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Career Rating and Comparison
| Category | This Career | All Rated Careers |
|---|---|---|
| Career Satisfaction |    | |
What Do Registered Nurses Do?
Registered nurses (RNs) fill 2.5 million jobs nationally, making it the largest occupation in US health care. They provide direct care to patients, and supervise the care provided by licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and other staff. RNs are responsible for making many decisions about a patient's care, including developing or following a documented plan of care.
Video - A Nursing School Experience
This video is an excellent introduction into the nursing school experience and career. A college student shares how she chose this career and the camera follows her into a clinical center where she is working with patients. She gives an interesting demonstration of a simulated patient, which is an important part of training at her school. She also overviews the subjects she is studying and her philosophy as a nurse. Produced by Penn College, a part of the Penn State University system.
How to Choose the Best Nursing School
What makes for a top nursing program? Of course that answer will be different for each student -- but factors that all students should consider in choosing their "best" school and RN program include:
Responsibilities
A registered nurse's duties can include:
- documenting medical history and symptoms
- providing medication (checking for proper doses and potential interactions) and other forms of treatment
- running diagnostic tests and interpreting the results
- operating medical machinery
- inserting and removing IVs
- protecting patients' privacy
- consulting with physicians
- educating loved ones who will assist in patient care
Where do Nurses Work?
In hospitals, registered nurses may have the choice to work in a variety of departments, including:
- patient care units including pediatrics and nurseries
- operating rooms and obstetrics delivery rooms
- intensive care units, trauma units and emergency rooms
- radiology departments and laboratories
- psychiatric units and drug treatment centers
- occupational and physical therapy departments
- patient advocacy or educational programs
Only approximately 60% of registered nurses work in hospitals, however. They may also work in doctor's offices, patients' homes, or remotely (over the Internet or phone) where they do not provide hands-on care. They may serve as educators, manage health information or assist with legal and criminal investigations.
Video - In the Words of a Nurse:
Why Become a Nurse?
A registered nurse gives a few of the benefits of being in a nursing career, including schedules, travel, pay, and filling an important role for people in need.
Degrees and Schools
To get their RN credential, most registered nurses attend an accredited two- or three-year associate's degree program at a vocational school or community college. Programs are readily available, and versatile to meet the diverse needs of students. Other RNs may attend a four-year college to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (BSN), or pursue a diploma through a hospital program. To advance their career, RNs may choose to get certified in specialty areas, such as critical care, oncology or rehabilitation. RNs might also advance themselves through higher level degrees through programs such RN to BSN degrees or RN to MSN degrees.
In the Words of a Nurse:
Requirements for Becoming an RN
Quick recap from a working nurse of the requirements for becoming a registered nurse. Covers degree options, boards, GN vs RN, residencies, and maintaining RN license.
What's Required?
To be accepted into nursing educational programs, in addition to taking SATs and other tests, a pre-admission test called the National League for Nursing (NLN) Pre-admission Exam is required by some schools. In order to be licensed to practice, graduating registered nursing students must take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).
Online Classes and Programs
Because of the required clinical experience during school, RN educational programs are not suited for 100% online delivery. Most are all on-campus programs while some may mix online and clinical components. To help compensate for required onsite training, schools frequently offer flexible schedules including night and weekend classes.
Nurses are expected to keep their knowledge about medical advancements up-to-date by completing a certain number of continued-education CME credits annually (some states require this). Online courses to meet these requirements are plentiful, and may coordinate clinical components with local medical facilities.
Online programs are available for existing licensed practical nurses (LPNs) that are seeking to gain a degree that is required to become an RN. These online LPN to RN programs enable working LPNs to earn an associate degree in nursing (ADN) or BSN almost entirely online from a convenient location such as their home.
Online RN educational programs are also available for career advancement – for example, earning a Master's of Science in Nursing (MSN) that helps a nurse specialize in a specific area. Two examples of online programs that are gaining strong interest for RNs include RN to BSN degree and RN to MSN degree. The availability of these online programs and courses has experienced major growth rates – there are now many such programs – due to their convenience for time-limited, on-the-job professionals and for those far away from a school campus. For programs requiring some clinical time, these periods are usually completed at a medical facility affiliated with the online school that is as close as possible to the student.
Coursework
Both classroom instruction and clinical experience are core to nursing programs. Required courses typically include:
- anatomy
- physiology
- microbiology
- chemistry
- nutrition
- behavioral sciences such as psychology
- nursing
Supervised clinical experience may be offered through:
- hospital departments
- nursing care facilities
- public health departments
- home health agencies
- ambulatory clinics
Scholarships
In addition to BrainTrack's Nursing Scholarship, sources to be aware of include: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, American Nurses Association, Association of Preoperative Registered Nurses Foundation, Emergency Nurses Association, National Student Nurses Association, National Association of Hispanic Nurses, Oncology Nursing Society Foundation and the Tylenol Future Care Scholarships.
Career Profiles
To help career searchers evaluate their options, BrainTrack has asked hundreds of workers to profile their jobs with a review and ratings. See below for a summary of this career compared to all rated careers and for detailed reviews.
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| Opportunity for Promotion | | |
| Career Flexibility | | |
| How Cool Is The Career | | |
| How Stressful | | |
| Social Orientation | | |
| Earnings Potential | | |
| Task Variety | | |
| Job Security | | |
Job Title: Director Of Telemetry
Attended: Galveston College • Galveston, TX
Studied Nursing (completion in 2007)
Highest relevant degree: Associate's
• Submitted: 1/22/2012
"I feel that I have a rewarding career where I can help others needing medical care and ensure they can go on to live a happy, healthy life. In the position I have I am also equipped to help other nurses become successful in their careers."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 5 | The school I attended seemed to be very disorganized and there was general discord about the professors. Despite these flaws, I left there prepared to effectively pursue my career in nursing. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 6 | I currently hold a fairly high position at the hospital. The only position above me requires a master's degree which I do not have. |
| Job Security | 8 | The position that I have is one that is a very needed part of the hospital, so personally I feel secure in my position. However, with governmental and general budget cuts, hospitals are being forced to do more with fewer and fewer resources. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | I feel that I make pretty good money in my current position. However, I am not on a salary, which means that I do a lot of extra work above 40 hours and receive no compensation. |
| How Stressful | 10 | As stated before, my job requires that I deal with customer complaints and patient issues. In addition to that, I am the problem solver for the entire floor and have to ensure that everything is running smoothly. |
| Task Variety | 10 | Due to the nature of my position, sometimes I have to fill in wherever help is needed. So on any given day I could be creating the nurses' work schedules or providing bedside nursing. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | I generally deal with customer complaints and patient issues which is not very glamorous or exciting. However, being the director does come with a certain level of prestige. |
| Career Flexibility | 5 | My career is flexible as far as the ability to get a job in a variety of locations. However, there are not many part-time jobs available and there is no option to work from home. |
| Social Orientation | 10 | On a daily basis I interact with a variety of people. I work with everyone from patients to nurses and doctors to executive leaders. |
Job Title: Staff Nurse - Emergency Medicine
Attended: Excelsior College (Formerly Known As Regents) • Albany, NY
Studied Nursing (completion in 2000)
Highest relevant degree: Associate's
• Submitted: 1/19/2012
"I love being a nurse. I started out as a licensed vocational nurse back in 1983 and then obtained my RN degree in 2000 through Regents (now Excelsior). I've had the opportunity to work in almost every area of nursing except for oncology. I love taking care of people and helping them to feel better."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | Regents (now Excelsior) back then offered a fairly easy transition program and since I had some basic credits, I was able to finish the program in 18 months. I took my clinical in Atlanta. Regents was fantastic and worked with me to help me basically fast track through the program. Back then you could do all your prereq's first and then do all your clinical classes fairly quickly. I understand that now you have to go ahead and sign up when you start the program and they charge a yearly fee that usually the student ends up paying twice for since its only good for one year. Back then they were more flexible and were extremely helpful, including helping me to reschedule my clinical tests (given over 3 days back then) when I didn't pass the first time. The counselors were amazing and there wasn't one person there that didn't go above and beyond to help their student base. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 10 | Even though I am currently a part time staff nurse, I do have the opportunity to advance in my career. Our hospital is very good about promoting from within and even though I work only part time I have been offered promotions the past 2 years. Because I only want to work part time, I turn them down. |
