career advice

[hushpup81]

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Hello everyone! I was hoping to get some honest advice from people already working in the healthcare field. I don't really know that many people to get opinions from and I don't agree with the *****s at the school I attend.

First a little info about myself: I'm 27 and going back to school for a second degree in nursing. I already have a B.S. in accounting. I am looking to maximize my earnings potential in the future and was wondering where I could expand my nursing career with a few years of experience. I do not agree with NP's thinking they are MD's and I also do not agree with universal healthcare. However, that is all I hear from the *****s at my school. With that said, I was hoping to get some advice on where I can potentially take my career as a nurse in the future....is there anyway I can mesh my knowledge of accounting with a BSN degree? I'm getting a little worried that the nurses I work with area going to believe in universal healthcare and think they are MD's b/c they went to NP school. I don't know if I can handle any more people like the one's at my school....

thanks,
hushpup

 

[184013]

I'm getting a little worried that the nurses I work with area going to believe in universal healthcare and think they are MD's b/c they went to NP school. I don't know if I can handle any more people like the one's at my school....

If those are your two worries - then you are either:
1) trolling for feedback
2) have the worst possible time to enter the field

If you want to use your acct in nursing I think the first thought might be nursing vs health care administration or an MBA with a health care focus.
If you want to be an RN for a period of time later on you could get a MN with admin focus or do an MHA.

Best of luck,

 

[hushpup81]

those are not my only two worries....but universal healthcare is a disaster and all the nurses i have encountered think that it is heaven on earth. and these are the same people who keep telling me that in the future NP's will be paid like MD's...etc, etc, etc...that they are going to be just as qualified as MD's. and i also know that is false.

i was simply trying to get some ideas of how to be maximize my earning potential with a career in nursing. i was looking for some ideas about graduate school...what other's have done, etc, etc.

no need to get so snotty. i hope you aren't in the health care field...i would hate to have someone with your attitude trying to save a life.

god bless,
hushpup81

 

[dahdah]

The top pay scale in the nursing field are CRNA's. There are some positions that pay a whopping 250,000 dollars a year, 😀.

A career as a NP sounds good to me:

Scope of practice

Because the profession is state regulated, care provided by NPs varies. A nurse practitioner's job may include the following:

• Diagnosing, treating, evaluating and managing non-life-threatening acute and chronic illness and disease (e.g. diabetes, high blood pressure)
• Obtaining medical histories and conducting physical examinations
• Ordering, performing, and interpreting diagnostic studies (e.g., routine lab tests, bone x-rays, EKGs)
• Prescribing physical therapy and other rehabilitation treatments
• Prescribing pharmacologic treatments and therapies for acute and chronic illness (extent of prescriptive authority varies by state regulations)
• Providing prenatal care and family planning services
• Providing well-child care, including screening and immunizations
• Providing primary and specialty care services, health-maintenance care for adults, including annual physicals
• Providing care for patients in acute and critical care settings
• Performing minor surgeries and procedures (with additional training and usually under supervision) (e.g., dermatological biopsies, suturing, casting)
• Counseling and educating patients on health behaviors, self-care skills, and treatment options
• Not formally trained for surgical assisting

 

[fab4fan]

I think you should probably pick another career. Either you are trolling, as was suggested previously, or you are looking at a future filled with frustration as the health care field is ever-changing.

 

[dahdah]

From the Mayo Clinic:

More About Nurse Practitioners
NPs take health histories and provide complete physical examinations, diagnose and treat many common acute and chronic problems, interpret laboratory results and X-rays, prescribe and manage medications and other therapies, provide health teaching and counseling to support healthy lifestyle behaviors and prevent illness, and refer patients to other health professionals as needed.
An NP provides high-quality, cost-effective and individualized care for patients, families and communities. NPs are authorized to practice across the nation and have privileges to prescribe medications, in varying degrees in all 50 states.

Earning Potential
According to the 2007 survey data from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, the average annual salary for all specialties of full-time nurse practitioners is $86,486.

The pay for NPs is right up there with PAs (and may have surpassed PAs).

 

[184013]

No i was actually serious. If you are worried about those - then this is a bad time.... I also gave my two recommendations for you.

 

[foreverLaur]

I'm going back to get my BSN as well after a BA in Psychology. However, I'm entering grad school to become a Physician Assistant and part of my reasoning is being 100% against the DNP.

 

[SailorNurse]

I'm going back to get my BSN as well after a BA in Psychology. However, I'm entering grad school to become a Physician Assistant and part of my reasoning is being 100% against the DNP.

This is confusing to me. Your signature says "Future Physician Assistant". What is your undergraduate degree in?

Why would a physician's assistant then go back to get a BSN (Bachelor's of Science in NURSING)???? This does not make any sense to me.
& then after that a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology?

I know of an RN with an ADN & a Bachelors in another field that became a PA because in order to become a nurse practitioner he would have had to get a BSN, then the MSN, so he went the for the Masters as PA route insted.

What does becoming a PA have to do with being against the DNP???😕

 

[foreverLaur]

I graduate in March of 2009 with a BA in Psychology. I need significant hands on patient care experience for the schools I am interested in. Thus, I am going back to school to get my BSN from a 2nd degree accelerated program (15 months). I'm going to work as an RN for 2 years or so, then apply to PA school.

I meant that part of my reasoning for picking PA over NP is because I am against the push for the DNP and agree with the letter the AMA published.

I chose RN over EMT or CNA because it pays a lot more, the experience is a lot more valuable, the job is more rewarding to me, and it gives me a great career if PA school doesn't work out down the road.

 

[SailorNurse]

those are not my only two worries....but universal healthcare is a disaster and all the nurses i have encountered think that it is heaven on earth. and these are the same people who keep telling me that in the future NP's will be paid like MD's...etc, etc, etc...that they are going to be just as qualified as MD's. and i also know that is false.

i was simply trying to get some ideas of how to be maximize my earning potential with a career in nursing. i was looking for some ideas about graduate school...what other's have done, etc, etc.
quote]
Please clarify who are these nurses that you are talking to? What part of the USA (East coast, West Coast etc) are you in? I know lots of Md's and RN's, NP's that do not think universal health care is the answer. Where are they getting the salary information about future NP's = MD salary???

I also have concerns that you are entering the health care profession with the idea of "maximize my earning potential". I teach and when students put dollar signs for the question of why they chose nursing as their major, that really worries me. Nursing & other health care professions are not for people that are looking to get rich, at least not not in the initial stages of entering these professions. I get really annoyed with first semester students that tell me they "want to be a nurses anesthesthetist because they make lots of money." Many of these students have no idea what a CRNA actually does or what is required to become one, all they have heard is about the high income potential.

Any CRNA's out there-What are you paying for annual malpractice premiums? This is one reason for the high salary, I believe.

As for using your accounting background, you should consider a Master's in Nursing Administration.😎

 

[Trauma Mama]

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