Working as a Nurse
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Working as a Nurse
Oct 2005
I'm a 46 year old single mom of a 3 year old boy (I adopted him
at birth as a single, so I have no co-parent at all). I am
probably going to be laid off of my job soon due to funding
cuts, and am considering a major career change. I have a PhD
in chemistry and already did one big career change when I
switched from chemistry to energy and environmental work many
years ago. Now I'm thinking of an even bigger change -- I
think I want to be a nurse when I grow up! I want a job that's
meaningful, useful, and where I can work directly with people.
It's hard for me to think of anything more useful than helping
people stay healthy and alive! I'm leaning towards pediatric
nursing, either in a hospital or maybe a doctor's office.
I've read all the posts in the archive on this topic, which
were quite helpful. However, those posts seemed to mostly be
geared towards becoming an ''advanced practice nurse'', which
requires a masters degree. I think I'd be quite happy just
being a working RN. I'm leaning towards getting an associate
degree (ADN) and am considering the program at Ohlone College,
since this is way less costly than the various BSN programs I'm
aware of.
So, all of this is a long preamble to my questions. I'm
interested in hearing from anyone who has taken the associate
degree route to RN, especially if you happen to be a recent
grad of Ohlone. How many years did it take you to complete the
program, including doing the required prerequisites before
admission to the nursing program? Is it possible to do this
part time (while also working part time), either at Ohlone or
elsewhere in the Bay Area? I'd also like to hear from single
parents who tried to obtain a nursing degree as a single
parent, whether you were successful or not -- if you were, how
did you manage? And if not, what were the pitfalls?
Does having an ADN rather than a BSN make any difference in
what types of jobs I could get? I've read contradictory things
about whether BSN-RN's make more money or not. Are there some
specific nursing jobs I couldn't get with an ADN, and if so,
what are they?
Also, what kind of salary could I expect as an entry-level RN
working in a hospital? In a doctor's office?
Any other words of advice or wisdom for an aspiring nurse?
Thanks in advance!
Sorry this post may be a bit disjointed - just came off a 5 day
stint - I graduated in May from an ADN program (I'm 45) and was
offered a position at every hospital to which I applied. The
starting pay for a new grad is between $33.00 to $45.00 an hour
(depends on the shift). Nursing can be very rewarding but it is
also HARD WORK - physically and emotionally. As far as school
goes - it took me three years to complete the prereqs and the
RN program. Be forewarned that the prereqs differ from program
to program. Two year programs (community college) are much,
much cheaper and faster than private programs but can be VERY
difficult to get into. Nursing schools in CA are impacted -
many more qualified applicants than positions - you MUST apply
to several schools to increase your chances of getting in (SF
City College, College of Marin, Contra Costa Community College,
Los Medanos - be prepared to travel!). As far as working and
attending school part time - fine for prereqs (although unless
your work schedule is VERY flexible you may find you are unable
to take some classes), but nursing school is full time. I was
in class or in the hospital five days a week the first semester
and four days a week the rest of the time. Hospital rotations
are from 6:30 am until 3:30 or from 1 or m until 10 or 11 pm.
Make sure you have great (and flexible) childcare.
There can be a salary difference for BSN and ADN but it usually
is about $1-$2/hour. Yes there are some jobs that you will need
a BSN for (management) but at your age I'd go for the ADN and
make sure I like nursing before getting an advanced degree.
Besides, once you have the RN you can complete a ADN to BSN
program in a year (my hospital offers a program for this
purpose). By the way, one of my classmates in nursing school
also had a PhD in Chemistry - you'll be surprised the wide
variety of people you'll find in community colleges. I was by
no means the oldest person in our program (I think the average
age was 28, the oldest person was 55). Good luck!
NightNurse
You can go for a 'regular' RN however you want and get to work.
Later, if you like,you can go to Holy Names University and
upgrade to a BSN (they have a program for working RNs) which
would enable you to a)make more money and b)work in Public
Health, which means no more weekends, holidays, or odd shifts.
This is handy when your kid is in school. Nursing is hard work
these days (overworked/underpaid) but very rewarding and very
flexible. I have done MANY things with my BSN. You're making a
terrific choice. Best of luck.