| Job Security | 10 | I've been working as a registered nurse for over 10 years and have a lot of experience, especially in emergency medicine. Because of the experience and the amazing training and the good fortune I have received over the years, I feel very secure in my position even though it is a part time position in a level 4 trauma center. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | My earning potential can be as high as $100,000 a year, although because I work part time I don't make that much. I am making $35 an hour, which I love. If I did decide to go full time I would be offered $50 an hour to start without shift differentials and charge pay. |
| How Stressful | 8 | My job can be extremely stressful at times being in Emergency Medicine, but I wouldn't change a thing about it. I consider it the most rewarding place to work in the hospital even though it can wear on your last nerve at times. |
| Task Variety | 10 | My daily tasks vary continually. One day I may be doing the fast track area and then the next be working a cardiac arrest. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 10 | I work in Emergency Medicine and other than working in neonatology, I think it is the most fantastic area to work in. I love the fast pace and the wide range of ailments that come through our doors, especially since I am a trauma junkie. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | My opportunities in my nursing career are very flexible, especially with my 27 years of experience. I am only limited by my own personal constraints. |
| Social Orientation | 8 | The staff in our ER is like my extended family and there are some people I am closer to than a lot of my real family members. We usually have some type of get together once a month. Because we are so close everyone knows everyone else's business. |
Job Title: LPN - Staff Nurse
Attended: Arkansas State University - Mountain Home • Mountain Home, AR
Studied Practical Nursing (completion in 2003)
Highest relevant degree: Certificate
• Submitted: 1/24/2012
"Initially I was excited and scared all at once. Then after I got my feet wet, I felt proficient, knowledgeable, and respected. Now, while I am still proficient, knowledgeable, and respected, I feel disillusioned and frustrated with nursing as a whole. At first, I sought to further my education and move towards RN. However, now I am considering a change from nursing altogether."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | I believe that the combination of instructors and the program I was enrolled in created an exceptional educational experience, particularly in the teaching of critical thinking skills. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 6 | I have had no trouble receiving promotions in the past, however it is always a double-edged sword. Usually those positions have a higher turnover rate in my area. |
| Job Security | 5 | Most of the nursing opportunities in my area are for long-term care. There's a constantly revolving mix of staff from one facility to the next depending on management shifts and base rate of pay changes. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | CEO's make more. However, starting pay is significantly greater than minimum wage. In my area, LPN wages are solid middle class wages with room to increase with increased education. |
| How Stressful | 8 | I'm sure firefighters, policemen, and the military have greater stress, but it's a different kind of stress. Nurses are subject to rules, regulations, and policies that they have no hope of fully following and frequently have to make the choice between following a policy (ie: paperwork/forms) or providing appropriate patient care. |
| Task Variety | 6 | In long-term care, the daily routine is always the same. The variance comes in the form of unscheduled, sometimes traumatic events (ie: a fall, sudden onset illness, behavior problem) and requires flexible thinking to accommodate these events into the routine within the time allotted. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | It's interesting because it's constantly changing, but we're not exactly jetsetting. Having an "exciting" day in long-term care is a 'bad' thing because it results in a mountain of paperwork. There is no glamour except when the new line of scrubs comes in at the Uniform Shoppe. Prestige, however, is attainable, usually in the eyes of colleagues, subordinates, and the loved ones of those you care for during their infirmity. |
| Career Flexibility | 9 | There are a myriad options for nurses from critical care to home care, PRN to full time, local work to travel nursing depending on what the nurse's particular needs and living situation can accommodate. However, I have noticed that if you work in a particular genre for a significant time it is difficult to break away to a different genre. |
| Social Orientation | 10 | I enjoy people. Nursing involves constant interaction with coworkers, patients, family members, doctors, etc. Sometimes the interaction is excessive and limits the nurses' ability to be effective. |
Job Title: Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist
Attended: Boston College • Chestnut Hill, MA
Studied Nursing - My Specialty Area Was Adult Psychiatry (completion in 2007)
Highest relevant degree: Master's
• Submitted: 1/23/2012
"I usually enjoy patient interactions, however the amount of effort put into care management is often overwhelming. This may be because of the difficulty of the population I have been treating over the past 5 years. Recently I began my own private practice which I hope will provide a move diverse patient caseload."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | Boston College provides a world class faculty. On the other hand, I feel that the primary focus on theory instead of practice is an impediment to being prepared to practice in a real clinical situation. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | The ability to be promoted is really dependent on your clinical setting. In a clinic setting it's difficult to be promoted as advanced practice nurses are a limited resource and often bring in more money working as clinicians. |
| Job Security | 10 | My profession is in great need. There are limited individuals with my qualifications. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | Working for a clinic, you are generally able to command a high salary and are generally one of the best paid clinicians. If you work in private practice there is really no cap to the earning potential for motivated people. |
| How Stressful | 10 | Under our current health insurance structure nurses are expected to limit time with patients in order to increase billable time. Patients are complex and generally need more time than what is allotted by clinic guidelines or schedules. |
| Task Variety | 6 | I'm often providing similar services. Due to variations in patients I do experience unique tasks at times. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 8 | As an advance practice nurse you are generally well respected in clinical practice. At times it can be difficult to explain your expertise in comparison to an M.D. regardless of experience or additional degrees or specialized training. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | Nursing provides a wide range of opportunities. Due to the desperate need for clinicians, places of work are often willing to compromise with clinicians about work times and schedules. |
| Social Orientation | 10 | I constantly interact with patients. Additionally, I often provide care management with other agencies or providers either on the phone or in person. |
Job Title: Staff RN
Attended: Medical College Of Georgia • Augusta, GA
Studied RN To BSN Bridge Program (completion in 2003)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/23/2012
"I enjoy physically helping people and being able to make a stressful time in others' lives a little more pleasant. But I do not enjoy being exposed to the often times antibiotic resistant bacteria and possibly bringing those germs back to my home and family. Many of my patients are on contact isolation due to infectious diseases."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | My highest degree program was a mostly online program, which gave me flexibility. We did have to go to campus a few times per semester, and unlike my Associate's degree professors, these professors treated us almost as equals. They didn't try to weed us out, and they gave us lots of encouragement and support. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 3 | Promotions are few and far between. There are many fellow staff nurses who have been working here for decades without much in the way of pay raises or promotions. Many of us are content with where we are, though. For now I'd rather stay active on the floor than give it up for a desk job in administration. |
| Job Security | 8 | We aren't undergoing layoffs at our hospital in the nursing field. We are often shorthanded, and I doubt the powers that be will be making any RN layoffs in the foreseeable future. |
| Earnings Potential | 6 | Salaries are pretty good for even those with two-year degrees, and they're a little better for those with four-year degrees. Unfortunately, raises for nurses are quite small from year to year at our hospital. I can't speak for all organizations, but I rate my particular job as slightly better than average. |
| How Stressful | 8 | It can get rather stressful, especially when we have a patient who is more fragile than usual or if we're short a nurse or two. When I leave work, my mind is a constant buzz of, "Did I give that patient his insulin before I left? Did I chart that order the doctor called in?" People' lives literally depend on us. |
| Task Variety | 7 | Many things are the same every day, but there are also many things that are different each day. Morning and evening report, conducting assessments, and administering medication are things I will do every day. But often the patients I care for change from day to day, as well as specific treatments I need to perform, such as dressing changes or certain patient teaching. I experience lots of variety in my daily work which keeps it interesting. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 7 | Nursing is a very respectable profession, and many of my family and friends often ask me for medical advice. But cleaning a patient in a bed of diarrhea or giving an enema is not glamorous at all. I feel privileged to be able to see and do some of the things I have through my nursing, including holding a patient's hand as he passed away without family present. I spent some time working in surgery, and witnessing firsthand the inner workings of the human body is an experience I will forever value. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | Nurses can work in many capacities and environments. From nurse midwifery to hospice care, there are many specialties available. And the hours can be almost infinitely flexible, especially in a hospital setting. One of my coworkers works just one 8 hour shift every 2-4 weeks, while others work evenings or nights, some regularly working overtime. However, nurses in an office environment have significantly fewer options as far as hours go. |
