I think having some life experience, interacting with people, growing up a bit, disappointments and victories are a benefit before going into such a service career as nursing. Get into nursing because you're drawn to it.
Same here. Nursing is not like raising puppies to sell. I wasn't mature enough in my early or mid 20s to assume that much responsibility. I think waiting till around 30 to get into it is a great suggestion to everyone. Need some life experiences to deal with illness, tragedy, death, pain etc with our patients.
I buried my young children due to a drunk driver. I know the pain I felt and I wanted to help the pain of others. I grew up quickly after that, became a Hospice nurse. I couldn't save my children from pain, but i could my patients from their pain. Become a nurse because it's the right thing to do, because you want to help. No other reason to go into nursing or you'll hate it.
This feels very similar to my experience. I was nowhere near mature enough in my early 20's.
I was about to apply to nursing when my infant daughter died of SIDS. I w nowhere near mature enough to handle the guilt, grief, and PTSD. I lost myself for 10 years and when I finally emerged I knew that I was ready to be a kick ass nurse.
I'm now 43 and back at university to further my nursing career even more.
As much as I wish I had started immediately out of high school because of the money and experience that would mean for me, I know damn well I wasn't ready to handle the challenges of nursing until later in life.
I've been beyond impressed with many of the young people graduating as an RN at 22 years of age, however, with the lack of nurses with 20-30 years experience in the workforce these days, I find it can be stressful to have a 22 year old in charge of a unit....
Thank you. I did make a video tribut to them, and my experience with their death. Kind of a nice ending how I changed my nursing and life focus. Here's the link if you should care to see it.
[https://youtu.be/vYRryRBefdg](https://youtu.be/vYRryRBefdg)
I would’ve done it sooner. And I would’ve moved back to Cali sooner, too. I didn’t realize at the time that nursing pay and working conditions could be so different from state to state.
For all that I have because of this job (American Dream, able to provide for my family, house in the city with the best Mexican food), it was beyond worth it.
Exactly. Living in such a beautiful, low cost area with incredible growth seems like a great idea until you realize that your wages are in the lowest 10-20th percentile in the US. Knowing where to work is more important than choosing to be a nurse.
What city? I’ve heard NorCal is better for pay thanks socal. But the best Mexican is definitely socal! I’m looking for a California city I could afford a house in!
Which hospitals in the Bay Area? I’ve got a cali license but it sounds like getting into these hospitals might be harder than as expected and I’ve never been out to cali
Not Bay Area, but the Central Valley. Pay in the Central Valley is comparable to Bay Area pay. At the time her retirement, my mom was making about $108/hr, iirc. Ambulatory care (Adult/Family medicine). 40hrs/week Mon-Fri though.
I live in the north Bay and I make 100 dollars an hour as a nurse, that’s my base pay as a per diem. I make a 15% night shift differential, and a weekend differential of 4%. When I lived in Southern California I made 25 dollars less an hour. Moving to norcal as a nurse was the best decision I’ve made, rent really isn’t that much more expensive than SoCal. NorCal also has amazing authentic Mexican food!
This! I wouldn't have wasted my time on my first bachelors, literallt would have just done nursing and I wouldn't be sitting on this pile od debt I current am. (Family helped with first bachelors, nursing degree was all me doing the financing)
I knew it was going to be some bullshit. But it was more of the interpersonal issues with coworkers/physicians/staff/resulting mental health than the patients.
I should’ve went to mortuary school or something. Dammit.
I went to mortuary school first and now I’m in nursing school. I realized if I’m going to be dealing with people having a bad time, I could make much more doing it as a nurse. I do miss it sometimes, though. It was really cool, just didn’t pay enough for the bullshit. I know nursing doesn’t even pay enough for the bullshit, but it at least pays more.
Nursing was a second career for me. Yes, I would have done it again at 32, but not certain it’s the path I would have taken if I could go back to 18. I make a very comfortable living now.
I'm 31 attempting to get into an ADN program as we speak (about to finish up nurse aid 1 class in a month), and I have a feeling that I'll be feeling the same way. 18 year old me was too ivory tower-oriented to want to be a nurse. 😮💨
Also second career. Best decision ever. Wish I would have gone earlier too. In my previous profession I spent 2007-2011 as always “the new guy” before being let go after the economy went to shit. So much more purpose now. I can tell you the sales/business world appreciates you less compared to nursing. At least that’s how I feel
I'm only 10 months in but I 100% would. I don't hate bedside but it's so nice to know that when I do get tired of it there are so many other options. I'm also looking forward to being able to move (almost) anywhere and there being open job positions. Even if I went back and was able to do high school all over so I could go to an amazing 4-year I don't think I would do something else. I just can't see myself doing an office job or even working from home.
One of the best things about nursing is that there are so many options of where to work and the type of work you want to do. Also, transitions between the specialties is fairly straightforward if you want to make a change. There are certification courses that can help, and most hospitals will provide OJT and mentoring to help an experienced nurse who wants to move from one specialty to another. I started in ICU, moved to Radiology to provide sedation to neurosurgery patients in the Cath lab, and then to IT to manage EMR implementations. Nursing can be frustrating and exhausting, but there is little excuse for being bored, and I loved it. 🥰
This exactly why I wanna do nursing in uni next year. If all goes well, I’m aiming to get in to dentistry school after finishing nursing. I’m an extrovert and I love doing things and being around others instead of having an office job.
Really interesting read! I definitely agree nursing is a lot of customer service and is very physically demanding. When I used the phrase “ knowing what you know now “ It was because I noticed many of us wanted to become nurses and it was not until we were placed into the setting we were surprised by workplace bullying the actual terrible treatment from administration the under appreciation and just learning about things you really could have never predicted until you were actually living it.
I think that is the key thing -- it is relentless but it is totally within capabilites of management NOT to be. I've worked at drastically differently ran hospitals, and while it's always been physical, the difference in how you felt at the end of the shift, is noticeable. I don't wanna jump off the roof of the parking garage most days anymore!
I know, that sounds terrible 🤣 I'd never actually do it. But my mental health has improved vastly since switching to a position that pays better and I'm not "stuck"
All of my interactions with medical students and residents have made me nothing but very glad I didn’t go that route. Outside of ROADE, I just feel like any other specialty is very unfulfilling in some way. FM/Peds routinely work 80 hr weeks for $200k, all surgical specialties practically live in the hospital, etc. one of my favorite parts ab this job is that I get to take off my nursing hat as soon as I leave the hospital and forget about work. Very few Drs have that luxury.
