Daughter wants to be a nurse?

[burnitblue]

The University of Washington has the top nursing school in the country (2-year BSN program). I would highly recommend it.

[StickerShock]

Bethievt, that's a very important point. When I got out of college with a BA in English, my nursing friends (lots of them, heavily encouraged to become nurses in our Catholic school world) made at least double my salary. Granted, the pay still did not match what the engineers made at the time. But they could also earn overtime$, which was unheard of in the business world. In general, the nurses gained independence very quickly, and their in-demand job allowed many of my friends to move around the country & have great experiences. It's a field that has absolutely no geographical limitations, no regional pockets where an industry is concentrated, like silicon valley or NJ Big Pharma. Quite limitless, actually. Virtually recession-proof, too.

[BunsenBurner]

I second U-Dub's great nursing program. Not on the East Coast, but worth looking into.

And if she wants a career change, she can easily transition into law. Lots of lawyers (on both the plaintiff and defense side) of the medical bar have medical backgrounds. We always have a couple of nurse-legal assistants at the firm.

Another great career path for someone with a degree in nursing is to become a CRA - Clinical Research Associate, supervising clinical trials of new drugs and medical devices. Many research institutes, biotechs and pharma companies employ CRAs. Nursing background is generally preferred for that type of work.

A degree in nursing opens very wide career choices!

[katliamom]

You've gotten a lot of great advice, so I'll just add a comment about the earning potential of highly qualified/educated nurses: friends of ours put up a 2-million dollar home for rent in a posh Colorado resort town. The woman who ended up renting it is a nurse. Works in Vail. Her salary: $175,000. Granted, she earns more because of the higher cost of living. But this just goes to show that nursing CAN pay as well as engineering.

[dbwes]

BunsenBurner -- My co-worker has a very good friend who transitioned from a nurse to a CRA. She makes VERY good money and loves it.
OP -- You could be talking about me and my younger D. She is a very bright sophomore, also drawn to nursing. We have had many of the pre-med vs. nursing discussions. Bottom line for her at this time is the degree of stress pre-meds seem to be under all the time, worrying about that GPA every minute, worrying about that med school admittance. She is pretty sure that, if she does pursue nursing, she will do graduate work, either as a nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, or something in health care management.
Many of the Catholic universities have fine nursing programs, including Georgetown and Boston College. Here in the Midwest, the University of Iowa has one of the top-rated programs in the country (no. 5, I think.) D is interested (in a very preliminary fashion) in Marquette, a Catholic school in Milwaukee, and in Illinois Wesleyan, a very fine LAC that happens to have a nursing program (a very rare combination). Also, St. Olaf in Minnesota combines an exceptional LAC education with a nursing program in conjunction with Gustavus Adolphus, another school.
I think the profile of the nursing profession is really changing. My older D has an extremely bright friend who is starting nursing at Iowa next year. Our radar is up now, and we notice young, smart nurses and nurse practitioners at our various doctor's visits and during my older D's recent arthroscopic surgery. You can't beat the job opportunities, paths for advancement, and starting salaries.

[MomOFour]

I'd like to put a word in for nurses who choose to remain at the hospital bedside. This is by no means scut work, or beneath a particular intelligence level. More than any other point of care, quick-acting critical thinking skills are required. I've worked with some wonderful RNs, and some who just get through their shifts. It can be quite rewarding to know you're one of the good ones, that you've given the type of care you would want your family members to receive, and to have your patients recognize that. There are always new things to learn, from nursing research to medical breakthroughs. The one down side is the constant battle with management to do more with less. When I started twenty years ago nursing management fought the fight to increase staffing, now the reverse is true. Nursing managers are under the fiscal gun. That's a very tough job I wouldn't want any part of myself.

[mom2boys]

One other word of advice (and I am playing devil's advocate here). You may hear from others that the best route is the obtain a 2 yr associate degree and then practice an an RN. Depending upon the place of employment, there is no differnce in salary between and 2 yr and 4 yr grad. Both have the same responsibilities and take the same license exam. Once you are employed, then you can take advantage of tuition reimbursement and go back for the BSN degree. It can be cheaper doing it this way in the long run.

But.... I don't necessarily share this view. In today's world with tight budgets at hospitals, tuition reimbursement is not all that great. I know many nurses trying this route and it is taking them a long time and much of it is coming out of their own pocket. It is stressful to be working full-time (which you have to do to get the tuition reimbursement) plus go to school, pay bills, take care of family, etc.....

If you can, I always advocate going to school and getting the BSN to start with. Many jobs require a BSN (management, sales, some research, etc.) If life gets in the way and you can't get back to school for another degree, then your options may be limited with an associate degree. I do know many 2 yr grads that are happily practicing and practicing in a variety of areas. But many of them are also going back to school to try to advance.

[dbwes]

MomOFour -- You are absolutely right. I hope you didn't think that my comment about my daughter already thinking about master's degrees was in any way a denigration of a hospital bedside nurse. So many exciting areas to be in there as well -- emergency care, cardiac, etc.
Also, think about excellent flexibility when one wants to start a family. Very easy to drop down part time or to certify as a school nurse and work only the nine months your own kids are in school.