| Social Orientation | 9 | I have near-constant social interaction. Answering phones, explaining procedures to patients, consulting with doctors and therapists, talking to other nurses, answering questions from patients' families, dealing with the lab and pharmacy and secretarial staff are all interactions that occur on a daily basis. Walking down the hall and taking bathroom breaks are almost the only times we are not engaged in social interactions of some sort. |
Job Title: Perioperative Nurse
Attended: LaGuardia Community College • New York, NY
Studied Nursing (completion in 1995)
Highest relevant degree: Associate's
• Submitted: 1/20/2012
"Nursing is very rewarding, though it can also be a very thankless profession."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 5 | A lot of information was given over short semesters. The clinical days were very long. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | I would advise staying in college the two extra years, because it provides more administrative/supervisory opportunities |
| Job Security | 10 | There are many different avenues in nursing and so there are plentiful employment opportunities. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | Nurses make more than most other people with two year degrees. If you're willing to travel, there is a great deal of monetary incentive offered to do so. |
| How Stressful | 9 | Nursing is not for the faint hearted. It can be very demanding. Remember that you will literally be part of a team that makes the difference in life and death at times. Stressful? You bet. |
| Task Variety | 5 | Every job becomes routine. Although we handle a large patient population, the approach to each patient is pretty standard, with some exceptions. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | Many people respect the knowledge nurses possess and like to ask many questions. If you work in the specialty areas, like the NICU, ICU, ER, or OR, there is a certain level of recognition by others, which builds confidence. |
| Career Flexibility | 9 | There are many options: part time or full time or per diem. Nursing schedules operate mainly on three shifts, so pick the one you want. |
| Social Orientation | 5 | While there are many interactions with the public, nurses and medical professionals tend to flock to one another. There are many people outside of the medical profession that do not understand nursing and its stresses, and therefore, there is a percentage of nurses that tend to be introverted and not social. |
Job Title: Registered Nurse
Attended: University Of Phoenix • Phoenix, AZ
Studied Nursing (completion in 2002)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/22/2012
"I absolutely love the work. I learn new things all the time and to help people get well. Right now the job market is very tight and we are being overworked and conditions aren't safe. I like to give good care and be safe, which sometimes isn't entirely possible."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 5 | I completed two years at U of P for my Bachelor's degree because I had my Associate's degree from a different school. I found it to be very disorganized and quite expensive. The classes were quick, however, and I did it almost entirely online with the exception of a few community projects I had to complete. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | I believe my career has a huge amount of opportunity for advancement, depending on which field of nursing you are into. Since I have a Bachelor's degree, it is essentially easy to advance to management. I also have 21 years of experience which is essential to advancement. |
| Job Security | 3 | I live in Michigan at this time and it is very scary here with nursing jobs. I work in acute care, a stepdown unit in a hospital, and these jobs are extremely hard to come by. Security is very poor here. People are hanging on to their jobs for dear life. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | Nurses can make very decent earnings depending on the discipline one is practicing. I believe we are definitely underpaid for the responsibility we have. Currently, I make 37.00 per hour which I consider to be pretty good. |
| How Stressful | 10 | The stress is grueling. The amount of responsibility placed on us is unbelievable. We literally have people's lives in our hands, and getting the job done when we have multiple patients on intense intravenous drips with family members and physicians continuously requiring something from us while trying to do our jobs without errors is nothing less than a miracle sometimes. |
| Task Variety | 10 | There are no two days that are ever the same in my unit. It varies continually. I like the variation because I learn new things this way and things don't become stagnant. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 6 | It seems that overall, people are impressed with the profession. That may come from a cross of how television depicts the field in programming and also what people experience in real life situations with themselves and family members who are ill and in the hospital. I am not sure I would call it glamorous by any stretch, but I have seen students come in and realize that they thought it was something much "cooler" and literally drop the program after finding out the real deal. |
| Career Flexibility | 7 | I think that nursing is quite flexible, more so than many other fields, just because it is a 24 hour a day operation. First, second, and third shifts are available, with 8, 10, and 12 hour options for shift duration. There are jobs everywhere in the United States, in some states more than in others. Work at home options are becoming more available with case management and telephone triage call centers. Nurses can also specialize in many different areas and the opportunities are endless, as are the certifications one can get. |
| Social Orientation | 10 | Hospital nursing on a stepdown unit provides constant social interaction, whether it be with your co-workers, family members, patients, or other people you speak with on the phone when doing your job. Excellent people skills are essential. |
Job Title: RN Casemanager
Attended: Hagerstown Community College • Hagerstown, MD
Studied Nursing (completion in 2000)
Highest relevant degree: Associate's
• Submitted: 1/23/2012
"I chose to go to nursing school because I was in a situation where I found out just how completely dependent I was on others. I have now been a nurse for almost 12 years and support a family of 6 on my income alone. I obviously made the right decision. I presently work for an insurance company and somedays I feel like it is very monotonous and boring, but you can't beat the benefits."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | I went to a community college that followed very closely to the University of Maryland. I feel the education for the money was well worth it. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 10 | As a nurse I can go anywhere and have a job, or if I get bored in one field, I can use my same degree and do something almost completely different. |
| Job Security | 10 | The world will always need nurses. I will always have a job. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | In my present position I get at least a cost of living raise every year. I do not feel my present company will close any time soon. If I ever felt I needed to make more money, I could most likely find a job somewhere that paid more or I could even go back to school to further my education. |
| How Stressful | 8 | Being a nurse is definitely stressful. No matter what position you are in, it usually requires you to work at a fast pace and sometimes make tough decisions. |
| Task Variety | 5 | In my present position, the broad picture is basically the same everyday. However, the detailed situations are a bit different every day. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | I don't think anyone would consider my job cool. However, for the right type of person, helping people has its rewards. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | Nurses are needed everywhere and for many different things. I could pretty much get a job that fits my schedule and needs. |
| Social Orientation | 10 | I work for an insurance company and I am constantly on the phone with doctor's offices. I interact with my coworkers everyday. I also frequently have contact with patients. |
Job Title: Independent Contractor
Attended: University Of Minnesota • Minneapolis, MN
Studied Nursing & Aging Services Administration (completion in 1983)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/21/2012
"Nursing in my area of expertise creates an autonomous work experience, is multi-faceted, complex and requires constant attention to detail. It is most rewarding when there is incremental change to improve outcomes for others."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 9 | The preliminary nursing program that I attended had mature students in it and the curriculum was intense. While completing the bachelor's portion of Aging Administration I had access to graduate level classes the last two years and it gave me a career advantage. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | This career has unlimited potential for growth and promotion. It is harder for older nurses to get promoted in a new environment that contains a lot of younger nurses. |
| Job Security | 6 | There are fewer nurses now in many fields because social workers and paraprofessionals are filling the vacancies as requirements are lifted during a tight economy. I feel that the aging nurse population is partly a factor in decreased job security and mobility. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | Unless you're an entrepreneur, the earnings potential in Nursing is limited within a short range. The new graduate and the experienced nurse salaries have always been very close and time does not increase earnings. The job setting makes the difference but does not create higher earnings overall. |
| How Stressful | 8 | If you choose an area of Nursing that you're comfortable with and make yourself an expert in that area, the stress is limited. The challenge is never having enough time to complete all that you want to, and that motivates you to come back the next day. |
| Task Variety | 5 | Most nursing jobs are highly repetitive with only the client or the patient as the variable. In a few areas the routine is unpredictable and exciting, but the work day is usually structured. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 7 | Obviously, service workers are not at the top of the glamour or coolness scale. Yet there is excitement every day and the pay is always great. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | Nursing is a profession where the nurse decides the work parameters. One can choose from part-time, work-at-home, specialty areas, hospital or home care, and interact with any age group, in any city of the world. |
| Social Orientation | 10 | Sometimes there's too much social interaction and not enough time for reflection or planning. There are always friends and coworkers nearby and new people to meet. |
Job Title: Staff Nurse
Attended: Johns Hopkins University • Baltimore, MD
Studied Nursing (completion in 2007)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/22/2012