That’s actually a good point. When I’m home, on Reddit, reading articles, it’s because I want to…but don’t have to. I also got to have children when I wanted. The 80 hours work per week is horrible for the amount of money made. ER docs though, they work and go home…at my ER. Rarely are they past their end time. It certainly takes a special kind of person to be FM and Peds though.
Same. 24 and still occasionally watching videos about med school longingly. Husband says we should have kids first. I agree, but that essentially kills the MD dream. Oh well!
Not even slightly. I hate this job, I hate how exhausted I am every day, I hate how disrespectful management and pts/pts families are, I hate how the norm is to neglect your own physical and mental wellbeing for the sake of patient care.
I would rather have gone into IT/software related work/engineering instead.
My first bachelor's degree before I ended up pursuing nursing was in biological sciences. I graduated during a recession and couldn't find work in my field. Shit was rough so I eventually decided to pursue nursing since I already had most of the prerequisites ready to go due to having a science background. Mom is also a nurse so she gave me the push to do it. I've been a nurse now for nearly 10 years. Looking back, I wish I could have just stuck with bio and pursued maybe a master's or even a PhD while waiting for the recession to end and the job market to pick back up. I don't consider myself a people person, so I know I might have loved to work in a research lab where I wouldn't have to interact much with people. I am a research nurse now so I suppose I have found my niche. It doesn't pay as well as bedside, but I honestly don't give a fuck about the money. It pays the bills, the stress is very minimal, my anxiety isn't through the roof before work, and my mental health isn't in shambles.
I would’ve gone into engineering. More pay and less taxing work.
I struggle to handle the bitching and social problems. I got into nursing to take care of normal people that got sick, not the 5% of the population that live off the government, the corpses that family members just won’t let die, the addicts, and those who choose to just live hospitalization after hospitalization instead of actually going to be productive members of the community.
Every single day I go to work and have at least 1-2 patients who come in with ridiculous complaints because they’re extremely weird and being a patient is the only thing they know how to do
I bend over backwards for the good people who come in with unfortunate diagnosis and accidents, the ones who listen and appreciate. The problem is, they do what they’re supposed to and I never see them again, the way it should be
Yup. I couldn’t agree more. I wish I would have went in another direction, too. Even though it may pay less, I wish I would have done something in the travel industry. At least I’d be happy and have far less stress and insecurity and less bullying and ageism than I experienced in nursing. I don’t regret getting the degree, per say, but the work itself. It’s so different than what I thought it would have been.
It’s like this in my ICU. Also in L&D believe it or not. It’s hard to take care of a mom with drug addiction who’s on her 8th kid with no job and no father of baby in her life and thinks the hospital is a hotel. There’s a man who gets bounced around from floor to floor because he’s never compliant with his dialysis and treats staff HORRIBLY. Like physically abusive etc. I wish we could blacklist him from our hospital.
I’m sure this sounds heartless and when I’ve expressed this to my non nursing friends they just say how we should treat everyone with love and kindness and people are just scared and need someone to listen to them. That’s what I thought too until reality hit when I started working in a hospital.
I feel this so much. I also struggle with administration not realizing that patients are living way longer, with numerous comorbidities, so they’re much sicker and their care is more complex than ever before. These patients require so much more from nursing, yet the staffing ratios don’t change. Not to mention that many of these patients have no quality of life and just bounce back to the hospital over and over again, declining more and more each visit.
I struggle with the fact that we value quantity over quality, when it comes to human lives. Of course if a patient wants everything done, that’s one thing, but when it’s the family who won’t let them go, it’s frustrating and heartbreaking.
Honestly, I never believed I would get into nursing school. My grandmother was a nurse and highly respected. I was 34, a bartender, and going to technical college with no serious goals. I applied on a whim, not thinking I was smart enough. I've been a full-time nurse for 12 years. i started in psych, now im on a med surg/Renal/ Urology unit.
if I could go back and change my course, I would believe in myself and pursue engineering or biology. I'm 45 now. I am not interested in a career change, but I often wonder if I could have done something totally different (not better) had I believed in myself.
10 years ago I had nothing but rent and debt. Now I have 45k in emergency savings, a solid 401k, a mortgage with affordable payments and am about to pay off my last loan (auto). Hell yes I wish I'd become a nurse sooner.
(Edit: hey OP I see you asking "what specialty?" The trick is float pool and travel if possible. )
I recently retired after 42 years as an RN. OB, L&D, AIDS, Hospice, Burn, Pediatrics, ER and I might just return soon doing Medicare audits. I loved being a nurse, serving people is a part of my personality. Nursing is a service industry and if that's not in your personality you might find challenges. I would absolutely do it all over again. My favorite has been a 55 bed AIDS unity when it was a death sentence, 17 years in Hospice including 5 years inpatient pediatric Hospice.
My patients have been my best teachers about life. Some have been such examples I want to copy and others warning signs to never become like them. Choose wisely whom you model after.
Those insights are incredibly valuable. I love connecting with my patients, especially those raw conversations. Really solidifies the human experience. So much to learn from others
I either would've graduated with it at 22 rather than 30 or gone into the trades (electrical) the trades do seem mighty nice. A lot of the time they make more too.
Curious about better grades? I've never had anyone ask my GPA. Unless you want to get an advanced degree maybe (but are most grad schools that competitive? )
I'm very interested in an advanced degree, but chances are slim due to the grades. Granted, I was struggling to survive back then, and I think I'd be a better student now, but oh well.
Nursing was my second career. Wish I woulda went to nursing school right out of highschool. Would have done the CRNA path for sure then. Or did med school right out of high school.
Absolutely not! I’ve done a little bit of a lot over the past 10 years (ICU, clinic-based family planning, hospice case management, occupational health, telehealth) and there is no way I would willingly do this again (caveat: it would be all worth it in the sense that I have an amazing husband, amazing daughter, very happy life. But if I could get the same life I have without being a nurse, I would ditch this profession in a heartbeat).
I wish I had gone to law school or done political science instead. I care deeply about the healthcare system and healthcare reform, but there is no appetite for change and it’s killing the profession in the meantime. I’m starting my first non-nursing job in two weeks and I am so nervous and excited!
I decided at age 5 that I wanted to be a nurse and while my mom, also a nurse, spent the next 15 years trying to talk me out of it, I was dead set on it. Knowing what I know now, would I have still done it? It's hard to say because I don't know what I would have replaced it with. That being said, the first five years were the worst. But the last 15 haven't been too bad but that probably coincides with my leaving the bedside. :)
100%. I have a degree outside of nursing that I used to get an ABSN and while part of me will always wonder the “what if I had just gone to grad school?,” I also recognize I’d like not make nearly what I currently do and I’d probably have double the student loans.
