Need Career Advice - LONG

[moonlover2017]

Background: I've loved the medical field since I was a kid. I wanted to be a doctor since I was 7 years old and I was in college when I met and married my DH. We got pregnant immediately so I withdrew from school and became a SAHM. I almost died giving birth in the hospital but I feel that mistakes are just that...mistakes...and wasn't really bitter about that part. HOWEVER, the disrespect I have recieved as a laboring woman and as a mother concerned about her child's welfare has completely disenchanted my view of the medical community.

I'm in nursing school right now doing clinicals and I HATE it. I hate it, hate it, hate it. When I did OR rotation I felt that the medical staff sees the patient as little more than a piece of meat. They just hack away at them all the while joking about the patient's body...floppy boobs, fat, too skinny, small penis...AHHHH!!!! I do most clinicals on a med/surg floor and it takes me hours to get anyone to help me turn a patient. I'm 4'10 so most of my patients are much larger than me and I cannot physically turn them myself. I'm taught to put down and be rude to patients who question anything.

I don't really have the option of quitting. I'm a single mom as of right now and need this to make a decent income. Working a minimum wage job and getting welfare is getting old. I want to support myself and provide my child with a nice childhood (not sayint that being poor I can't give her a good one, I just want to travel with her, buy her a few new things once in awhile, etc.) and I feel this is my last chance.

If I were to change my career I have no idea what I would be! I looked into DEM and the programs are not single mom friendly. That's really a shame IMO because I think they lose out on some women who might make excellent midwives.

Any advice on how to deal with being a crunchy nurse?

[Lilyoftheincas13]

Originally Posted by moonlover2017

Background: I've loved the medical field since I was a kid. I wanted to be a doctor since I was 7 years old and I was in college when I met and married my DH. We got pregnant immediately so I withdrew from school and became a SAHM. I almost died giving birth in the hospital but I feel that mistakes are just that...mistakes...and wasn't really bitter about that part. HOWEVER, the disrespect I have recieved as a laboring woman and as a mother concerned about her child's welfare has completely disenchanted my view of the medical community.

I'm in nursing school right now doing clinicals and I HATE it. I hate it, hate it, hate it. When I did OR rotation I felt that the medical staff sees the patient as little more than a piece of meat. They just hack away at them all the while joking about the patient's body...floppy boobs, fat, too skinny, small penis...AHHHH!!!! I do most clinicals on a med/surg floor and it takes me hours to get anyone to help me turn a patient. I'm 4'10 so most of my patients are much larger than me and I cannot physically turn them myself. I'm taught to put down and be rude to patients who question anything.

I don't really have the option of quitting. I'm a single mom as of right now and need this to make a decent income. Working a minimum wage job and getting welfare is getting old. I want to support myself and provide my child with a nice childhood (not sayint that being poor I can't give her a good one, I just want to travel with her, buy her a few new things once in awhile, etc.) and I feel this is my last chance.

If I were to change my career I have no idea what I would be! I looked into DEM and the programs are not single mom friendly. That's really a shame IMO because I think they lose out on some women who might make excellent midwives.

Any advice on how to deal with being a crunchy nurse?

Wow, that's hard. I have no specific advice about nursing, but I can tell you that whatever career you choose, in order to make a decent salary, you will have to put up with a lot of cr*p that is going to go against your belief system, because your belief system is not really in line with the mainstream. Nothing wrong with that and no need for you to change; I guess I'm just saying that there's no escaping it; not entirely. You'll have to figure out how to deal with it now, or later on.

Quite honestly, we need people like you in the medical field. At the very least, you could lead by example and be someone to comfort patients in the hospital, and maybe properly inform them of their rights when they are being steamrolled by all of the other "medical professionals" serving them. I know if I'd had at least one good experience with the medical field as I was growing up; had at least one person looking after my actual well-being rather than being dismissive and condescending, then I would probably have a much better respect of medicine in general as an adult than I do.

If you have the option to move now or in the future, maybe you can relocate to an area that's more "crunchy?" Even if you have to wait until you're done with your schooling, that might help the situation a little bit because you'd be able to serve in a community that's a bit more open-minded.

[bluebunny]

I agree with the pp that we need more people like you in the medical field. I think you might be able to find a better fit after you graduate. You might find a doctor that is a little more like-minded and work in an office. Or find a hospital that has a more natural approach. I wouldn't write off nursing all together, yet.
Also, just a thought, but the lactation consultants at my local hospital were excellent. Almost all of them (there are five) were nurses first. They are all on the crunchy side. Maybe that could be something to look into?
And another thing, my favorite nurse is a nurse at my OB's office. My OB happens to be a DO, not MD, so is slightly more favorable to a natural approach.

[marilynmama]

Im an RN and what your describing is the reason there is a nursing shortage. Its not that there isn't enough nurses out there, there are just a lot of nurses who have left the profession and wont go back to the bedside because of the conditions you are describing. In general, hospital nursing sucks. That is not to say there are not good nurses out there, because there are good ones for sure. Most of us go into nursing because we like people and want to help.

But Im still glad Im a nurse. I KNOW I have always given good nursing care. I like that I make decent money, and the job I have now is great.

Every unit is soooo different. It seems that a unit is full of either great or crappy nurses.

Keep your eyes and ears open during your clinical rotations, ask a lot of questions concerning places to work, etc. You will be in some great clinical areas Im sure so keep those in mind even if its not what you though you want to do (med surg in general tends to be hard and understaffed--if you dont have the help you simply cant do your job, you cant turn a patient if you have no help, therefor the pt suffers and your to blame). Your first year as a nurse is hard but you learn sooooo much!