"I work as a cancer nurse and find my job very rewarding. The working environment is very family friendly and the working hours are great for a working mom."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 5 | The clinicals did not prepare you for floor work. The classes were taught sometimes by professors who belittled the students. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 3 | There is no room for nurse practitioners on the floor and this is the program I am studying now. I would have to leave my floor and my specialty in order to get promotions. |
| Job Security | 10 | I have been there for 4 years and have been there ever since graduation. I work on a floor where we make the hospital a lot of money, so I know my job is very secure. |
| Earnings Potential | 3 | Since the recession, I have lost my retention bonus and we have not been given a pay raise in over 2 years. |
| How Stressful | 8 | We have patients who need critical care, such as cardiac monitoring, A-lines, multiple pressors, and frequent lab draws. All this can be very stressful, especially during a 12 hr shift. |
| Task Variety | 9 | We have different patients who have different needs, so my tasks vary from day to day. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 10 | I get to meet patients who are wonderful, and I love working with fellow nurses who are just as passionate as I am. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | My floor offers 8hr, 10hr and 12hr working shifts. My boss is very flexible with giving her nurses shifts around their family, work, and school lives. |
| Social Orientation | 2 | I do not hang out with people from my floor as we have different interests. I like to separate work from my personal life. |
Job Title: Registered Nurse - Staff Nurse, Home Health Care
Attended: Bowling Green State University • Bowling Green, OH
Studied Nursing (completion in 1997)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/22/2012
"Sometimes I get tired of being a nurse - but then I can't imagine anything else I would rather do. I do enjoy helping people and the care I give - but I grow tired of the politics and other unnecessary sideshows."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 7 | I did a two-year Bach program at BG after a two-year AD program. I didn't learn an intense amount from the program, but Bowling Green is a decent, well-respected school. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 3 | I work in home health, and enjoy being a field nurse. I would never want to go into management of any kind, so if there were an opportunity I would avoid it anyway. |
| Job Security | 10 | Despite the economy, there is still a nursing shortage in Ohio. I have 17 years of nursing experience, including 12 in ICU, so I feel pretty secure about having work. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | Home health can be fairly lucrative. I made more money last year than I did working 36 hours a week at the hospital - with occasional extra hours and overtime - two years earlier. |
| How Stressful | 7 | Nursing in general can be very, very stressful. The stress is less in home care, but sometimes emergencies do arise and handling them at home is much different than handling them in the security of the hospital with other staff around. |
| Task Variety | 5 | There isn't a huge amount of variety usually. Wound care, IV cases, medicine teaching, and a few other options - but that's ok with me. The positives are a great trade off. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 6 | I guess some medical shows have made nursing more or less cool. I am pretty content with what I do, and most people have a decent amount of respect for anyone knowledgeable, so it suits me fine. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | My job is the ultimate in flexibility for me. I choose the days and hours I work, the patients I see, the places I go, and, if I am running late, I call. |
| Social Orientation | 7 | I get plenty of social interaction with patients and their families during visits. Thankfully, I also get plenty of quiet time during the drives between visits so I can relax. |
Job Title: Registered Nurse
Attended: Waukesha County Technical College • Pewaukee, WI
Studied Nursing (completion in 1988)
Highest relevant degree: Associate's
• Submitted: 1/19/2012
"I love my job and working with the patients is a real high for me. It gives me a sense of being there when I am needed most."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | We had excellent instructors who cared about the students. The school provided good "hands on" experiences. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 5 | Because I have an associate degree my changes of getting into management are low. I can advance by going to a different department. |
| Job Security | 10 | The hospitals are always in need of nurses. I work in hospital based hospice, which is a difficult field that few people want to work in. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | The potential for earning big money is limited. You need to have an MS for that, then you can get into management which is where the money is. |
| How Stressful | 10 | Working with a dying patient's family is most stressful because they have so much to deal with. Working with some Doctors who think they are God also makes the job very stressful. |
| Task Variety | 10 | You are dealing with people and that alone makes everyday different. The condition of the patients make the days different....one day they are up and walking and the next they are lying there dying. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 7 | There is no real glamor in what I do, but the prestige of being a "nurse" is wonderful. People look up to nurses. |
| Career Flexibility | 5 | I do have to work holidays and weekends. This cuts down on what I can do with family at times when it doesn't fit my work schedule. |
| Social Orientation | 10 | There are lots of social interactions with patients, families, doctors, and co workers. The people I work with do socialize outside of work as well as at work. |
Job Title: Staff Nurse
Attended: Mount Carmel School Of Nursing • Columbus, OH
Studied Nursing (completion in 1979)
Highest relevant degree: Certificate
• Submitted: 1/22/2012
"The pay is not that great. For most jobs the working hours are bad. Very stressful."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | Passed state boards without any problems. Well prepared to work as a nurse. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 1 | No advanced job openings. Highly unlikely that any advanced positions will be established. |
| Job Security | 5 | Decrease in preventative care provided. Decrease in general care in the office setting. |
| Earnings Potential | 3 | Decrease in positions available. Supply and demand limits earnings. |
| How Stressful | 10 | Not all coworkers preform at the same level. You "have to be on your toes" constantly. |
| Task Variety | 5 | The patients everyday are different. Personally, I look everyday for ways to do things differently to improve care. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | Get "good feeling" about doing the job well. Sometimes able to go above and beyond. |
| Career Flexibility | 3 | Few available jobs to choose from. Limited by travel time. |
| Social Orientation | 10 | Constantly having interaction with patients. Constantly having interaction with coworkers. |
Job Title: Registered Nurse
Attended: Pittsburg State University • Pittsburg, KS
Studied Nursing (completion in 2010)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/19/2012
"I love my job because I get to interact with people and help them feel better. I feel like I am doing something with my life while helping other people."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 7 | I learned everything I needed to be a great nurse. I would have looked into other schools, though. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | Being a nurse provides lots of opportunities for career and education advancement. You have a lot of options and chances to move to different areas of nursing. |
| Job Security | 9 | My job provides great fulfillment. I enjoy going to work everyday. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | With promotions there is always an increase in salary. By getting more education you also have the potential to earn a higher income. |
| How Stressful | 8 | As a nurse you are working daily with people. Sometimes you lose a person, and other times you save one. You have to be careful about every decision you make. |
| Task Variety | 7 | Depending on which area you are working in, there is a lot of variation. If you work in a specialized area then the day can become boring after awhile. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | Being a nurse is not the most glamorous job at times when working with sick and dying patients. However, you are part of saving lives and changing lives. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | As a nurse you can choose different shifts. Depending on your area, you may only have to work 3 days a week. |
| Social Orientation | 10 | You have multiple social interactions as a nurse. You have to work as a team with your co-workers and bosses and you have open interaction with your patients and their loved ones. |
Job Title: Registered Nurse
Attended: University Of Texas At Arlington • Arlington, TX
Studied Nursing (completion in 2010)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/23/2012
"I enjoy my career very much. It offers many opportunities to do a variety of different things and I love working with patients."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | My nursing school was ranked in the top schools in the country. It prepared me very well for the real nursing world. They have a Smart Hospital that not many schools have, with mannequins that simulate patient experiences. They can die and give birth. It was an excellent education. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 7 | There are some opportunities to be promoted, but they usually involve being a nurse manager. That tends to take you away from patient care, so many nurses don't ever want or need to be promoted. Some hospitals pay more for your years of experience. |
| Job Security | 9 | Nursing is a very secure job field. There is always a shortage of nurses and you can pretty much go anywhere and find a job. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | Nurses get paid very well. Especially in times where there is a nursing shortage, there is often generous sign on bonuses. Also, you get compensated very well for working holidays and overtime. |
| How Stressful | 8 | It is very stressful having a person's life in your hands. You also have to deal with a patient's family, doctors, uncooperative patients, and other coworkers that can add a lot of stress. It is also stressful to work 12 hour shifts. |
| Task Variety | 8 | Some tasks remain the same from day to day. But you usually have different patients, and they require different care. You might find yourself doing the same basic things, like taking vitals or giving medicine, but the medicines are always different and sometimes the vitals require you to respond differently. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | I don't think it is very glamorous to be a nurse. You get bodily fluids all over you and often you go home smelling awful. I think being a nurse does garner some respect from most people. |