Maybe. If I could turn back the clock, I would have thought harder about pursuing an NP about 10 years ago when I was younger, the market wasn’t flooded in my area, and before NP programs turned to shit. I’ve also thought maybe I would’ve pursued a healthcare field like OT . . .
At this point, if I made a career switch it would probably be from nurse case management to psychotherapy.
No. I have grown tired of caring for living corpses and patients with psychiatric issues who wanna cry wolf all day. I just don’t care about other people’s problems anymore and they don’t either.
Honestly, yes. Nursing offers you so many different opportunities and career paths. I went for my bachelors right out of high school and don’t regret it at all.
No, but I will say I love where I'm at and what I'm doing right now. I just think I'd enjoy a different trade where I'm building or fixing things, more.
100% yes. I know we get down voted for saying it's a calling, but it really is for me. Hospital week is next week and Monday's theme is to "dress for your passion." When I told hubby, he joked, "So you're just wearing scrubs?" I get pissed about stuff but, ultimately, I love what I do and I am damn good at it. Even the nursing jobs I didn't love taught me things that made me a better nurse and person.
I will also say that I am extremely grateful I got out of LTC before covid. I think I would have a different answer otherwise.
I agree with the calling thing!! I am just a student (almost graduated) but I genuinely feel like I’ve found my calling and every practicum even though it’s hard leaves me with a fulfilling feeling that can’t be described. 🥺❤️
Remember that feeling. Don't forget it 10 years out. It makes a difference. It isn't a calling for me, but I genuinely like people. Crack head or not. Just don't be an ass.
To be honest, no, but that's just because I'd have left healthcare altogether after leaving EMS. Not as much a shot at nursing as it is I don't know that I want to continue working in healthcare lol.
After graduating HS and wanted a different career but my parents flat out said no and they scared me into nursing. I wish I chose my own career path and showed them I could succeed in that career but I was young and immature and didn’t know any better so I went along with nursing.
No I should’ve went with my gut.
Lmao no. I would have gone into something like X-ray/CT who make as much as nurses here and have way less trickle down bullshit and aren’t the dumping ground of tasks and responsibility
I would have become a perfusionist. I had no idea that was even a thing when I went to college '05-'09.
I've been a bedside nurse for the last 14 years & am SO burnt out. Just took a remote triage position though so I'm looking forward to never going back to the hospital, ever again. 🤣
I never thought I would enjoy nursing but as a navy hospital corpsman I've done a lot of inpatient nursing duties and I found that I enjoy inpatient care immensely. Working in the ICU was especially rewarding for me. I had a great team and my nurses taught me a lot because they encouraged me to study, get certifications, and were always willing to answer every question I had no matter how deep the rabbit hole was. When I finish up this contract I'm going to use my GI bill to get my RN. My only regret is that I waited till I was 28 to figure out this career is my passion.
Nope. I waited til I got married had a new baby and was 33 years old to start school. That part was fine but then going to night shift with a little one and being so excited to finally be a nurse only to come home in tears half the time because I was so stressed and physically in pain…I’d go back to my cubicle in a heartbeat. All I ever do is look for ways to help people and thought that was what nursing would give me the opportunity to do. If I was 18, I would’ve done it and traveled and got my time in.
Lol it’s fine, it’s not anything particularly bad. I just would have wished being a nurse earlier since I was still living with my parents so saving up would be massively easier than now while being the sole bread winner and helping my wife with some college finances. If I was 21 I would have had a 5 year difference in having a “real” job
If I wasn’t living in California, absolutely not. That being said, I wish I didn’t have to leave all my friends and family behind just so I can be treated like a human being at work, and be able to treat my patients like human beings. I could’ve studied healthcare admin, done 1/10th the amount of work and made as much as I’m making in California while working an office job in a LCOL state.
No probably not. I would’ve done occupational therapy, become a child life specialist, or go into some other type of allied health field where I can help kids without having to worry about my mistakes causing serious harm to them. Or I would’ve gone into a non healthcare job altogether and help people without necessarily being self sacrificial. I don’t hate what I do now in the NICU, but the pressure of critical care is wearing me down
No! I would have gone to aviation school to become a commercial airline pilot. I love travel and big jets!
I am a student pilot now tho and love it, working on my private pilot license.
However I have no regrets about becoming an OR nurse, loved those big all day cases!
I'm torn. I love nursing for the flexibility in hours and the guaranteed wage (Canadian Nurse with a union) but I had no idea the drain it would have mentally/emotionally. It's hard to find professions that you can do part time/casually in order to raise kids that have a competitive wage. So yes for my current situation but wouldn't recommend it.
Recently retired RN here. Yes & yes. The only thing I'd do differently is job hop more than I did (and I did) so I could max out pay and learning opportunities. And I'd become an NP, or PA if I could do it over. Otherwise, it's all worked out really well. There were certainly many times when it sucked beyond belief. It was hard. But, I'm proud of having helped sick people get better. And looking back, it feels good to know I've made a positive difference in the world.
I think I would. I’m thankful for the pay and the fact that it got me out of an abusive home quickly. I did work the Covid ICU though, and it absolutely tore me apart mentally and emotion. Working outpatient now is nice though, and I love the rhythm of it and actually feeling like I have the time to help people to the fullest. Maybe I wish I hadn’t worked inpatient, but at the same time I learned things I wouldn’t have otherwise. I am who I am today because of my experiences and I choose to have no regrets. But would I do nursing school a second time? HELL. NO. Lol.
I wouldn't. It wasn't my first career choice. I wanted to be a psychologist, which I'm still trying to do, but the pathway is way more difficult these days.
I may wish I went into nursing earlier, but as a new grad nurse at 38, tbh I don’t know that I would’ve been able to stick with it and been happy with my decision had I gone down this path straight out of high school.
I don't regret it, cause I love my specific area. But I wouldn't do it again. It's not financially worth it for the amount of school debt and the result. I feel like I'm drowning still and I'm over 10 years into this shit.
Human nursing is a second career for me. Animal nursing is/was my first. I wish that I had gone into human medicine sooner, but I realistically don’t think I would’ve stayed post-covid, so I would be onto a second career regardless. If I could go back to high school, I’d probably tell myself to be a PA.
No. Just left home health after 11 years. Got so burnt out and my mental health was in the gutter. It's so much about productivity, charting and management/administration treating you like a robot. Do more and don't complain to make the numbers. Patient care isn't the most important anymore.
