nursing! - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

hannukah harry · 05-08-2007, 07:37 AM

hey...
so i'm conisdering going back to school to get my RN and become a nurse. i was hoping if there were any nurses on here, you might be able to let me know what you think of it. What are the good, the bad, etc? There's a commercial playing on the radio from time to time by the Michigan Nurses Association (or soemthing like that) which talks about forced overtime. Is that common?

So in a nutshell, what do you like about nursing, what do you hate about it, do you see any of that changing? Any general advice?

Thanks!

JustJess · 05-08-2007, 08:46 AM

Okay! I'm not a nurse, but I work in HR at a hospital, and so I'm surrounded. I'm also going into the clinical side - going to be a PA once I graduate.

There's a nursing shortage, so you'll have major job security. Not necessarily at just one hospital tho - budgets are tight and places get shut down. Salaries are in the $55K-$65K range in general, with no experience. Get a Bachelor's (BSN), not an associate's - or get the ASN and go to school while you work to get the BSN. BSN's are more employable more widely and command greater salary differentials.

I can tell you that the reason I decided *not* to get a BSN is because of my level of patience. You need lots and lots of patience to be a good nurse. Nurses are the life blood of any hospital, but they also get the most thankless jobs sometimes. They get the most patient contact of anyone on the team, but that has obvious upsides and downsides to it. There are pretty good opportunities to learn and move up the chain of responsibility as a nurse, tho. CN I (clinical nurse one) to CN II.. to CN III - more supervisory - to Assistant Nurse Managers to Nurse Managers... there's great flexibility in shifts - 4 12 hours per week, or nights, or days 7a-3p, or ...

It's a good career choice. But only if you like people and can handle the icky stuff.

xepherys · 05-10-2007, 03:17 AM

I don't have first hand experience, but I can relay some info I've heard from friends and acquaintances.

As JustJess said, patience is paramount. However, you don't HAVE to work at a hospital. I know CombatMedicJen plans to work for a doctors office when she gets her LPN. It may not always pay as much, but the workload is more sane and there's virtually no chance in hell of overtime (private practice doctors don't tend to stay late at the office for shits and giggles).

Even in a hospital, it really depends on the system you work for. In the Detroit area, I know William Beaumont Hospital are supposed to be a great employer. Where in Michigan do you live? University of Michigan hospital is also supposed to be great to work for. *shrug*

JustJess · 05-10-2007, 04:28 AM

Actually, I have to disagree with xepherys on this: No, doctor's offices aren't easier. Your patient load is higher, your patient type and duties are more monotonous, and you do end up working late plenty - no one goes home til the patients go home, and things often run late! Trust me... I've talked to plenty of nurses. Mind you, many nurses prefer doctor's office because they end up with more responsibility than they might in a hospital setting.

At a hospital, you have shifts, and someone else is coming in at 3p when you're off at 3:30p... thus, very little working past shift. Plus, there are gov't regulations on the nurse/patient ratio, which varies depending on the service (e.g. PACU (post anesthesia care unit) will have a small ration vs. a regular med/surg floor). Of course, it does depend on the hospital. If their budget is bad, and they're understaffed - which isn't as unusual as it should be - you can end up with an unfavorable nurse/patient ratio, and lots of semi-optional overtime shifts. This can largely be fixed by choosing to work in larger, better-funded hospitals.

snowy · 05-10-2007, 05:08 PM

My cousin is a nurse. She just has her RN, but her job prospects, at least in the PacNW, have been fantastic. She has been out of school for less than two years and is already working at a top urban hospital. Her pay is substantial enough to support my cousin, her husband, and their baby--while he stays home with the baby--in a major metropolitan area, and they live in a very nice neighborhood.

Out of school, she had a job with a hospital in a suburb, and that also paid well enough that he could stay home with the baby. She has done far better by 21 than anyone else I know!

xepherys · 05-11-2007, 09:44 PM

JustJess makes some good points, but... You aren't going to (at most offices) have LATE shifts. In Michigan, most doctors work "bankers hours" to begin with. An 8 hour day of seeing patients is a LONG day. In the Detroit area, I'd be suprised if you ever worked more than 9 hours in a day, including admin work. Most are not open on Sundays. Few are open on Saturdays. Hospitals are open 24/7. If someone calls in sick on your off shift, they'll pressure you to cover. At an office, there is no off shift as most nurses work M-F with the doctor. Not saying it's impossible, just far, far less likely.

*shrug* Just my two cents.