| Career Flexibility | 9 | You can pretty much do whatever you want when you are a nurse. You can go to any state or country. You usually have a variety of options where you can work. You can work in a doctor's office, a hospital, a clinic, at a person's home, at a nursing home, or at a school. |
| Social Orientation | 9 | There is always social interactions as a nurse. You have to interact with the patient, their family, their doctor and other healthcare providers, and all the other staff that works in a hospital. |
Job Title: Registered Nurse
Attended: University Of Illinois At Chicago • Chicago, IL
Studied Nursing (completion in 2009)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/20/2012
"I'm a relatively new nurse, having only worked for 3 years as an RN. I'm satisfied with my patients, but I've had rough patches with my nurse managers and with miscommunications."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 9 | My school was very thorough. They made sure we had clinicals in several areas. Small class sizes allowed for more one-on-one teacher/student experiences. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 7 | I feel like there are some opportunities to move up, but not without attaining a higher degree. I plan to attain a higher degree in the near future. |
| Job Security | 8 | I feel very secure at my current job. The hospital at which I work is doing well financially, so I'm not worried about lay-offs or raise freezes. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | My career has great earnings potential. I receive higher pay if I work overtime, holidays, or nights, and I've had semi-regular raises. |
| How Stressful | 8 | I work with heart patients, so that can be quite stressful, as is working at a hospital in an urban area. We get a lot of patients who code and we have to employ life-saving procedures on them. |
| Task Variety | 6 | My tasks are pretty typical day-to-day. However, there is that rare day where I'm asked to do something different or outside my general job description. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 6 | I'm not sure if the job is considered cool or glamorous. People seem to focus on the pay scale more than anything else. |
| Career Flexibility | 6 | My current job is slightly flexible, but not overly so. Scheduling can be a conflict. |
| Social Orientation | 8 | I am constantly interacting socially with other - other nurses, CNAs, doctors, patients, and other hospital personnel, as well as family members of patients. |
Job Title: RN
Attended: SUNY Farmingdale • Farmingdale, NY
Studied RN (completion in 1982)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/20/2012
"My job has progressed with technology and becomes more interesting by the day. Advances in medicine allow for more learning opportunities."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | SUNY Farmingdale only takes a limited number of students that must be accepted into the program. You must also meet a minimum grade point average to remain in the program. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 10 | There are opportunities for nurses who pursue more education. |
| Job Security | 10 | Nurses are in need at the moment. Hospitals are not getting rid of us. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | I can change hospitals if need be to make more. Joining a hospital that is union run always means more earning potential. |
| How Stressful | 10 | Being in the ER requires me to be quick on my feet. I have to have the ability to take orders from Doc's and process them quickly. |
| Task Variety | 5 | In the ER the situations may vary, but the tasks are the same. I usually start with vitals, EKGs, etc. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 10 | My job is very cool. As an ER nurse I am the first one you see in a bad situation. I can make or break the situation depending on my actions. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | 12 hour shifts make for flexibility. It also allows me to work per-diem elsewhere. |
| Social Orientation | 10 | I am constantly social with my patients and co-workers. I need to be social to learn about the situations at hand. |
Job Title: Registered Nurse
Attended: Gwynedd Mercy • Gwynedd Valley, PA
Studied Nursing (completion in 2011)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/19/2012
"The job is challenging and exciting, but honestly, I did not go to school to be someone's maid, their butler, or to play nanny to a bunch of whiney people who are seeking instant gratification. Also, the money is poor considering everything that I do."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 5 | Great professors for the most part, but administration was unorganized and screwed up important info and documents multiple times. They were poor at keeping us informed. Staff in administration was rude too. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 4 | A lack of a clinical ladder makes advancing in this job more challenging, at least where I work. And I don't want to be a manager. |
| Job Security | 8 | There will always be a need for good nurses. There are multiple job fronts: hospitals, offices, clinics, etc. People will always be sick and need nurses. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | There is the huge potential for a lot of money working per diem or working overtime. Base salary is not always so hot. |
| How Stressful | 10 | I hold people's lives in my hands. If I mess up, someone could die. |
| Task Variety | 8 | Some things never change: documentation, patient care. But I never know what or who is walking through the door. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 8 | I help people. I play with dangerous drugs and run codes that change peoples lives. I can chemically sedate a drunk and take down a psych patient in about thirty different ways. I can work a trauma where I'm swimming in blood and not pass out. It's cool. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | There are jobs for every shift, every personality, and every type of worker. Flexibility is the greatest benefit of being a nurse. |
| Social Orientation | 9 | I work with the public all day long. I work in a team with a great group of people. It's a very social job. Part nurse, part butler, part psychologist. |
Job Title: Clinical Nurse Specialist II
Attended: University Of Michigan • Ann Arbor, MI
Studied Nursing (completion in 1983)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/21/2012
"The work is satisfying, but the working conditions are not. Chronic understaffing does not allow me to do my job as I would like to."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | Academics at the University of Michigan are first-rate. They do not, however, emphasize practical experience in the rotations as much as they should. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 7 | I have many opportunities to learn in a large research institution. However, my opportunities for advancement are very limited. |
| Job Security | 5 | I feel the health care industry as a whole is in a very shaky position due mostly to the passage of Obama Care. This will greatly increase the cost of healthcare and I may be affected by cutbacks at any time. |
| Earnings Potential | 6 | Again, the current cloud of Obama Care over the health care industry makes my earning potential questionable. I anticipate many cutbacks. |
| How Stressful | 8 | The worst stress working on a cardiac unit is not knowing when an emergency will occur. Patients who seem fine one moment can be in arrest the next. |
| Task Variety | 7 | There is a lot of variety mainly due to different personalities of patients. Patient care tasks become routine. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | There is the TV image of what happens in the hospital world. This is much more glamorous than the daily grind and the pain and suffering we witness and try to alleviate. |
| Career Flexibility | 5 | There is very little flexibility in regard to scheduling my hours. I do have many options to change my career focus within my institution. |
| Social Orientation | 7 | Nursing is very collaborative. We are always checking our decisions and seeking advice from our colleagues. |
Job Title: Staff Nurse II
Attended: University Of Vermont • Burlington, VT
Studied Nursing (completion in 2010)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/19/2012
"I am satisfied with my nursing career because it allows me to help people and is a hands-on job that requires hard work and thinking on your feet. However, I am not completely satisfied because I feel that there is a lack of recognition and respect for my job."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | The BSN program at the University of Vermont is very good. Professors are very supportive and although the courses are challenging, I felt very ready to pass my exams and to enter the workforce. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 5 | I wish there was more opportunity to be promoted, but I would need to get a master's degree to have a lot of promotion opportunities. However, with more years of experience, hopefully I'll have more earning potential. |
| Job Security | 9 | Job security is one of the great things about a nursing career. I know that I can work almost anywhere and will always be needed. In my current position, I feel secure because there is a nursing shortage. |
| Earnings Potential | 5 | Nurses start out with a very nice salary. Despite this, it is hard to increase your earnings too much without getting a higher degree so that you can change to a management or NP position. |
| How Stressful | 8 | Nursing can be extremely stressful because there are many demands. You have to balance demands from doctors and patients and families. It is also physically tiring, since you are standing on your feet all day. |
| Task Variety | 7 | If you work in a hospital, tasks can vary more often because you could work in emergency medicine where things change by the minute. But if you work in an outpatient private practice, your day-to-day might be very repetitive. It all depends on where you work. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | Nursing can be very unglamorous when you have to do the scut work. You are also often not respected by patients or doctors. However, sometimes you get some recognition from the community at large for the important work you do. |
| Career Flexibility | 6 | The shifts themselves are pretty long and you can't choose when to come in or leave as much as you can with other jobs. However, there are many opportunities to work part time, on weekends, at night, or per-diem so you can do what fits with your life. |
| Social Orientation | 10 | Nursing is such a social career. If you work in a hospital or private practice setting you interact with other nurses, patients, doctors, other staff, and patient's families. You meet new people every day. |
Job Title: Registered Nurse
Attended: Brigham Young University • Provo, UT
Studied Nursing (completion in 2011)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/23/2012
"I am passionate about nursing and enjoy working in the field. I love the scientific aspect as well as the ability to work closely with people. I am new to the field and have not experienced burn-out or difficulty with patients/staff, so I remain as passionate and happy with my career as ever!"