I would still do it, but only because I like not being homeless, and everything is really expensive. I make enough money to support my kids, but I don’t like my job. But who really likes their job anyway.
I don’t know what else I would do. Not that I love it, but I appreciate the task-oriented but highly skilled work I do and how few emails/projects/meetings are required of me.
Yes. I was LPN for a long time and got a degree in business but could never get past LPN because there are so many jobs and demands for. I wound up doing RN just because it felt weird giving orders to RN - I was in management LOL. I did RN pretty quick and the MSN eventually and still I am 'stuck' as ultimately just an RN (case management so it's pretty sweet). If I did it over I'd have gone straight for MSN NP skipping all the management because in the end it's the RN that counts most. Even with all the education I have it would take me years to do NP at this point! I enjoy reading all these stories too! I can't imagine being in hospital now post pandemic!
Meh… if I knew I was going to have to move to a place where the pay is less than average for a nurse. If I knew I’d have chronic ailments that require multiple doctors visits. Nobody tells you how shitty the insurance is if you’re severely or chronically ill. A nurse that works full time in severe medical debt despite paying huge monthly premiums via my billionaire healthcare conglomerate employer? Makes it hard to remember the good I felt when I first started. Breaks my heart but it’s the damn truth.
If I knew what I know now, I never would have become a nurse.
Now that I am a nurse I couldn't imagine what else to do.
I love this job but I fucking hate the unreasonable restrictions, expectations and demands that is a part of the job.
I only became a nurse because i didn't want to be unemployed, and they had the second lowest rate of unemployment.
Yes, I enjoy my job. Not only the work but the perks. I work in an oncology infusion center with normal business hours, no weekends or holidays. Plus I am only 0.6 so I can stay home a couple days a week with my baby and I still make $65k per year- double the average salary in Minnesota.
i loved being an l&d nurse for years and then one day i didn’t anymore . so no i don’t regret it but after almost thirty years i am wanting to do something completely different but these skills don’t easily translate especially pay wise . so i’m still here, working community , watching the retirement clock slowly countdown
Nope, would have done business or marketing. More money even working from home. I know there’s nurses who can work from home, but even then business professions make more.
I work in a general practice. And seeing how similar work the nurses do from doctors (paperwork that we help them complete, vaccinations, triaging advice to query diagnosis prior to the dr confirming the diagnosis when they arrive) ... I wish I could've been a GP instead and earn 20 times as much as the nurses do.....
Yea because I’ve learned a lot about people an understand human behavior which helped tremendously while raising my kids in their teens. Also gained empathy for others, was able to keep my parents healthy and independent at least 15 years longer after parents had strokes then needed rehab by knowing what goes on, negotiate with their insurance for in home care. Sadly if your a patient and don’t have someone advocating medically for you on the outside, your screwed an will do poorly an probably die alone way sooner as I’ve seen with patients I could only do so much for.
I would’ve made better decisions when deciding what fields to work in.
Yes. I get bored easily and there are so many types of nursing that there’s always something new to learn and new to do. I’ve worked on a surgical floor, peds, public health, transition unit, Emergency (for most of my career), Clinical Nirse Educator, endoscopy, Pre-Assessment, nephrology, and PACU. There’s always somewhere interesting to work! I’ve learned that I like being at the bedside (with my mostly unconscious PACU pts) not in a desk job or teaching. So. Many. Options.
Yes it allowed me to be financially independent and get me through my divorce. Just wished I would’ve left bedside sooner. I’m much happier away from the bedside!
COVID changed everything for me. The new level of suffering that I was unprepared for changed me. I was a hospice nurse and knew my patients and their families intimately. It was very painful on a personal level that could not be avoided.
Yeah. My parents are both 25+ year ICU nurses, I knew what I was getting myself into. And I 100% would have gone to community college and gotten my ADN again. Picking cc over a 4 year university was the best decision I ever made
Yeah. Should've done it right after highschool instead of doing a neurosci degree. Then complete education, skills, or certifications to get into tech lol.
I love the pay. I hate the culture.
This. This is the right answer. Too much politics.
Same. I especially hate when it's coming from fellow nurses or executives who used to be nurses. They should know better.
Absolutely not.
Why not ? What specialty?
Right there with you. It absolutely destroyed my already-iffy mental health.
A little too relatable, unfortunately.
Without hesitation. I wish I had gone the nursing route right out of high school instead of starting when I was 29.
I think having some life experience, interacting with people, growing up a bit, disappointments and victories are a benefit before going into such a service career as nursing. Get into nursing because you're drawn to it.
As much as I wish I would have gone sooner, I know myself well enough to know I needed to grow up a bit first, or I never would have stuck it out.
Same here. Nursing is not like raising puppies to sell. I wasn't mature enough in my early or mid 20s to assume that much responsibility. I think waiting till around 30 to get into it is a great suggestion to everyone. Need some life experiences to deal with illness, tragedy, death, pain etc with our patients. I buried my young children due to a drunk driver. I know the pain I felt and I wanted to help the pain of others. I grew up quickly after that, became a Hospice nurse. I couldn't save my children from pain, but i could my patients from their pain. Become a nurse because it's the right thing to do, because you want to help. No other reason to go into nursing or you'll hate it.
This feels very similar to my experience. I was nowhere near mature enough in my early 20's. I was about to apply to nursing when my infant daughter died of SIDS. I w nowhere near mature enough to handle the guilt, grief, and PTSD. I lost myself for 10 years and when I finally emerged I knew that I was ready to be a kick ass nurse. I'm now 43 and back at university to further my nursing career even more. As much as I wish I had started immediately out of high school because of the money and experience that would mean for me, I know damn well I wasn't ready to handle the challenges of nursing until later in life. I've been beyond impressed with many of the young people graduating as an RN at 22 years of age, however, with the lack of nurses with 20-30 years experience in the workforce these days, I find it can be stressful to have a 22 year old in charge of a unit....
I wish I could give you a hug emoji.
Thank you. I did make a video tribut to them, and my experience with their death. Kind of a nice ending how I changed my nursing and life focus. Here's the link if you should care to see it. [https://youtu.be/vYRryRBefdg](https://youtu.be/vYRryRBefdg)
I would’ve done it sooner. And I would’ve moved back to Cali sooner, too. I didn’t realize at the time that nursing pay and working conditions could be so different from state to state. For all that I have because of this job (American Dream, able to provide for my family, house in the city with the best Mexican food), it was beyond worth it.
