Is nursing something that's worth it?
All I hear about now at my McDonald's job is people who have graduated college and now cannot find jobs. I'm afraid that will happen to me. I looked into nursing when I was about 16 (I'm 19 now) and my mother told me not to do it because it would mean working on holidays and never having a moment to myself. I'm not sure if it's like that or not, but I do know that I wouldn't mind it at all. Holidays have always been unimportant in my family, and I see no point of making them a big deal on my own. Besides, helping someone who is in the hospital for Christmas would make the holidays far more enjoyable to me. I also love to travel, but I don't know much about travel nursing. It would be wonderful to be able to do nursing in Spain, London, France, and all over the world if I could. I'm sure I could squeeze in a few cultural experiences in my off time, even if it won't be much. I'd also like to do the Peace Corps. Money aside, because I'm sure it's more than my McDonald's income anyway, is nursing worth it? I'd go to a community college in order to get an LPN degree if possible. Science is a tough subject, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to have a career that I love, and that would be any career that lets me travel, help others, meet new people, and feel good about myself while I'm exhausted at the end of the day. Exhaustion is great to me. I like to feel my body tell me that I've worked hard. I guess that's kind of weird. But, back to the question. Is nursing worth it? Will I have a hard time getting a job? I don't want to be like some of the other McDonald's workers...having a degree but not being able to get a job. How soon after nursing school would I be able to travel? Could I get a job out of state? Could I get a job at a Charity hospital? I would really love to work at an inner city hospital in the emergency section. Quick question: Nursing is nothing like television, is it? I've seen scrubs, and that much drama and silliness in a hospital is far too amusing to be true.
Health Care - 1 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Any medical job is worth it, IF that is something that your are passionate about & love to do. To do it for money or the fact that you can find a job--those are the people who are miserable. Your best bet is to get a RN-either through the community college system or the university. There are pre-reqs and a wait list however. So it may take you a few years to even start. I also recommend volunteering at a hospital to really see the environment. You do work a lot of holidays & often night shifts; but I don't know why everyone thinks nurses have no time for themselves. If you do a 12 hour shift you get 3-4 days a week off or more--better than the average job. As to working in different states, once you pass the national exam all you need to do is apply for a license in which ever state you wish to work in. International nursing is far less common and rather difficult-but you are light-years away from that. To become a traveling RN with in the US, you would need several years experience working. Keep in mind, travelers are there to work, not site see.
2 :
Hard work, lots of studying, responsibility and accountability etc. I trained 30 years ago and quit last Christmas as times have changed for the worst and felt my patients weren't getting the care and dignity they deserve anymore !! Too many people doing the job with limited skills today and I'm a bit old fashioned (in my 40's) so standards slipped...just had enough.
3 :
If you want to do it, then its worth it. I think your family should be more supportive/encouraging of your goals & ideas. It sure beats McD's! Just FYI, to travel you need a Bachelors of Nursing, and you need to be able to speak fluently the language of the country (Spanish, French, etc as you indicated). You can travel locally (in the US, if that's where you're located) but this takes a couple years experience first before you can do this. To travel internationally is quite expensive, as it involves a lengthy process of obtaining licenses, etc. In some cases, licenses can take around 6 months to obtain... so its best if you're moving there for at least a year. You can work as much or as little as you want, as with any job. Where I work, a full time position is 2 day shift, followed by 2 night shifts, followed by 5 days off (which is technically 4, because you sleep for 1). All shifts are 12 hours. You are free to pick up overtime on your days off, which many people do. Sometimes you work holidays, but thats just part of the job. As far as ease in getting a job, it fluctuates. 2 years ago, it was dead easy to get a job anywhere as a new grad. Now, times are a lot tougher. However, in another year or two this will open back up- especially with this new health plan in place- and more nurses will be in demand. Definitely worth it. But do a degree, to give you more options. It'll save you upgrading later.