You might just not want to do bedside nursing and there is nothing wrong with that. There are clinic jobs (every nursing I know who works clinic loves it), research jobs (those are interesting), jobs with all sorts of agencies, public health, state, psych (I current work low acuity psych and love it), etc

[Drummer's Wife]

I think you should do whatever you have to to get through the program and then consider continuing on to be a NP or CNM. I wonder if there will be jobs available in a birth center by the time you graduate? I guess I just think there are so many options once you have your RN, that you should be able to find a place to fit in somewhere, that doesn't depress you about the medical field every day you go to work.

[1jooj]

I agree with PPs who have said that bringing your passion and caring into healthcare may be a good choice. One way to see it is that you can be the change you wish to see. My sister's an RN, and she's a really special one, IMO. She no longer works in a hospital, no more med/surg, but she cares for patients and gets feedback all the time about the difference her manner has made.

It can be difficult to actually pursue a career that is aligned with your personal passion. You'll always care deeply about it, and you'll always struggle with those who see it only as a means to a paycheck. But you'll also be driven to serve and be among the best.

[Peony]

I agree with marilynmama. I am an RN, I don't do hospital nursing. I like having more of a relationship with my clients/patients, I don't like the conditions in a hospital. I once fainted during a 12 hour shift because I hadn't eaten all day, absolutely no time to even eat a granola bar, and then combined with the heat cranked up in a room for a birth... It just wasn't healthy for me. Although after that, my co-workers did try to make sure I got to eat my lunch, some days



I now do lactation support and absolutely love my niche. It is relaxed, I love working with moms and babies, it is just entirely different from bedside nursing. I just accepted a job at a health dept supervising their breastfeeding program, very flexible hours, I am just thrilled to have this chance to help so many moms. It may not be the hands on in-hopsital care but it is even more rewarding to me, and I don't leave at the end of the day utterly exhausted and beat down.

[Ellien C]

Have you looked into Chiropractic Medicine or Osteopathy? I know you said you don't have the option to quit right now but those 2 fields seem to be more aligned with what you want to do.

[rsummer]

Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife

I think you should do whatever you have to to get through the program and then consider continuing on to be a NP or CNM. I wonder if there will be jobs available in a birth center by the time you graduate? I guess I just think there are so many options once you have your RN, that you should be able to find a place to fit in somewhere, that doesn't depress you about the medical field every day you go to work.

This...
As an advanced practice nurse, you can tailor your practice and will attract patients accordingly... They will appreciate your values.

Also, once you get into you own nursing practice, you will be very independent within the boundaries of your job. So although you may feel others treat patients like pieces of meat, you can choose not to. Be better than that. Nobody likes clinicals, its like swimming in the deepend of a shark infested pool, but it is nothing like being an actual nurse.

[moonlover2017]

Thanks so much for all your support. It really means a lot to me.

How do you become a lactation consultant?

[*MamaJen*]

Originally Posted by moonlover2017

Thanks so much for all your support. It really means a lot to me.

How do you become a lactation consultant?

I totally think you should become a nurse-midwife or lactation consultant. There's actually another thread in the working parents forum where someone is doing her RN and LC training. It's like a year-long program, but it's only two days a month, so I bet there are other programs that you could do in much shorter time periods.
Here's a link: http://www.lactationeducationconsult...mgtcourse.html
Also, after you're done with training, I'm sure a hospital-based midwifery program, birth center or other crunchy office would be thrilled to have you.

[Trinitty]

Hello,

I really feel for you.

All of the women in my family are in medicine. My Mom is an ER nurse who just finished 30+ years on the front line. She has thousands of stories that have changed her life, AND, I have heard from plenty of patients who tell me that SHE was the difference between calm and chaos and they love her for it.

If I were to sum up my advice in one sentence: STICK WITH IT.

YOU set the example. YOU be that compassionate nurse who cares for her patients. YOU be that advocate for the labouring mother. YOU be the ideal nurse that you want to be.

You are going to run into people who appall you with their behaviour in any field you work in. People will go against all of your values, degrade the profession, etc... but YOU WILL NOT. You stand for something. Don't leave the field full of rotten jerks... be the exception.

Nursing is a challenging and rewarding career. AND, it is a growth industry, you won't have to worry about employment and benifits for your DD in the future. Switching streams now will just set you back years of your time and a lot of cash.

Comfort yourself in the knowledge that real nurses, caring nurses are essential for patients. You could be the difference between a terrible experience and an uplifting or comforting one.

Read inspiring literature about nursing and hospitals, create the world and standard you admire in your own mind, find the rare jewels elsewhere in the hospital who share your beliefs and cling to them.

Hang in there.

Trin.

[Trinitty]

Just read the other posts.

YES. Once you have your RN, you can branch out and specialise from there in an area that you love.

Just stick with this for now and get your ticket. My mom specialised later on and really thrived because of it.

Trin.

[ER RN Mom]

Nursing school is only the beginning!

I'm an RN as well, and I agree with the previous posters! Hang in there, we need more people like you! I have a friend who works in labor and delivery and is thinking of becoming a CNM. If you are interested in any kind of OB nursing, L&D or postpartum nursing are the places you need to start as a new grad. Don't listen to those who say you have to start in med-surg, if you don't like it and you know it's not for you, why waste your time and become miserable and jaded? I started in and OB ICU. Very intense and very rewarding. I now work in the ER because it is a little more flexible.

Just get through school and get your foot in the door. Nursing jobs are out there and there are literally 100's of things you can do once you get started!