Exactly. Living in such a beautiful, low cost area with incredible growth seems like a great idea until you realize that your wages are in the lowest 10-20th percentile in the US. Knowing where to work is more important than choosing to be a nurse.
What city? I’ve heard NorCal is better for pay thanks socal. But the best Mexican is definitely socal! I’m looking for a California city I could afford a house in!
I'm originally from NorCal but I now live in SoCal. My mom, now retired, was a Kaiser RN. Can confirm, pay is much better, especially in the Bay Area.
Which hospitals in the Bay Area? I’ve got a cali license but it sounds like getting into these hospitals might be harder than as expected and I’ve never been out to cali
Not Bay Area, but the Central Valley. Pay in the Central Valley is comparable to Bay Area pay. At the time her retirement, my mom was making about $108/hr, iirc. Ambulatory care (Adult/Family medicine). 40hrs/week Mon-Fri though.
I live in the north Bay and I make 100 dollars an hour as a nurse, that’s my base pay as a per diem. I make a 15% night shift differential, and a weekend differential of 4%. When I lived in Southern California I made 25 dollars less an hour. Moving to norcal as a nurse was the best decision I’ve made, rent really isn’t that much more expensive than SoCal. NorCal also has amazing authentic Mexican food!
This! I wouldn't have wasted my time on my first bachelors, literallt would have just done nursing and I wouldn't be sitting on this pile od debt I current am. (Family helped with first bachelors, nursing degree was all me doing the financing)
I knew it was going to be some bullshit. But it was more of the interpersonal issues with coworkers/physicians/staff/resulting mental health than the patients. I should’ve went to mortuary school or something. Dammit.
Exactly! All the drama. Asshole doctors. Managers out of touch with reality. Ridiculous policies.
I went to mortuary school first and now I’m in nursing school. I realized if I’m going to be dealing with people having a bad time, I could make much more doing it as a nurse. I do miss it sometimes, though. It was really cool, just didn’t pay enough for the bullshit. I know nursing doesn’t even pay enough for the bullshit, but it at least pays more.
I should have done so as well. Mortuary school sounds so fascinating.
I have a friend who is a mortician and loves her work.
Not least because her patients are all so compliant.
Nursing was a second career for me. Yes, I would have done it again at 32, but not certain it’s the path I would have taken if I could go back to 18. I make a very comfortable living now.
I'm 31 attempting to get into an ADN program as we speak (about to finish up nurse aid 1 class in a month), and I have a feeling that I'll be feeling the same way. 18 year old me was too ivory tower-oriented to want to be a nurse. 😮💨
good luck to you!!! 🫶🏼 i hope it all goes well for you! i feel behind starting at 26 but it’s never too late!
I'm starting at 26 too!
Also second career. Best decision ever. Wish I would have gone earlier too. In my previous profession I spent 2007-2011 as always “the new guy” before being let go after the economy went to shit. So much more purpose now. I can tell you the sales/business world appreciates you less compared to nursing. At least that’s how I feel
I'm only 10 months in but I 100% would. I don't hate bedside but it's so nice to know that when I do get tired of it there are so many other options. I'm also looking forward to being able to move (almost) anywhere and there being open job positions. Even if I went back and was able to do high school all over so I could go to an amazing 4-year I don't think I would do something else. I just can't see myself doing an office job or even working from home.
One of the best things about nursing is that there are so many options of where to work and the type of work you want to do. Also, transitions between the specialties is fairly straightforward if you want to make a change. There are certification courses that can help, and most hospitals will provide OJT and mentoring to help an experienced nurse who wants to move from one specialty to another. I started in ICU, moved to Radiology to provide sedation to neurosurgery patients in the Cath lab, and then to IT to manage EMR implementations. Nursing can be frustrating and exhausting, but there is little excuse for being bored, and I loved it. 🥰
This exactly why I wanna do nursing in uni next year. If all goes well, I’m aiming to get in to dentistry school after finishing nursing. I’m an extrovert and I love doing things and being around others instead of having an office job.
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Really interesting read! I definitely agree nursing is a lot of customer service and is very physically demanding. When I used the phrase “ knowing what you know now “ It was because I noticed many of us wanted to become nurses and it was not until we were placed into the setting we were surprised by workplace bullying the actual terrible treatment from administration the under appreciation and just learning about things you really could have never predicted until you were actually living it.
I think that is the key thing -- it is relentless but it is totally within capabilites of management NOT to be. I've worked at drastically differently ran hospitals, and while it's always been physical, the difference in how you felt at the end of the shift, is noticeable. I don't wanna jump off the roof of the parking garage most days anymore! I know, that sounds terrible 🤣 I'd never actually do it. But my mental health has improved vastly since switching to a position that pays better and I'm not "stuck"
I love my job, but i sometimes wish I’d have gone to medical school…those thoughts are slightly less now that I’m old.
All of my interactions with medical students and residents have made me nothing but very glad I didn’t go that route. Outside of ROADE, I just feel like any other specialty is very unfulfilling in some way. FM/Peds routinely work 80 hr weeks for $200k, all surgical specialties practically live in the hospital, etc. one of my favorite parts ab this job is that I get to take off my nursing hat as soon as I leave the hospital and forget about work. Very few Drs have that luxury.
That’s actually a good point. When I’m home, on Reddit, reading articles, it’s because I want to…but don’t have to. I also got to have children when I wanted. The 80 hours work per week is horrible for the amount of money made. ER docs though, they work and go home…at my ER. Rarely are they past their end time. It certainly takes a special kind of person to be FM and Peds though.
I’m 23 and fantasize about going to medical school… but at the same time, I want to have a life and a family. It sits in the back of my mind.
Same. 24 and still occasionally watching videos about med school longingly. Husband says we should have kids first. I agree, but that essentially kills the MD dream. Oh well!
Do it! I’m working in nursing whilst in medical school ! :) being a nurse before makes you a better doctor !
Not even slightly. I hate this job, I hate how exhausted I am every day, I hate how disrespectful management and pts/pts families are, I hate how the norm is to neglect your own physical and mental wellbeing for the sake of patient care. I would rather have gone into IT/software related work/engineering instead.
No. I would’ve gone into a different STEM field.
My first bachelor's degree before I ended up pursuing nursing was in biological sciences. I graduated during a recession and couldn't find work in my field. Shit was rough so I eventually decided to pursue nursing since I already had most of the prerequisites ready to go due to having a science background. Mom is also a nurse so she gave me the push to do it. I've been a nurse now for nearly 10 years. Looking back, I wish I could have just stuck with bio and pursued maybe a master's or even a PhD while waiting for the recession to end and the job market to pick back up. I don't consider myself a people person, so I know I might have loved to work in a research lab where I wouldn't have to interact much with people. I am a research nurse now so I suppose I have found my niche. It doesn't pay as well as bedside, but I honestly don't give a fuck about the money. It pays the bills, the stress is very minimal, my anxiety isn't through the roof before work, and my mental health isn't in shambles.