[ChiDad]

Great to read all of the positive messages. My D is in her first year at CC with a plan to transfer to UW-Madison for their nursing program. Her career goal is to become a NP and midwife. One of her frustrations is being constantly told by well-meaning, mostly professional women that "she should be a doctor instead". I'm now used to hearing her strongly worded responses in these situations. It is too bad that the nursing profession isn't always given the respect it deserves.

[woody]

I remember teaching a class to post-mastectomy women re: options for breast reconstruction. Afterwards, there was always some well-meaning well-educated woman who would ask me why didn't I go into medicine. I tried to make them see that an MD wouldn't be doing the things I was doing. Never sure if I made my point...
For the past ten years, I've been doing school nursing. It's not all bandaids and tummy aches. At my school, we've recently admitted a child who requires mechanical ventilation via a tracheostomy. My MSN in Acute Care from Columbia is coming in handy!
PS The Columbia program is stronger than ever, Bethie. I believe they just graduated their 2nd or 3rd class of DNSc - Doctor of Nursing Science- only program of its kind in the country. Wonderful opportunities in that school and fantastic scholarships as well! (Believe me, I get the info - and the requests - ALL the time. (Although I will admit, Penn is rated #1.)

[briansteffy]

My wife teaches at a central PA BSN program. She sees a good number of students who went thru top-notch LACs ($$$$ for a fancy-named school on the back window of the family car), could only find a job that, really, any high school kid could do, in her class. They make great nurses, but why not take a more direct and less costly path. Also look at Hopkins and Georgetown, or 3'2 programs where you begin in one school and end up doing the last 2 years in a BSN program. Hopkins has this arrangement with a number of LACs.
We were encouraging my S to get a BSN, but after he did a stint in ICU, he decided that it was not for him. But while we were looking the question came up, where should he go. If you can afford Penn, etc., great, but if the wealth is finite, a graduate of, say, York College, PA will do just as fine, and there is then money left to get your MSN, MSN/MBA, MSN/JD. PhD (acute shortage of nursing professors - by the way, great vacation time in the academy.
There is a staus stigma with nursing programs (I hear it at my LAC); it is unwarrented and ignorant. Hats off to those universities like Penn and Hopkins that have retained nursing, unlike Syracuse (done in by their female President) and Boston University. By the way, depending on what hours you work, some nurses make more than new GP's.

[second spring]

ChiDad- so happy to hear about another future nurse. I trained in the dark ages-35 years ago in a hospital school of nursing. Student nurses were expected to stand up when an (male of course) MD entered the nursing station. We've come a long way, but are still the objects of alot of stereotypes.
dbwes and ChiDad- I eventually got my MS in nursing, but never strayed far from hospital nursing. (Except-yes, a school nurse when my kids where young. That was lots of fun and never had to worry about childcare during snow days!) During my time working in hospitals, I was a member of a hospital wide ethics committee, taught classes for parents of newly diagnosed diabetics and co-led a class/support group for corrections officersdealing with prisoners with AIDs. . I bet none of the people who have made comments to dbwes daughter has a clue this is what nurses do.
Finally, as corny as it may be- I have learned so much from the patients and families who have allowed me into their lives. I have met people of all ages, nationalities, every walk of life and been touched by their strength, determination and spirit. I think of many decades after caring for them.

[woody]

Oh second spring - not corny at all!! Those patients and families have enriched my life so much over the years. I sometimes feel sorry that my H doesn't have those kinds of feelings in his line of work. On the other, he feels sorry for me because I don't get his paycheck - but it's getting better all the time!
From another nurse who graduated way back when - I actually wore some little white cap for a while. YIKES!!

[collegealum314]

First of all, having a nursing background would give her a huge edge applying to med school, so it's not like choosing to study nursing at this point would hurt her if she decides later she wants to pursue medicine. Most people who apply with stats like hers are lacking in the patient care area.

As for the study of nursing itself, I do think you can make it intellectually demanding if you choose to. One of the lecturers at the medical school I work at is a nurse and has a PhD in physiology.

I'm not too familiar with the nursing requirements, but I would suggest that she studies nursing (say at UPenn like it was suggested) but also take the premed requirements. Then, if at some point she decides she doesn't like it, she can always pursue a PhD in a medical-related field and/or medicine.

[Goingtobebroke]

I have been a nurse for going on 32 years now..all at the bedside in an ICU. The pay is great, it has afforded me great flexiblity in raising my family, I love the comraderie and friendship with my co-workers, genuinely enoy taking care of my patients yet I discouraged my daughter from pursuing nursing.
Why???? I and some of my coworkers feel like a Dr's servent at times, like we as nurses don't matter. Excuse me or I am sorry is not part of the MD's vocabulary. We have no healthcare once we retire ( non union), pension plan leaves quite a bit to be desired. If an RN stays at the bedside, all those years of working weekends and holidays will start to wear you down... I am sorry if I sound bitter, I'm really not ,I have always been proud to be an RN as were my parents proud that I became an RN

As far as choice of schools goes, a BSN is definitely preferred but as to what college..it really doesn't make any difference. Some colleges esp the associated programs at comm colleges you take the liberal arts at first and if your grades measure up against the other wanna be nursing students you get to take the nursing courses otherwise you are SOL