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | My program was extremely challenging and pushed us to be the best healthcare providers out there. The program emphasized a holistic approach to nursing, including physical, mental, and spiritual healing. This helps us look at the person as a whole and help them heal in more than just physical ways. I felt I gained a great education and was well prepared to enter the field. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 10 | The nursing profession is geared around promotion. There are always certificates, trainings, and additional schooling that can assist a nurse in advancing one's career. Nurses also work in a hierarchy, made up of nurse managers, nurse supervisors, etc. that allow for promotion and advancement with experience. |
| Job Security | 8 | Nurses are always in high demand. Entering the field was difficult because the recession has allowed employers to be pickier in the hiring process and they want nurses with years of experience. I was able to gain employment and now with experience under my belt, I know I will be able to keep my job as well as secure better jobs in the future. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | In nursing, there are always opportunities for advancement and increased earning potential, however nursing is not done in a fortune 500 company with the ability to increase earnings exponentially. Skilled nurses, and those willing to advance, can enjoy good wages and excellent benefits. |
| How Stressful | 7 | Stress and nursing generally come hand in hand. Carrying the weight of someone else's life in your hands, and usually more than one at a time, can be very stressful. Working odd hours can also become stressful. As a profession that involves a high level of human contact, stress can also be determined by the moods, actions, and expressions of the people around a nurse. |
| Task Variety | 7 | Nursing is great for its variation! The diagnosis may be the same, but it may present differently for each patient. Often, the daily routine is the same, but the people and experiences are always different. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 3 | Ha! I would not describe nursing as a very "cool" profession. We handle a lot of things no one else would care to: blood, feces, secretions, etc. We bandage wounds, fight infections, and work all hours. We wear scrubs that are often tainted with bodily fluids by the end of the day. In regards to excitement, several nursing professions offer a great deal of excitement - at least those who enjoy nursing think so! |
| Career Flexibility | 8 | As a nurse in my current profession, I have the opportunity to work part-time while my children are young. I am also able to choose much of my schedule. Nurses are needed everywhere so there are always options in a variety of locations. |
| Social Orientation | 10 | As a nurse, constant social interaction is key. We are consistently working with an interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, social workers, physical therapists, administrators, etc to provide care to each client. We are in close personal contact with each client as we work towards helping them heal. We also work closely with client families as well as outside organizations to facilitate client care. In addition to business interactions, nurses have the opportunity to gain friendly relationships with many of the above and can share social interactions within or without the daily routine. |
Job Title: Registered Nurse
Attended: University Of The District Of Columbia • Washington, DC
Studied Nursing (completion in 2005)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/19/2012
"I get to travel around the US. Also, Nurses are never out of jobs."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 5 | The instructors and the admissions staff were knowledgeable and patient. The program was very satisfying. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 5 | I have been promoted once. Before the year is out, I will receive my second promotion. |
| Job Security | 10 | I have been at my job for almost 7 years now. I feel secure because I am always getting more job offers. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | There are always times when bonuses are given. With hard work and consistency, you are sure to earn your keep. |
| How Stressful | 5 | I am not usually stressed at my job. There are certain days where it seems as if the walls were caving in, but that is very rare. |
| Task Variety | 5 | I work in Research, so things are pretty much routine. There are some days when things are a little off, but it's rare. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 10 | My boss is the best. He is very laid back and down to earth. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | I make my own schedule. This makes it easy for me to take time off for doctor's appointments, etc. |
| Social Orientation | 4 | Besides the "all staff meetings" twice a year and the Christmas Party, my job doesn't really have social interactions. The departments usually stick with each other. |
Job Title: NICU RN
Attended: Louisiana State University Medical Center • New Orleans, LA
Studied Nursing (completion in 1997)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/20/2012
"I absolutely LOVE caring for premature and otherwise sick neonates. However, I believe that the pay that we receive is not commensurate with the responsibilities involved."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | There are only two schools in the area that provide a Baccalaureate degree in Nursing. LSUMC is probably the most respected of the two. It is a larger program than the other, while still maintaining the ability to provide individualized attention whenever necessary. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 9 | There are endless opportunities for nurses to advance in the field. This is particularly true for nurses who have earned Bachelor's degrees or higher in nursing. |
| Job Security | 10 | There is still a significant nursing shortage throughout the country. Jobs are abundant in almost any nursing category. |
| Earnings Potential | 6 | In my experience, nurses do not receive adequate compensation for the work that we do. However, if you are willing to accept additional assignments (i.e. PRN assignments) or overtime on days off, your income can increase dramatically. |
| How Stressful | 10 | My particular field of nursing (NICU) requires an extremely high degree of knowledge, skill, and accuracy. Additionally, the nature of neonates is such that their condition can change from minute to minute, sometimes with no warning at all. |
| Task Variety | 5 | Some tasks are the same from day to day. However, the nature of my work is that the condition of my patients can change at any moment, requiring additional or different tasks altogether. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 7 | I don't think that nursing is glamorous. There are many tasks that are required that others would absolutely not want to do. However, earning a nursing degree is no easy task, and it is a testament to the level of intelligence and determination required to achieve the title of Registered Nurse. |
| Career Flexibility | 5 | There are an abundance of choices of specialties from which to choose as a nurse. However, once you settle on a speciality, schedules are often inflexible. Most nurses in areas such as NICU are required to work 12-hour shifts, alternate day and night shifts, and work some weekends. |
| Social Orientation | 3 | The NICU is a closed unit, meaning that only those who have direct responsibility for the care of the patients are allowed inside, with the exception of the families. Therefore, our interactions are usually limited to the same people all the time. In addition, our patients require our FULL attention at all times. This leaves very little room for interacting with those around us. |
Job Title: Registered Nurse
Attended: Southern Adventist University • Collegedale, TN
Studied Nursing (completion in 2011)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/21/2012
"I have a job on a great floor, the CardioThoracic Step-Down unit, and I have great co-workers. We deal with pre and post surgical patients mostly, and cardiac nursing fascinates me."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 9 | Southern is well known for its excellent nursing program. I felt that the teachers prepared me well for actual nursing through my classes and clinicals. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | Nursing is a great field because there are so many ways to branch off or specialize. I just started working, but after working for one year I qualify for our career ladder program which provides continuing education and pay bonuses. Plus I will have the opportunity in the future to precept new nurses. After being on the floor I am on now for a couple years, I can transfer to one of the ICU's if I so desire, or I can go back to school for my Masters and work as a nurse practitioner. |
| Job Security | 6 | I would have ranked this higher, except that I know the hospital I work at has had to lay some employees off due to decreased funding. As a relatively new employee I do not have the seniority of some of my co-workers. |
| Earnings Potential | 5 | When I first started working at my hospital I would have ranked this higher. But in truth the best answer is "I don't know." Right now there are some financial concerns and employees didn't get their yearly raises this year, and one of the nurses who had been working on our floor for almost 20 years was let go because she was making so much money and they couldn't afford to keep her on any longer. Hopefully this will only be a temporary setback. |
| How Stressful | 7 | Nursing is always a somewhat stressful job. It is 12-13 hours on your feet providing care to patients who are not always grateful or cooperative. In addition, we are dealing with people who are hurting and could code at any minute. Heart attacks and strokes are just another day on the job for us. Clearly we have to be prepared for anything that happens, so everyone is always on their toes, so to speak. |