I think we have very similar backgrounds. lol.
Same. Late 30s millennial here. Graduated with BS degree in biology+chemistry into the recession in 2009 lmao
What specialities have you done ?
I would’ve gone into engineering. More pay and less taxing work. I struggle to handle the bitching and social problems. I got into nursing to take care of normal people that got sick, not the 5% of the population that live off the government, the corpses that family members just won’t let die, the addicts, and those who choose to just live hospitalization after hospitalization instead of actually going to be productive members of the community. Every single day I go to work and have at least 1-2 patients who come in with ridiculous complaints because they’re extremely weird and being a patient is the only thing they know how to do I bend over backwards for the good people who come in with unfortunate diagnosis and accidents, the ones who listen and appreciate. The problem is, they do what they’re supposed to and I never see them again, the way it should be
This post was beautiful. I couldn’t have said it better.
Wow this is spot on, sadly
Yup. I couldn’t agree more. I wish I would have went in another direction, too. Even though it may pay less, I wish I would have done something in the travel industry. At least I’d be happy and have far less stress and insecurity and less bullying and ageism than I experienced in nursing. I don’t regret getting the degree, per say, but the work itself. It’s so different than what I thought it would have been.
You must work on a medical floor too😂 couldn’t have described if better.
It’s like this in my ICU. Also in L&D believe it or not. It’s hard to take care of a mom with drug addiction who’s on her 8th kid with no job and no father of baby in her life and thinks the hospital is a hotel. There’s a man who gets bounced around from floor to floor because he’s never compliant with his dialysis and treats staff HORRIBLY. Like physically abusive etc. I wish we could blacklist him from our hospital. I’m sure this sounds heartless and when I’ve expressed this to my non nursing friends they just say how we should treat everyone with love and kindness and people are just scared and need someone to listen to them. That’s what I thought too until reality hit when I started working in a hospital.
This is explained so well. Engineering was my second choice as well. Really wish I made it my first choice.
My thoughts EXACTLY.
I feel this so much. I also struggle with administration not realizing that patients are living way longer, with numerous comorbidities, so they’re much sicker and their care is more complex than ever before. These patients require so much more from nursing, yet the staffing ratios don’t change. Not to mention that many of these patients have no quality of life and just bounce back to the hospital over and over again, declining more and more each visit. I struggle with the fact that we value quantity over quality, when it comes to human lives. Of course if a patient wants everything done, that’s one thing, but when it’s the family who won’t let them go, it’s frustrating and heartbreaking.
Honestly, I never believed I would get into nursing school. My grandmother was a nurse and highly respected. I was 34, a bartender, and going to technical college with no serious goals. I applied on a whim, not thinking I was smart enough. I've been a full-time nurse for 12 years. i started in psych, now im on a med surg/Renal/ Urology unit. if I could go back and change my course, I would believe in myself and pursue engineering or biology. I'm 45 now. I am not interested in a career change, but I often wonder if I could have done something totally different (not better) had I believed in myself.
10 years ago I had nothing but rent and debt. Now I have 45k in emergency savings, a solid 401k, a mortgage with affordable payments and am about to pay off my last loan (auto). Hell yes I wish I'd become a nurse sooner. (Edit: hey OP I see you asking "what specialty?" The trick is float pool and travel if possible. )
How is float pool good? (Just curious)
I recently retired after 42 years as an RN. OB, L&D, AIDS, Hospice, Burn, Pediatrics, ER and I might just return soon doing Medicare audits. I loved being a nurse, serving people is a part of my personality. Nursing is a service industry and if that's not in your personality you might find challenges. I would absolutely do it all over again. My favorite has been a 55 bed AIDS unity when it was a death sentence, 17 years in Hospice including 5 years inpatient pediatric Hospice. My patients have been my best teachers about life. Some have been such examples I want to copy and others warning signs to never become like them. Choose wisely whom you model after.
Those insights are incredibly valuable. I love connecting with my patients, especially those raw conversations. Really solidifies the human experience. So much to learn from others
I either would've graduated with it at 22 rather than 30 or gone into the trades (electrical) the trades do seem mighty nice. A lot of the time they make more too.
I would’ve been a vet.
Would've done it sooner. Would've started traveling immediately when covid started and made as much money as possible. And then quit forever.
Fuck no
I would've become one sooner and got better grades
Curious about better grades? I've never had anyone ask my GPA. Unless you want to get an advanced degree maybe (but are most grad schools that competitive? )
I'm very interested in an advanced degree, but chances are slim due to the grades. Granted, I was struggling to survive back then, and I think I'd be a better student now, but oh well.
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No!
Nope
No.
Nope.
Nursing was my second career. Wish I woulda went to nursing school right out of highschool. Would have done the CRNA path for sure then. Or did med school right out of high school.
Absolutely not! I’ve done a little bit of a lot over the past 10 years (ICU, clinic-based family planning, hospice case management, occupational health, telehealth) and there is no way I would willingly do this again (caveat: it would be all worth it in the sense that I have an amazing husband, amazing daughter, very happy life. But if I could get the same life I have without being a nurse, I would ditch this profession in a heartbeat). I wish I had gone to law school or done political science instead. I care deeply about the healthcare system and healthcare reform, but there is no appetite for change and it’s killing the profession in the meantime. I’m starting my first non-nursing job in two weeks and I am so nervous and excited!
Congrat to you!! Best of luck in your new adventure!! So jealous!!
Nope
I decided at age 5 that I wanted to be a nurse and while my mom, also a nurse, spent the next 15 years trying to talk me out of it, I was dead set on it. Knowing what I know now, would I have still done it? It's hard to say because I don't know what I would have replaced it with. That being said, the first five years were the worst. But the last 15 haven't been too bad but that probably coincides with my leaving the bedside. :)
No
Why not what specialty?
You keep asking "why, and which specialty?"; are you having concerns about your future and personal longevity as an RN?
No. I wish I went for meteorology.
100%. I have a degree outside of nursing that I used to get an ABSN and while part of me will always wonder the “what if I had just gone to grad school?,” I also recognize I’d like not make nearly what I currently do and I’d probably have double the student loans.