05-08-2007, 07:37 AM	#1 (permalink)
hannukah harry Junkie	nursing! hey... so i'm conisdering going back to school to get my RN and become a nurse. i was hoping if there were any nurses on here, you might be able to let me know what you think of it. What are the good, the bad, etc? There's a commercial playing on the radio from time to time by the Michigan Nurses Association (or soemthing like that) which talks about forced overtime. Is that common? So in a nutshell, what do you like about nursing, what do you hate about it, do you see any of that changing? Any general advice? Thanks! __________________ shabbat shalom, mother fucker! - the hebrew hammer

05-08-2007, 08:46 AM	#2 (permalink)
JustJess Unencapsulated Location: Kittyville	Okay! I'm not a nurse, but I work in HR at a hospital, and so I'm surrounded. I'm also going into the clinical side - going to be a PA once I graduate. There's a nursing shortage, so you'll have major job security. Not necessarily at just one hospital tho - budgets are tight and places get shut down. Salaries are in the $55K-$65K range in general, with no experience. Get a Bachelor's (BSN), not an associate's - or get the ASN and go to school while you work to get the BSN. BSN's are more employable more widely and command greater salary differentials. I can tell you that the reason I decided not to get a BSN is because of my level of patience. You need lots and lots of patience to be a good nurse. Nurses are the life blood of any hospital, but they also get the most thankless jobs sometimes. They get the most patient contact of anyone on the team, but that has obvious upsides and downsides to it. There are pretty good opportunities to learn and move up the chain of responsibility as a nurse, tho. CN I (clinical nurse one) to CN II.. to CN III - more supervisory - to Assistant Nurse Managers to Nurse Managers... there's great flexibility in shifts - 4 12 hours per week, or nights, or days 7a-3p, or ... It's a good career choice. But only if you like people and can handle the icky stuff. __________________ My heart knows me better than I know myself, so I'm gonna let it do all the talkin'.

05-10-2007, 03:17 AM	#3 (permalink)
xepherys <3 TFP Location: 17TLH2445607250	I don't have first hand experience, but I can relay some info I've heard from friends and acquaintances. As JustJess said, patience is paramount. However, you don't HAVE to work at a hospital. I know CombatMedicJen plans to work for a doctors office when she gets her LPN. It may not always pay as much, but the workload is more sane and there's virtually no chance in hell of overtime (private practice doctors don't tend to stay late at the office for shits and giggles). Even in a hospital, it really depends on the system you work for. In the Detroit area, I know William Beaumont Hospital are supposed to be a great employer. Where in Michigan do you live? University of Michigan hospital is also supposed to be great to work for. shrug __________________ The prospect of achieving a peace agreement with the extremist group of MILF is almost impossible... -- Emmanuel Pinol, Governor of Cotobato My Homepage

05-10-2007, 04:28 AM	#4 (permalink)
JustJess Unencapsulated Location: Kittyville	Actually, I have to disagree with xepherys on this: No, doctor's offices aren't easier. Your patient load is higher, your patient type and duties are more monotonous, and you do end up working late plenty - no one goes home til the patients go home, and things often run late! Trust me... I've talked to plenty of nurses. Mind you, many nurses prefer doctor's office because they end up with more responsibility than they might in a hospital setting. At a hospital, you have shifts, and someone else is coming in at 3p when you're off at 3:30p... thus, very little working past shift. Plus, there are gov't regulations on the nurse/patient ratio, which varies depending on the service (e.g. PACU (post anesthesia care unit) will have a small ration vs. a regular med/surg floor). Of course, it does depend on the hospital. If their budget is bad, and they're understaffed - which isn't as unusual as it should be - you can end up with an unfavorable nurse/patient ratio, and lots of semi-optional overtime shifts. This can largely be fixed by choosing to work in larger, better-funded hospitals. __________________ My heart knows me better than I know myself, so I'm gonna let it do all the talkin'.

05-10-2007, 05:08 PM	#5 (permalink)
snowy Kick Ass Kunoichi Location: Oregon	My cousin is a nurse. She just has her RN, but her job prospects, at least in the PacNW, have been fantastic. She has been out of school for less than two years and is already working at a top urban hospital. Her pay is substantial enough to support my cousin, her husband, and their baby--while he stays home with the baby--in a major metropolitan area, and they live in a very nice neighborhood. Out of school, she had a job with a hospital in a suburb, and that also paid well enough that he could stay home with the baby. She has done far better by 21 than anyone else I know! __________________ If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

05-11-2007, 09:44 PM	#6 (permalink)
xepherys <3 TFP Location: 17TLH2445607250	JustJess makes some good points, but... You aren't going to (at most offices) have LATE shifts. In Michigan, most doctors work "bankers hours" to begin with. An 8 hour day of seeing patients is a LONG day. In the Detroit area, I'd be suprised if you ever worked more than 9 hours in a day, including admin work. Most are not open on Sundays. Few are open on Saturdays. Hospitals are open 24/7. If someone calls in sick on your off shift, they'll pressure you to cover. At an office, there is no off shift as most nurses work M-F with the doctor. Not saying it's impossible, just far, far less likely. shrug Just my two cents. __________________ The prospect of achieving a peace agreement with the extremist group of MILF is almost impossible... -- Emmanuel Pinol, Governor of Cotobato My Homepage