a promise to complete in X years.

2ndly - getting into nursing school is hard. You will have to take 2ish years of prereq's -- biology, chemistry, anatomy, physiology, micro, math, etc. These are not considered in the 2-year nursing degree -- you have 2 years of pre-req, 2 years of nursing school, but only come out with a 2 year degree. Go figure.

DO NOT try to get a nursing degree through an online-only school (think University of Phoenix). You will never get hired. Hospitals want RN's with a lot of hands on experience, not just in the clinical setting, but in school. How do you interact with others? Can you be around 24 different people at once without losing your shit

Nursing is hard. It's hard work. It's thankless. Hospitals currently have the upper hand in hiring. Wages are lower now than when I started in 2006 because everyone sees nursing as this pie-in-the-sky wage dream and the market is flooded. I know many new-grad RN's who are still working at STarbucks because they can't get hired as an RN.

Nursing school admission is competitive. The classes are hard. There is no guarantee of admission even if you have a good GPA. They want volunteer hours, other certifications (like CNA or EMT or phlebotomy)

You will start out at the bottom of the barrel -- you say your'e 44 now. Say you get into nursing school when you're 46 or 47. Are you willing and/or able to work 12 hour nights 7p-7a 3-4 days a week, every weekend and holiday for the rest of your forseeable future? Because that's what new grads get. You won't start in the ER or ICU. You'll be starting on med-surg with 10 patients and little help. More hospitals are getting rid of CNA's and MA's and it's total nursing care.

You may be a natural caregiver, but are you a natural ass wiper? A natural punching bag? Are you able to go multiple 12 hour shifts without having a break, without having a lunch, with only peeing once? Are you okay with literally saving lives every day and never being thanked by a family member or a patient?

Another aspect of nursing is that while you have endless opportunities (do you want to do community health? hospital? acute care?), your prospects for advancement only come with education, work experience, professional certifications, and luck. I was in the ER for over 7 years and had no chance of being anything other than a stand-in charge RN. I had to eventually get out of bedside nursing before I was able to actually advance in my career and my salary.

I'm the most pro-RN there is, but I also think that people need a realistic view of what nursing is. It is messy, dirty, bloody, poop and vomit filled. It's standing on your feet and not getting a break, it's not getting career advancement (in many cases). It's working in the trenches without any thanks from your patients, their family, your boss, or your employer.

It is a physically demanding job - I've already had 2 back surgeries because of it. I have a worn out neck from other people improperly handling patients. I've been hit, punched, sexually assaulted, grabbed by patients. I've had 2 needle stick injuries that required a month of anti HIV prophylaxis. I've had urine and shit thrown at me. I've been the victim of lateral violence from coworkers.

I make an excellent salary, but it is not just because of the RN behind my name. It's because of my licensure, it's because of my education (I had to get my BSN a few years ago), my professional certifications, my professional memberships, my experience in various levels of care and patient settings. I did not get where I am or what I am paid easily, or without sacrifice. I worked over 7 years of overnights 7p-7a, every other weekend and every major holiday. It is an incredibly hard, but an incredibly rewarding profession.

Don't look to nursing (or any other job) to save you, or to fulfill your inner needs. It's not about you or your needs. When your'e at the bedside doing CPR for 40 minutes, it's not about whether you are fulfilled or does this job make you happy. It's about the patients. And you will not last long in this field if you are expecting/wanting/needing validation for everything you do vis-a-vis nursing. You have to WANT to do this, not NEED to, if that makes sense.

I worked with a lady where every aspect of patient care was about her, how it made HER feel, what SHE liked about it -- honey, that hiney doesn't care WHAT you need, what IT needs is a cleaning and a new bedsheet and an incontinence pad.