| Task Variety | 8 | No two patients are exactly the same. Every day your normal routine is upset by something. Whether it is that the cath lab comes to take your patient just as you walk through the door to perform the morning assessment or whether you get a patient who was transferred to our floor from another floor that has disease processes going on that require care completely different from what we are used to. I never stop learning. And the longer I'm there the more I realize there are so many ways to do the same task and every different situation will require you to come up with a different solution. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 10 | Our floor is kind of known for being "the Cream of the Crop." We were just recently promoted to being a 'step-down' unit and with that comes a certain pride. Many people would rather work on our floor than the floor they currently work on. Plus, the people who work there are just plain awesome! |
| Career Flexibility | 9 | There isn't much to say. I work 3 days a week that I (for the most part) choose and have 4 days off. It is quite easy to find people to switch days with you if you need, and my boss is really helpful in this process. |
| Social Orientation | 5 | I am, as I stated before, rather new to my floor, so I don't know as many people as well as others do. Still, though, I am getting to know everyone. Everyone is more than willing to help out and answer any questions I have, and it is a pretty accepting group of people. |
Job Title: RN, BSN
Attended: University Of Rhode Island • Kingston, RI
Studied Nursing (completion in 2011)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/22/2012
"I am currently working at an assisted living center in RI. I rate it a 9 because I am more interested in working in the pediatrics field than the geriatrics field."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | URI has a very tough curriculum, which really whips you in to shape to be the best nurse possible. Clinicals are great experiences and really get you prepared. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 10 | I could move on to be a Director of Nursing, nurse practitioner, or even a doctor. Nursing opportunities are endless. |
| Job Security | 10 | The world will always need nurses. There is actually a shortage of nurses in the world. |
| Earnings Potential | 9 | A nurse's salary averages out to $29/hour. I'm not making a million bucks a year, but it's good enough for me to live comfortably. |
| How Stressful | 9 | Nursing is stressful! Things can go wrong, but it's your goal to make sure everything goes right. You have a huge responsibility as a nurse. |
| Task Variety | 10 | Nursing tasks are never the same. You never know what each patient will require or what you will encounter. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 8 | Nursing is very exciting. You see and learn something new everyday. You are your patients' caregiver and you meet new patients all the time. It is not glamorous seeing that you have to wear scrubs, but your day is filled with excitement and adventures. |
| Career Flexibility | 9 | Nursing can be a part time job or a full time job. Most hours, though, are 7-3, 3-11, or 11-7. |
| Social Orientation | 10 | Nursing requires constant social interaction with others. You have to always work with your coworkers as a team. You are also always interacting with your patients to make sure they are comfortable. |
Job Title: Staff RN
Attended: St. Francis Hospital School Of Nursing • Evanston, IL
Studied Diploma Of Nursing (completion in 1983)
Highest relevant degree: Certificate
• Submitted: 1/25/2012
"I find Nursing to be exhausting - physically, emotionally, and mentally. I have been in the profession for many years and wish nurses were treated more respectfully, and at my age I do NOT want 12 hour shifts."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 9 | We had many hours of clinical experience, which was very helpful after graduation. We could have used more than a diploma certificate upon graduation. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 4 | Being that I am a Diploma in Nursing graduate, there are not many opportunities for advancement unless I go back to school. I am 54 and do not want to further my education in Nursing, so advancement would be rare for a Diploma graduate. |
| Job Security | 7 | With age comes insecurity in Nursing, especially when there are new grads to be hired for less money. New grads do not mind 12 hour shifts. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | Earnings have been good enough to support myself and help raise a family. Being a diploma educated nurse only lets you go so high on the earnings scale, though. |
| How Stressful | 10 | I would come home after working Med-Surg and tell my husband that I did not get to eat or pee in 8 hours, and he never believed me (he is a pilot). I have been yelled at by doctors, family members, staff members, etc... Not nice. |
| Task Variety | 6 | Some days I see the same types of patients with the same illnesses, which can be boring. Once in a while something exciting happens with a new situation where as an RN you learn something new and it is very exciting and makes your career rewarding. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | I believe a lot of people are respectful when you tell them you are an RN, and that part makes me feel cool. I also believe that sometimes Nurses are objectified as sex symbols and are not respected. |
| Career Flexibility | 8 | Nursing does have a flexible work schedule. You can as an RN during the night shift and be home with your children like I was and not need to pay for daycare. I have never come across a job for an RN that was a work from home situation or I would have taken it. |
| Social Orientation | 9 | Socially, many friends and loved ones have been acquired throughout and because of my career in Nursing. Socially, nurses love to go out and commiserate. |
Job Title: Prenatal Nurse
Attended: College Of Lake County • Grayslake, IL
Studied Nursing (completion in 2006)
Highest relevant degree: Associate's
• Submitted: 1/27/2012
"I enjoy taking care of patients, I get satisfaction from that. I enjoy the salary, which is not bad. My frustration is with my coworkers. Coming from a predominantly male career field prior, it's been a hard transition... women drive me crazy. The competitiveness, gossip, etc. wears on me more than anything."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 9 | CLC had very extensive hands on experiences. We had mechanical dummies to practice on and did tons of clinicals. Nursing school is hard, harder than an ADN program, but we read 200+ pages a week, and spent day and night studying to get through. Plus, hospitals knew ours as being a tough program that put out good students. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 3 | I think in nursing in general there are many staff nurses to only a few managers/educators/etc. Also, because of the job security and pay and benefits, people stay in this career for a long time, so advancement opportunities are few. |
| Job Security | 8 | Job security in nursing is almost always good. People will always get sick and now with people living longer there will be continued if not increased job security. However, in the current economy everyone is cutting back positions and competition for new grads is getting more intense. Once the economy improves I believe the job security will improve. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | Maybe this is being generous, but to me we make pretty good money. This could be because I come from a low income family. However, it is not a career where someone is going to make a ton of money, ever. If someone is looking to get rich, nursing is not the career to do it in. |
| How Stressful | 9 | I think nursing is extremely stressful. I think any time you have the potential to save a life or end it by your action or inaction, it is stressful. I think nursing needs to focus more on the stress and how to deal with it. |
| Task Variety | 8 | In my job my daily tasks are pretty similar, as pregnancy hasn't changed that much through the years. However, because every patient is human, the tasks are different. That again goes back to that social interaction aspect, I think. The core of the task may essentially be the same, however because you are interacting with a person as you do the task, it is going to be varied. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 3 | I wouldn't consider nursing as cool or glamorous. There is a healthy amount of respect for nurses, however I don't think we're seen as being cool, and definitely not glamorous. |
| Career Flexibility | 7 | In terms of variety of specialties and job locations, I would rate nursing as very high. It's the predominant reason I went into nursing. However, in terms of work schedules and ability to work from home, nursing is not very flexible. There is some flexibility even in these two areas, however there are limited opportunities. |
| Social Orientation | 9 | I am almost always interacting with someone: patients, other nurses, doctors, social workers, etc. The rare times when I am documenting and no one else is around is about the only time I'm not socially interacting. |
Job Title: Registered Nurse - Oncology
Attended: Kent State University • Kent, OH
Studied Nursing (completion in 2004)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/25/2012
"I have had the opportunity to work in a hospital setting for several years in a paced environment. Now as an Oncology nurse I get to help patients one on one in a slower paced environment."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | I felt the training at KSU was extremely thorough. I felt I was well prepared for working as a nurse. Clinical trials were very eye opening and a great way to understand what my job would be like. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 10 | I currently feel like I'm being groomed for a management position where I work. I get to sit in on meetings and work on new policies. I am confident that my hard work will be rewarded with a promotion. |
