Question for Rns

I have been a nurse for 15 years. I went into nursing because I wanted to be a nurse practitioner - still haven't finished my degree for that yet - chose to have a family instead of pursuing more school, then when I was ready to go back to school I went into nursing education for a while instead. When I got out of school there were NO jobs in nursing - it was not a good time to be a nurse. I have worked in lots of different areas of nursing - long term care/rehab/med/surg, doctor's office/teaching/maternal-child/oncology/outpatient surgery. I personally love being a nurse and I love the flexibility of the schedule. As with any job there are ups and downs - some places are better to work than others. You have to know yourself - a nurse is who you are not just what you do - so if it is a just a job for you - you need to rethink your plans!

Nursing can be very high stress - but it is also very rewarding. You have to find the area in nursing that is right for you - there are so many choices - and new grads are still getting hired out of school!!

No matter what the economy - healthcare is stable and there is always a need for nurses! Even though jobs were scarce when I graduated, I got one - even though it wasn't in an area of nursing I would have ever considered - I did it to get work experience - and it ended up being very rewarding!

Leanne,
I'm not a nurse, I thought about it when I was younger and was going to go that route but took another turn. Most jobs, you will be disappointed time to time. Search your heart if you really want to do this.

Secondly, my baby sister started out as a nurse, she worked in the mother baby unit for a long time (she's 32 now). Anyway, she's taught at 3 nursing schools, one in Iowa and two in Wisconsin, she recently moved to Dallas area and working on the administrative side of the hospital making good money. There are avenues you can take in nursing that you might not be thinking about now. She's working at a good hospital, trying to bring a lot of great changes. Have confidence in yourself and it will take you a LONG way.

Good luck in all you do!

Leanne,

I'm not sure what people are talking about with the economy/hiring freezes. There is still a nursing shortage & will be more so in the future with our population & nursing population getting older. I have been a nurse for 14 years & have never not been offered a job that I applied for. It wasn't that I always wanted to be a nurse, I had an infant & Dad & I didn't work out & I needed a good job. I have never been disappointed & have always felt like I have great job security even in this economy. Nursing has been very good to me. Best of luck to you & feel free to message me if you'd like any more info:)

For the right reasons, it's a great field. If you are going because of the economy, etc don't do it. My hubby is in a BSN program and there are a lot of new grads this semester (not him thankfully) that did not get jobs out of school because of hospital hiring freezes and the economy. A lot of older nurses are coming back to the profession and staying versus leaving and hospitals are not wanting to hire because of finances. So now is not the shortage that everyone thought it would be. Good luck though! If you love people and medicine, it is a great field!