Tell me about nursing as a career (for my DC)
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Anonymous
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My DC is considering this option, with the aim of an advanced nursing degree like NP or CRNA. (Also on the table is straight up BIO degree for possible pre-dental or PT).
What is it like as a nurse these days? Interested in the diffs between hospital/shift work vs. doc's office or surgical center? How is the flexibility in hours and in switching between diff environments? Do you like your job? What are pros/cons? My DC does NOT want an office type job and likes health care as the path. (But the recent post on cattiness/bi--chiness in nursing gave me pause. I have many older relatives who were nurses and they seemed to love it overall. But, they transitioned out of hospital work at some point to schools or doc offices). TIA. |
Anonymous
| Nothing? Only finance and engineering on here? |
Anonymous
| I graduated with my BSN in 2004 from an accelerated program (I already had a bachelor’s degree in an unrelated field). I worked as a bedside RN in the ICU for 4 years, then went to CRNA school (an additional 2.5 years), so I’ve been a CRNA for almost 14 years. It’s been a fantastic career path. Bedside nursing can be incredibly stressful, but the great thing about nursing is that it opens so many career paths and it’s very flexible. There are a ton of different clinical areas in which RNs can work, or they can leave the bedside altogether and work in something like school nursing or community health. CRNA school was grueling, but I love this career and financially it was a great decision. I also enjoy the schedule — working longer shifts 2-3 days/week and having days off to run errands or attend my kid’s activities. Best of luck to your child! We need more nurses! |
Anonymous
| I went into nursing because back in early 2000 there was a nursing shortage and since I'm an immigrant, I figured that it would be a good job. Also, since my English is not perfect, I figured as a nurse, I don't have to write much, because it is a very task oriented job. I worked in the hospital on in-patient unit, it was incredibly stressful ( emotionally, physically and mentally draining). I left for an outpatient infusion clinic and it was better ( at least patients could walk to the bathroom themselves). I'm an introvert and don't like much interaction with people, so I feel overwhelmed at times and need lots of " me time" after work. But I'm good at my job because I'm detail oriented, caring, and hard working. You're better off if you're a natural extrovert, because you'll interact with patients/families and coworkers/collaborative team all the time. Nurses do a lot of procedures that are not pleasant ( IV sticks, sticking catheters/tubes into people's noses/mouths/vagina- you name it). People say that there are a lot of options in nursing, and yes that's true. The best would be to work as a nursing assistant in a hospital and see for yourself if you would like to do what nurses are doing. Honestly, I have never had any other professional job, so cannot tell you how does nursing compare. Nursing school is very hard. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend nursing to my daughter. |
Anonymous
It sounds like the people who warned you were very sexist. It is a strength of the field that you can move to another setting when that makes more sense for your life. Nurses can always get a job (everywhere from hospitals to schools to corporations to research settings like NIH). Hospital works is stressful and tiring (due to how sick the patients are and staffing challenges), but rewarding if you are good at it (because you are doing such important work). There are hazards (such as injuries due to moving patients). And if you are in the ER, there can be physical violence. I think the pay is good, in relation to how many hours a week you work. Again, I think you would not get burnt out because you can always change settings and re-set. Sounds like a strong choice to me. (I am not a nurse but have worked in health care for years) |
Anonymous
| PP who is a CRNA here. I do think bedside nursing is tough — patients are sick, units are always understaffed, and the verbal/physical abuse is real, especially in environments like the Emergency Department. But I think it’s important to get that experience so you really learn the clinical skills and how to quickly assess patients. As another PP suggested, I’d recommend that your DC volunteer at a hospital once he/she is old enough, or at least do some sort of “shadow day” where they follow a nurse or other medical professional (at most hospitals, the minimum age is 16) to get a sense of the reality of the job. Overall, I’ve been happy with the schedule and compensation. Plus having a job where I’m not sitting at a desk or attending meetings all day was important to me. |
Anonymous
| One of the richest people in Potomac in a mega mansion is a nurse. She started as a nurse and created a whole chain of urgent care places |
Anonymous
| If you can think outside of the usual paths of direct patient care, there are nurses in the exec ranks of corporations, and in the field sales force for bio med. Many avenues and none are traditional desk jobs. |
Anonymous
Can you tell me more about CRNA path? I read that you only need 1-2 years in a critical care unit before applying. Why did you choose it (money is a factor, obv) vs. something like a NP or PA? What is the coarse work like (you described it as grueling)? |
Anonymous
| My best friend got a Microbiology degree and worked in labs for about a decade after college, but she consistently made more money as a bartender than those jobs. After she had kids she went back to school to train as a nurse and since then has worked 1) at an urgent care place (had to get a job under her belt to get better jobs, moved after one year), 2) at a hospital for several years, and now 3) as a school nurse at the elementary school her kids attend (really ideal schedule, less pay). Watching from the sidelines it seems like a really good use of a STEM degree - very flexible and always in demand. During COVID she considered travel nursing to make $$$ but didn't really want to be away from her kids. |
Anonymous
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I'm not a nurse but my sister is. Specialty is ICU-critical cardiac care. She tried travel nursing early in her career to figure out where she wanted to live. Bedside nursing is hard on the body and she moved into management in her late 20s. First unit manager in an ICU, then moved into a hospital training role, taught in a nursing education program, now manages research and program implementation for a large hospital system and is looking for opportunities to step into a higher level leadership role. Basically, she does a lot of research on effective nursing practices, develops programs to train nurses in best practices, and evaluates outcomes. Publishes research and speaks at a lot of conferences. She describes it as kind of like being a management consultant for nursing.