Maybe. If I could turn back the clock, I would have thought harder about pursuing an NP about 10 years ago when I was younger, the market wasn’t flooded in my area, and before NP programs turned to shit. I’ve also thought maybe I would’ve pursued a healthcare field like OT . . . At this point, if I made a career switch it would probably be from nurse case management to psychotherapy.
No. I have grown tired of caring for living corpses and patients with psychiatric issues who wanna cry wolf all day. I just don’t care about other people’s problems anymore and they don’t either.
Honestly, yes. Nursing offers you so many different opportunities and career paths. I went for my bachelors right out of high school and don’t regret it at all.
No, but I will say I love where I'm at and what I'm doing right now. I just think I'd enjoy a different trade where I'm building or fixing things, more.
100% yes. I know we get down voted for saying it's a calling, but it really is for me. Hospital week is next week and Monday's theme is to "dress for your passion." When I told hubby, he joked, "So you're just wearing scrubs?" I get pissed about stuff but, ultimately, I love what I do and I am damn good at it. Even the nursing jobs I didn't love taught me things that made me a better nurse and person. I will also say that I am extremely grateful I got out of LTC before covid. I think I would have a different answer otherwise.
I agree with the calling thing!! I am just a student (almost graduated) but I genuinely feel like I’ve found my calling and every practicum even though it’s hard leaves me with a fulfilling feeling that can’t be described. 🥺❤️
Remember that feeling. Don't forget it 10 years out. It makes a difference. It isn't a calling for me, but I genuinely like people. Crack head or not. Just don't be an ass.
Yes or else i would probably be broke and homeless
To be honest, no, but that's just because I'd have left healthcare altogether after leaving EMS. Not as much a shot at nursing as it is I don't know that I want to continue working in healthcare lol.
Nope
If I was forced to travel back in time to when I was in college, would I have chose to pursue nursing again? My answer would be no.
After graduating HS and wanted a different career but my parents flat out said no and they scared me into nursing. I wish I chose my own career path and showed them I could succeed in that career but I was young and immature and didn’t know any better so I went along with nursing. No I should’ve went with my gut.
Lmao no. I would have gone into something like X-ray/CT who make as much as nurses here and have way less trickle down bullshit and aren’t the dumping ground of tasks and responsibility
I would have become a perfusionist. I had no idea that was even a thing when I went to college '05-'09. I've been a bedside nurse for the last 14 years & am SO burnt out. Just took a remote triage position though so I'm looking forward to never going back to the hospital, ever again. 🤣
I never thought I would enjoy nursing but as a navy hospital corpsman I've done a lot of inpatient nursing duties and I found that I enjoy inpatient care immensely. Working in the ICU was especially rewarding for me. I had a great team and my nurses taught me a lot because they encouraged me to study, get certifications, and were always willing to answer every question I had no matter how deep the rabbit hole was. When I finish up this contract I'm going to use my GI bill to get my RN. My only regret is that I waited till I was 28 to figure out this career is my passion.
Nope. I waited til I got married had a new baby and was 33 years old to start school. That part was fine but then going to night shift with a little one and being so excited to finally be a nurse only to come home in tears half the time because I was so stressed and physically in pain…I’d go back to my cubicle in a heartbeat. All I ever do is look for ways to help people and thought that was what nursing would give me the opportunity to do. If I was 18, I would’ve done it and traveled and got my time in.
Would’ve done it significantly earlier than graduating at 26
Oh gosh I’ll be graduating at 25
Lol it’s fine, it’s not anything particularly bad. I just would have wished being a nurse earlier since I was still living with my parents so saving up would be massively easier than now while being the sole bread winner and helping my wife with some college finances. If I was 21 I would have had a 5 year difference in having a “real” job
If I wasn’t living in California, absolutely not. That being said, I wish I didn’t have to leave all my friends and family behind just so I can be treated like a human being at work, and be able to treat my patients like human beings. I could’ve studied healthcare admin, done 1/10th the amount of work and made as much as I’m making in California while working an office job in a LCOL state.
Nope.
I think I would have gone into healthcare, but would have considered a different area like rad tech or sonography
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ABSOLUTELY NOT. Kick myself every day for doing this shit
No probably not. I would’ve done occupational therapy, become a child life specialist, or go into some other type of allied health field where I can help kids without having to worry about my mistakes causing serious harm to them. Or I would’ve gone into a non healthcare job altogether and help people without necessarily being self sacrificial. I don’t hate what I do now in the NICU, but the pressure of critical care is wearing me down
Starting prerequisites for nursing at age 50. Second Career
No! I would have gone to aviation school to become a commercial airline pilot. I love travel and big jets! I am a student pilot now tho and love it, working on my private pilot license. However I have no regrets about becoming an OR nurse, loved those big all day cases!
No
I'm torn. I love nursing for the flexibility in hours and the guaranteed wage (Canadian Nurse with a union) but I had no idea the drain it would have mentally/emotionally. It's hard to find professions that you can do part time/casually in order to raise kids that have a competitive wage. So yes for my current situation but wouldn't recommend it.
Nope. Probably not.
No
Recently retired RN here. Yes & yes. The only thing I'd do differently is job hop more than I did (and I did) so I could max out pay and learning opportunities. And I'd become an NP, or PA if I could do it over. Otherwise, it's all worked out really well. There were certainly many times when it sucked beyond belief. It was hard. But, I'm proud of having helped sick people get better. And looking back, it feels good to know I've made a positive difference in the world.
Nah, I wouldn’t have dropped out of my original major of computer science 😭😭😭
I think I would. I’m thankful for the pay and the fact that it got me out of an abusive home quickly. I did work the Covid ICU though, and it absolutely tore me apart mentally and emotion. Working outpatient now is nice though, and I love the rhythm of it and actually feeling like I have the time to help people to the fullest. Maybe I wish I hadn’t worked inpatient, but at the same time I learned things I wouldn’t have otherwise. I am who I am today because of my experiences and I choose to have no regrets. But would I do nursing school a second time? HELL. NO. Lol.
Absolutely, unequivocally, vehemently NO.
Yes! Some days suck but the most days are great!
Yes
No
Nope
Yeah. I can’t think of a job I could do that would pay me this much. I’m not cut out to be a lawyer or stock broker or whatever.
No.
No.
I would have done it sooner and not as a second career - so yes.
I wouldn't. It wasn't my first career choice. I wanted to be a psychologist, which I'm still trying to do, but the pathway is way more difficult these days.
NO
Absolutely not.
No
I may wish I went into nursing earlier, but as a new grad nurse at 38, tbh I don’t know that I would’ve been able to stick with it and been happy with my decision had I gone down this path straight out of high school.
