Nursing is a job that is occupied by 2.9 million people in the USA alone, and it is also a widely respected job. Nursing is an easier way to go into medicine if you don't want to spend 4 years after college in med school; and just like being a doctor, there are many fields to get into.
Nurses can serve in clinics or in hospitals. Hospitals generally see more severely sick people, whereas clinics see mostly well people. Also, clinics are praised for having better hours than a hospital, which is good for moms.
There are many levels of nursing:
Nurses Aid: 75 hours of training and a written exam, work in nursing homes mostly. Scope is limited. ($12-15 an hour)
Certified Medical Assistant: similar to nursing aid, take a test that can put you in a room, check vitals, etc. Many can administer medication. ($17-20 an hour)
Licensed Vocational Nurse: Year of college training, can start IVS, little more limited in medicine they can distribute, works under a physician license, good pay especially when still in school ($27-35 an hour)
RN: JC and State Board Exam or Bachelors in Nursing and State Board Exam, pay scale not a big difference in CA, depends on state, still work under a physicians license ($50 an hour and up based on experience)
Nurse Practitioner: gives prescriptions, goes through long college program
Nursing is a good option for a career because there are all sorts of options, and flexibility in the hours that you work. You can start somewhere like in the emergency room and end up somewhere completely different. RNs can teach classes in health, and you get to have a more personal connection with patients. Nurses feel like they have an impact on people, and they help save lives. It's very gratifying when your friends call you up to ask you what to do when their child is sick, because nurses generally need to have a good knowledge of first aid. Nursing is a great career for a mom, because you can work as little or as much as you want. It is hard to get into programs, what with budget cuts, and new graduates have a hard time landing jobs since employers usually look for people with a long history of experience.
Skills for nursing include multitasking, problem-solving, and working with other people. Sometimes you can't always save a patient, and you have to have a line. You must have compassion, and admit to your mistakes. Nurses also really need to have people skills, and be able to adapt to change.
Nurses do administer shots, but no worries; they have plenty of practice. In school, nurses practice upon oranges or manikins. For the more confident, they practice on other pre-nurses. There's a very good set up nowadays in nursing training to quell people's fear of needles.
In summary,
nursing = good career for people who want flexible hours
people skills = absolutely necessary when wanting to become a nurse
needles = no big deal once you go through training
Blog post #2 complete!