| Job Security | 10 | When hired on I received a signing bonus and to this day we still can't keep enough nurses on staff. Good nurses with bachelor degrees are still hard to find. We don't even accept nurses with certificate program degrees any longer. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | I feel well compensated. In a management position I can earn more. I have no qualms with my salary. |
| How Stressful | 7 | In a hospital setting the stress was a 10. Now things are a little more laid back. Maybe a 5, so the average rating is in between. |
| Task Variety | 8 | My daily activities are very similar. The patients, however, are different everyday, so I feel there is a lot of variation. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 7 | There isn't much glamour in being a nurse. I do feel there is some prestige as many people respect what I do, especially in the oncology field. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | I have to work around the cancer center hours, but I can schedule patients when it is convenient for me. I can also work at home on policies and other tasks that require only a computer. |
| Social Orientation | 7 | It could be a higher rating, but my own personality limits how social I make my work. I tend to just focus on my patients. |
Job Title: Registered Nurse
Attended: University Of Southern Indiana • Evansville, IN
Studied Nursing (completion in 2004)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/25/2012
"My position in the Emergency Room always provides something new and interesting. I have long been interested in medical procedures and my career allows me to pursue this interest."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | University of Southern Indiana has one of the best nursing programs in the area. There is an excellent balance between academic work and practicum that allowed me to gain the experience I needed before I set foot on the job. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 5 | Without further education to Nurse Practitioner, there is not really any room for advancement. There are many floor nurses and very few management positions. |
| Job Security | 9 | The amount of money spent on healthcare is increasing every year. Experienced, qualified Registered Nurses like myself have very secure positions. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | While national studies on Nursing salaries tend to be very favorable, conditions are not as such in our area. Our pay is good, but not nearly what it can be in larger areas. |
| How Stressful | 8 | The Emergency Room can be a highly stressful place to work. However, good training and coworkers can help alleviate that. |
| Task Variety | 7 | While there are always new cases and conditions to see, there is also a great deal of the job that is routine. Charting, cleaning, triaging patients, all of these things are similar and can become something of a "grind." |
| How Cool Is The Career | 7 | There is a lot of "coolness" about my job, especially in the exciting stuff we see. However, there is also a lot of things that would bother some people, such as emptying bedpans, etc. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | I work PRN (as needed) so I am able to set my own schedule. My husband's job requires relocation every few years and I have never had any trouble finding a job near our home. |
| Social Orientation | 8 | Everyday brings new patients to interact with. Sometimes this can be a curse as well as a blessing. |
Job Title: Nurse
Attended: Wilkes University • Wilkes-Barre, PA
Studied Nursing (completion in 2009)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/3/2012
"I love that I get to help people every day. However, I do not like the hours I have to put in."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | I really liked going to Wilkes. I felt prepared to go out and start my career. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | The more experience you earn, the more opportunities you have to get promoted. You have the ability to either become something like a charge nurse or because of the experience you have already it would be easy to continue your education and become something higher, like a doctor. |
| Job Security | 9 | The medical field is always a great field to be in for job security. There are tons of hospitals looking to hire nurses. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | The starting rate for a nurse is a decent amount. The more experience you gain, the more money you will make. |
| How Stressful | 9 | You have to help patients at all times, whether you are tired or not. People's lives are in your hands. |
| Task Variety | 6 | You will always have a new patient to work with everyday. Patients needs change daily. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 6 | It is amazing to be able to help others. People are always asking you questions about their health. |
| Career Flexibility | 9 | You can get a job all over the world. You can work nights, days, second shift, part time, or full time. |
| Social Orientation | 8 | The job is all about interaction. You are constantly talking to patients, doctors, families, and fellow nurses. |
Job Title: Nurse
Attended: University Of South Alabama • Mobile, AL
Studied RNA (completion in 2010)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/30/2012
"I enjoy helping people and making them feel better. I have always wanted to be a nurse and the job is extremely rewarding. Demanding but fun!"
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | The University of South Alabama was very accommodating and prepared me well for my job. I learned absolutely everything I needed for my job and I feel like I could not have had a better education anywhere else. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 5 | Not too many opportunities to get promoted unless I go back to school and get my master's degree. I am completely fine with staying exactly where I am for the rest of my life. |
| Job Security | 6 | My job is quite secure. The Mobile area needs many nurses right now and I have been working here for over a year, so I feel like I have a good chance of staying here for a while. The economy isn't great so there is always a chance I can lose my job, but I feel that it is more secure than most. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | Depending on what kind of nursing position you are in determines how much you are paid. The more schooling you have, generally, the more you are likely to get paid. |
| How Stressful | 9 | Nursing is and always will be extremely stressful. So many things can go wrong and it is my job to help and cure. It is a good kind of stressful, though. |
| Task Variety | 8 | Tasks vary nearly every day because no patient is the same, but we do see a lot of the same problems every day. You never know what is going to be wrong with a person though, and that is what makes nursing interesting. Everyone's situation is different. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 7 | Nursing is fairly cool. It's a hard school to complete, so I feel that those who make it through are considered "cool." |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | I am extremely flexible. My husband is in the Army so I am prepared to move to a new place at the drop of a hat. I just go with the flow and try the best I can. |
| Social Orientation | 8 | There is lots of social interaction, whether it is with the other nurses, doctors, or even the patients. I'm a social person and this job is absolutely perfect for me. |
Job Title: RN
Attended: Indian Hills Community College • Ottumwa, IA
Studied Nursing (completion in 2014)
Highest relevant degree: Associate's
• Submitted: 3/28/2012
"The people that I work with are very kind and easy to work with. I like the feeling of helping people when they are sick. It’s a job that makes you feel pretty good about yourself."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 9 | It was a pretty hard major, as there was a lot to learn. If you go to a two year school it's also a lot cheaper. Once I learned everything and passed, it was all worth it. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 7 | The chances of promotion all depends on how hard I work on the job. Other people go back to school while they are working to get a higher degree. |
| Job Security | 8 | I am very confident in my job. I bring in cash to pay the bills, and I am not afraid of losing my job. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | This job starts you off very well, and if you work hard and show you're a valuable employee, you can get raises. Also, if you work in the same job for a long time, you're also likely to get raises. So there is a very promising earning potential. |
| How Stressful | 5 | There's always the stress of getting all my work done on time. Sometimes it's tough to stay on my schedule, because people come in late. Other than that, it's not a very stressful job. |
| Task Variety | 7 | The tasks I do during the day are pretty much the same most days. I do lots of check ups with kids and teens. So it's a pretty similar routine from day to day. It could vary from different sizes of hospitals. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 6 | It may not be the coolest or most glamorous job, but it does pay pretty well. There’s also always the everyday excitement with new patients. It's pretty nice to get to see different people everyday. |
| Career Flexibility | 8 | I have a pretty flexible work schedule. I can get days off when I really need them. I can also get people to come in to work for me some days. This was a very good career option because, not only is it needed in my hometown, it's needed everywhere else too. |
| Social Orientation | 8 | There is a pretty good amount of social interaction. I work with a Doctor most of the time, so he is always there to talk to. Then there are the patients to talk to also. So there is a pretty fair amount of talking that goes with this job. |
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