[pennywise]

Fiffer010: I could not be anymore serious about my warning of choosing nursing as a career. Nursing historically has a reputation of "eating their own". Poor nursing managers who lack the ability to grant autonomy to their colleagues due to their wanting to control, yet you will have advanced education and your own license to which you are accountable for. Hospitals see you only as a "line worker" treating you with disrespect instead of the professional you really are. Patients are angry because something has disrupted their lives and take it out on you, however, they do not take it out on the doctor. Management fails to understand this and you WILL BE FIRED then your name gets ruined and you are black balled from the system(s) the more you keep trying to work, because it happens over and over again every place you go. If the patient is not angry the daughter is because now she has her family and now mom or dad who have added stress to her. It all comes out on you. Other clients hit you, yell at you, are demanding. The nursing assistants, who you delegate to, hide on you, complain about you that you "sit on your butt at the desk (charting, reviewing labs, etc) and they get you fired but you cannot get them fired. Pay for a BSN is $19 to start when other careers start >40,000 annually. Physical therapist with the same education make more than you, then when you are overworked, short staffed bring the patient to you and say "he has to go to the bathroom". Well the PT is a part of the team, why didn't he take him to the bathroom. Fiffer010 you are very intellegent and show great potential: consider premed and become a physician. Look for a career where you are an independent worker and not a dependent worker. Even as NP's we are not getting respect. AN NP is the physician EQUIVALENT yet are treated as nursing staff by hospitals. It is not going to change, there solution is not to fix the problem but to bring in immigrants they can order around. So I ask you, look around the hospital floor, where are the Philappino nurses that were recruited and brought to America in the 80"s. Do you see them. But they will bring them in, shouting shortage, when it is they who keep firing you for petty reasons. The shortage exists for a reason and you need to consider it. Look at the number of licensed RNs an ask yourself does a shortage really exist. There are enough licensed RNs for every position. Another thing, go into CINAHL and look up nurse bullying, this may open your eyes a little more. Do your research before you invest so much time and money. For the education, you want respect and the ability to work in a nonhostile environment. Let me point out that I believe the hostility comes from the multitude of single women with attitudes over their failed relationships that take it out on you if you are happily married. I was told that at Troy Beaumont the nurses will ask you what school district your child is in to determine your social status.