Bonnie
April 2005
I am graduating from Nursing School in May and am currently
interviewing for employment. I am curious about Highland
(Alameda County Medical Center) in Oakland. Any present or
former nurses please advise!
susan
I've worked at highland for about 6 years mostly in the ICU. its
a very good place to learn becasue the MD's are learning and
teaching so they can and will explain why the treat the patients
this way or that way and most of them respect the nurses - well
I can only really speak for the ICU on that one.
but its also a difficult place to learn because sometimes it can
be like the blind leading the blind and you have to question
everything in case you get someone who doesn't know what they're
doing and orders the wrong thing or an inappropriate dose, etc,
that can be very stressful for a new grad. that stage passes
after the first few months as you learn standard meds and doses
by heart though.
highland is a really interesting place with lots of challenges
and lots of different kinds of people. you see things there
that are really not seen in many other places.
never bored at work
Feb 2005
I graduate from Nursing School in May and I'm in a bit of a
quandry as to where to apply for work. I loved Contra Costa
Regional Hospital in Martinez but the recruiter told me that it
can be difficult to get permanent status. I have several
friends who work for Kaiser and like it but I've felt like a
cog in the wheel during my rotations there. Alta Bates is
convienent but their recent merger with Sutter Health worries
me. How about Mt. Diablo or UCSF? Any recommendations or advice
will be GREATLY appreciated!
NightNurse
hi,
I'm a nurse and I can tell you what I've experienced over the
last 6 year my self and through my friends.
I think its really important that you consider where you want to
go as a nurse - OB, ICU, OR, med-surg? and you consider your
commute. right now most hospitals are desperate enough for RN's
that you pretty much have your pick.
I'm an ICU nurse so that's where most of my perspective is from.
I work as Highland in oakland and have found it to be a great
place to learn. Many of the doctors are also learning and can
explein to you why they make the decisions they do which I have
found vry helpful. other times these inexperienced MD's make
poor decisions and it is your job as a nurse to protect your
patients from them. that was very stressful as a new grad but
with help from my fellow RN's and experience, that aspect became
less of a liability though still stressful at times. Highland is
great at trauma, godd at other things, not so much for hearts.
though I have never worked at the Alta Bates ICU but I know 4
RN's who worked there and were more or less miserable. only one
left because she relocated. all the others left because it was
such a bad place to work - the culture, so I hear, is to
encourage the nurses to back stab one another and is very
unhelpful. don't go there especially not as a new grad.
on the other hand I know 2 RN's in the Alta Bates NICU who
graduated with me 6 years ago and still work there very happily.
I hear lots of good things about Washington hospital in Fremont -
they pay the best and seem to treat their nurses very well. I
hear they do lots of heart surgeries if that's what you're
interested in.
I also worked in John Muir for a few months they seem to have
quite an extensive training program for new grads for the ICU -
even more so than Highland which I thought was quite good. but
after Highland quite frankly I was bored there. they do more
with hearts which could be interesting but for trauma, there
wasn't much going on.
I have found in just about every hospital that there are
problems of one sort or another with unions, or lack thereof,
administration and management and each place has its own unique
set of challenges. when you go from one to the other you simply
trade one set of problems for another. what really makes a
nursing job good or not, like any job, is the people that you
work with (including the doctors). are they friendly and
supportive to you and to each other? do they communicate clearly
and are they willing to offer and accept help or do they
complain constantly but martyr themselves for some misguided
sense ofmoral superiority?
once you find out the basics like pay, benefits, etc. go to the
unit on they same shift that you may be hired for (same shift is
important because cultures can vary from shift to shift) and
talk with some of the nurses who don't seem too busy at the
moment or hang around until break time.
good luck
anon
I have worked for Alta Bates for 10 years & I have been through
many of the changes here including the Summit merger as well as
the affiliation with Sutter (we didn't ''merege'' w/ them, but
became part of their network). Like every hospital around, there
are going to be great things about the organization & things
that you'd like to see change. I have worked for a few hospitals
in the Bay Area & really like Alta Bates. The benefits are good,
the people are nice & the commute isn't too bad. More than
anything you have to find a place that is a good fit for you.
Have you thought of getting on per diem lists at a few of the
hospitals that you are interested in? That way you can try it
for yourself. Good Luck to you & Congratulations on finishing RN
school.
Alta Bates RN & Mom
First, consider your personal safety, driving home after being
up all night. That means look at the closest hospitals to your
house, or consider moving. It can be really hard to drive home
after night shift.
Second, you are new, and you need to learn a lot. So, I would
recommend hospitals with many different kinds of patients,
cultures and conditions. For that, check out places like
Highland, SF General, etc. You might (later on)want to go back
to grad school, and the more varied experience you have, the
better.