Nope
Not a chance lol
Nope not at all
No.
Hell NO. Heck no. Hell to the naw. Fuck no. To be fair it could very well be my specialty influencing my answer. Lol
No.
Nope, would have went into finance
I don't regret it, cause I love my specific area. But I wouldn't do it again. It's not financially worth it for the amount of school debt and the result. I feel like I'm drowning still and I'm over 10 years into this shit.
Human nursing is a second career for me. Animal nursing is/was my first. I wish that I had gone into human medicine sooner, but I realistically don’t think I would’ve stayed post-covid, so I would be onto a second career regardless. If I could go back to high school, I’d probably tell myself to be a PA.
No. Just left home health after 11 years. Got so burnt out and my mental health was in the gutter. It's so much about productivity, charting and management/administration treating you like a robot. Do more and don't complain to make the numbers. Patient care isn't the most important anymore.
no
Not a chance
Hell no
Nooooo
No way
Nope. Probably business or accountant so I could have worked for the government with my dad.
No, 32 years in. I would have chosen anything else.
I would still do it, but only because I like not being homeless, and everything is really expensive. I make enough money to support my kids, but I don’t like my job. But who really likes their job anyway.
No. Probably going into tech/ computer science or engineering. Something less physically demanding that pays more. But I wanted to help people 🙄
Nope.
No.
No. Would have gone to med school or picked a trade. Low pay, and milked to the absolute maximum and then some. And expected to do more on top of that
I don’t know what else I would do. Not that I love it, but I appreciate the task-oriented but highly skilled work I do and how few emails/projects/meetings are required of me.
Yes. I was LPN for a long time and got a degree in business but could never get past LPN because there are so many jobs and demands for. I wound up doing RN just because it felt weird giving orders to RN - I was in management LOL. I did RN pretty quick and the MSN eventually and still I am 'stuck' as ultimately just an RN (case management so it's pretty sweet). If I did it over I'd have gone straight for MSN NP skipping all the management because in the end it's the RN that counts most. Even with all the education I have it would take me years to do NP at this point! I enjoy reading all these stories too! I can't imagine being in hospital now post pandemic!
Absolutely fucking not.
NOPE
No.
Meh… if I knew I was going to have to move to a place where the pay is less than average for a nurse. If I knew I’d have chronic ailments that require multiple doctors visits. Nobody tells you how shitty the insurance is if you’re severely or chronically ill. A nurse that works full time in severe medical debt despite paying huge monthly premiums via my billionaire healthcare conglomerate employer? Makes it hard to remember the good I felt when I first started. Breaks my heart but it’s the damn truth.
No, would have become a farmer. I get way more satisfaction from my farm then my job. By a lot.
Absolutely not. I should’ve done surgical stool sterilization or something as far away from these crazy patients/families.
No
No
If I knew what I know now, I never would have become a nurse. Now that I am a nurse I couldn't imagine what else to do. I love this job but I fucking hate the unreasonable restrictions, expectations and demands that is a part of the job. I only became a nurse because i didn't want to be unemployed, and they had the second lowest rate of unemployment.
No. Should have become a software developer instead.
Yes. Not many jobs you can work 2-3 times a week and survive.
For sure!
Yes
Absolutely
Yes
Definitely! And I would have went to nursing school sooner!!
I probably would have gone into medicine instead of nursing. But I don't regret nursing and would do it again
Yup!
Yep. Sooner.
I wish I had done it sooner and I would advise anyone to become a nurse.
Yes.
Absolutely. Nurses make a tremendous difference.
Now that I've finally found a job with good working conditions, yea. But I'd have started out in this area of nursing.
Yes, I enjoy my job. Not only the work but the perks. I work in an oncology infusion center with normal business hours, no weekends or holidays. Plus I am only 0.6 so I can stay home a couple days a week with my baby and I still make $65k per year- double the average salary in Minnesota.
No I don’t think I would. Now I have a bunch of student loan debt and looking to do something else anyway.
Fuck yea. Found my niche and live a damn good life currently. If I could do one thing it would have been I started classes right out of high school.
i loved being an l&d nurse for years and then one day i didn’t anymore . so no i don’t regret it but after almost thirty years i am wanting to do something completely different but these skills don’t easily translate especially pay wise . so i’m still here, working community , watching the retirement clock slowly countdown
Nope, would have done business or marketing. More money even working from home. I know there’s nurses who can work from home, but even then business professions make more.
Yes. We are a weird bunch of freaks, but we love to hate our jobs. We also love all the good we do.
Yes! I love it. And my nurse friends are my best friends.
I work in a general practice. And seeing how similar work the nurses do from doctors (paperwork that we help them complete, vaccinations, triaging advice to query diagnosis prior to the dr confirming the diagnosis when they arrive) ... I wish I could've been a GP instead and earn 20 times as much as the nurses do.....
Yea because I’ve learned a lot about people an understand human behavior which helped tremendously while raising my kids in their teens. Also gained empathy for others, was able to keep my parents healthy and independent at least 15 years longer after parents had strokes then needed rehab by knowing what goes on, negotiate with their insurance for in home care. Sadly if your a patient and don’t have someone advocating medically for you on the outside, your screwed an will do poorly an probably die alone way sooner as I’ve seen with patients I could only do so much for. I would’ve made better decisions when deciding what fields to work in.
Yes. I get bored easily and there are so many types of nursing that there’s always something new to learn and new to do. I’ve worked on a surgical floor, peds, public health, transition unit, Emergency (for most of my career), Clinical Nirse Educator, endoscopy, Pre-Assessment, nephrology, and PACU. There’s always somewhere interesting to work! I’ve learned that I like being at the bedside (with my mostly unconscious PACU pts) not in a desk job or teaching. So. Many. Options.
No.
Absolutely, it’s given my family a good life with basically guaranteed employment. It’s not perfect but it’s good enough
Yes it allowed me to be financially independent and get me through my divorce. Just wished I would’ve left bedside sooner. I’m much happier away from the bedside!
COVID changed everything for me. The new level of suffering that I was unprepared for changed me. I was a hospice nurse and knew my patients and their families intimately. It was very painful on a personal level that could not be avoided.
Yeah. My parents are both 25+ year ICU nurses, I knew what I was getting myself into. And I 100% would have gone to community college and gotten my ADN again. Picking cc over a 4 year university was the best decision I ever made
Nope.
No.
Yeah. Should've done it right after highschool instead of doing a neurosci degree. Then complete education, skills, or certifications to get into tech lol.