Her master's degree is Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), which I don't often see mentioned while most hear about NP or CRNA degrees. And, she's wrapping up her dissertation for a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, which will set her up for the higher level role she's looking for. https://clinicalcenter.nih.gov/nursing/cns/index#:~:text=A%20Clinical%20Nurse%20Specialist%20(CNS,at%20the%20organization%2Fsystems%20level. It's an interesting path that I haven't seen others describe and good to know about if you are interested in the research aspect of STEM (as well as teaching, management, etc). We have a lot of nurses in my family and it seems most spend a few years at a hospital to get that intensive clinical experience and then branch off to different paths. Surgical centers, school nurse, private-duty nurse, hospice, etc. Very flexible with a lot of options depending on your preferences. Personally, I hate hospitals and body fluids gross me out so it never had any appeal for me but I'm so glad we have good nurses! |
Anonymous
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CRNA PP here, responding to the poster who asked about this career path. Most reputable CRNA programs require at least 1-2 years of ICU nursing experience, so if an undergraduate nurse is considering becoming a CRNA, they should apply to work in an ICU as their first job out of school. CRNA programs range in length from 2.5-3 years. Some are front-loaded with didactic coursework (chemistry, physics, pharmacology, pathophysiogy) followed by clinical rotations; others are integrated with both the coursework and the rotations happening at the same time.
Aside from the coursework itself being very rigorous, clinical rotations are no joke. Often it’s 12 hour shifts, 4-5 days/week, with lots of early mornings (I arrived at most clinical sites well before 6 am) and late evenings followed by studying and preparing for the next day. I enjoy it because I’m very detail-oriented but I would hate a desk job. I like doing all different sorts of cases and taking care of different patient populations. It’s a joy for me to be able to ease a patient’s pain and anxiety during what can be a stressful time. It’s a well-compensated profession, but I feel the compensation is appropriate for the level of responsibility as well as the amount of debt most CRNAs graduate from school with. I always recommend that those interested “shadow” someone for a day to find out what it’s really like. It’s not for everyone! I also thought about becoming an NP, but I like the operating room environment and the pace of the job. Good luck! |
Anonymous
Can you do other paths -not in the OR- with this career? For example, I would think with a background in anesthesia, you could maybe do something with pain management? Or work in smaller surgical centers? Or other things? My DC did shadow for a day this school year and really enjoyed the OR (and is not squeamish or anything like that). But, it was only one day and the hospital is pretty restrictive about how many days can be done. |
Anonymous
Serious (but maybe random) question given what you describe (and I guess this can apply to any of the health care professions NP, PA, Dr., DPT) but . . . do you have any free time in school? How hard is it to go to the gym or date? |
Anonymous
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CRNA PP here — first, yes; it is possible to work in a variety of settings, such as an outpatient surgery center or freestanding endoscopy or eye (cataract surgery) center. However, it’s important to gain experience in a hospital environment first, doing a variety of cases and caring for patients who are higher-acuity than what you’d find at a surgery center. Pain management is a specialty area and some programs offer a fellowship in that specifically for CRNAs, but again, prior experience in a hospital setting is probably a requirement.
As for free time to work out, have a life, etc., I can’t really speak for other professions such as PA, NP, etc., but in CRNA school, I would squeeze in workouts on the weekends and in the mornings on my classroom days (classes usually started at 8 or 9; whereas clinical rotations started much earlier). I was in a relationship with my now-husband during school, but I lived alone in a different city and saw him on the weekends. In hindsight I’m grateful for that arrangement because it allowed me to focus exclusively on school and clinicals during the week. I certainly had classmates who had families with young children, but I know it was a challenge for them to balance the academic load with family time. Most NP programs, such as family or adult NP, can be done part-time (which I think most people do it that way because they’re already RNs and can work while they attend school, and some can even get work to pay for it!). |