Then, ask a lot of questions about how they mentor their new
grads. Will somebody really be there for you as you adjust to
the new job, and for how long? Ask to talk to somebody who did
the new grad program there, in the recent past, and ask them
what it was really like, pros and cons. Good luck! RN mom
I have worked at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek for
the past five years. I have been very happy there and would be
happy to talk with you more about my experience and put you in
touch with our nurse recruiter. I also have friends who work at
Alta Bates, Kaiser, and Summitt. If you are interested, send me
an email and let me know what type of nursing job you are
interested in (I work in the postpartum unit), and we can talk.
Emily
Dec 2004
I am interested in becoming a nurse in the next couple years.
I already have a Bachelors in an unrelated field. Is it
recommended that one become an RN first before pursuing a
Masters? If so what are some of the best schools in the area?
I am particularly interested in ones that will provide some
flexibility since I have a small child at home.
New career
I am considering a career change. Long ago, when I was a pre-med
college student, I volunteered on the surgical floor of a
teaching hospital. I thought at the time that what the
anesthesiologists were doing was interesting. Now I'm interested
in becoming a nurse anesthetist, but as the path is a bit long
and would take me away from my daughter quite a lot, I need to
gather information around what nurse anesthetists actually do
these days, how the work is, what the challenges are...if you
happen to be in the know, or know someone who is, please contact
me if you would be willing to chat. Thanks!
Ann
Go for it. If you already have a bachelor's degree, you can get
an RN and a masters in many specialized programs for people like
us! I had a bachelors and masters degree when I moved to
California and pursued my RN/Master's in nursing in a three year
program at San Francisco State University 10 years ago. I love
being a nurse, it pays well, I do what I love (working in labor
and delivery) and my hours are great.
Check out UCSF, San Francisco State, Samuel Merritt for openings
in their programs. I would choose the program that is going to
give you what you want in the time frame you are looking for and
that costs the least. No matter how much you pay for the
education, you still will take the same boards and have the same
license as someone who paid 2-4 times as much! Good luck.
Tora
There's one place to begin your training as a nurse that may not
yet appear on some lists of nursing programs because its program
is so new: Mills College in Oakland. Mills is a private, 152-
year-old, liberal arts college for women, which has just acceded
to a request by Samuel Merritt College, a nursing school, to
offer the first two years of the nursing curriculum to a small
number of students. The first entering class will begin their
studies in Fall 2005. Mills is a uniquely beautiful and
supportive place, and the faculty connected with this program
are of the highest caliber. The website contains a fuller
description, which begins like this:
''Mills College is introducing an innovative two-year program
leading to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at Samuel
Merritt College. Students who complete the two-year pre-nursing
program at Mills with a 3.0 grade point average will be
guaranteed admission into a two-year nursing theory and clinical
program at Samuel Merritt College.''
http://www.mills.edu/UGA/uga_nursing_info.html
Mills Prof
I am in the middle of a nursing program offered by UCSF for
people who already have a bachelors in another field. It is a 3-
year program in total: 1 year to complete the requirements for
an RN, and another 2 for the masters degree (to be a nurse
practitioner, nurse-midwife, or clinical nurse specialist.) If
you go to their website you will find a description at this
address: http://nurseweb.ucsf.edu/www/ps-em.htm It is not an
especially family-friendly program, but it is a good way to get
your RN fairly quickly and then move into advance practice if
that is your goal. Some East Bay schools also offer more
flexible programs if you want to work as an RN. For me the
absolute key to making it work as a parent has been to have an
extremely supportive partner who is able to arrange his schedule
to be home with our daughter part time. I would be happy to
fill you in on details if you'd like to email me directly.
Kathleen
Feb. 2004
I need to hear from some parents who have been to nursing
school on this. Am I crazy to think I can deal with nursing
school and my 6 month old infant? Of course I'll have
full-time care for her. My question is how demanding is the
program in terms of time outside of class and is it doable
with a young child. I need a reality check.
uncertain
I'd be happy to talk to you about balancing nursing school and
parenting. I started an accelerated RN program (all requirements
finished in one year) at UCSF when I had a one year-old and am
now a few months away from finishing. In my case it has been all
about having a supportive partner. It has been exhausting at
times (and hilarious when I hear my non-parent classmates
complain about how ''sleep deprived'' they are) but mostly it has
felt manageable. You have to make some decisions and
commitments to yourself on how you're going to get through it.
For instance, I decided I would only study when my daughter was
sleeping. For the most part I've been able to stick to that,
knowing that in a previous time in life I would have been more
of a perfectionist grade-wise.
You also HAVE to feel good about your childcare situation. I am
fortunate in that my husband was able to reduce his work
schedule to half time and we have immediate family in the area
who could also help, so we've been able to do it with just a few
hours of non-family babysitting each week. Another mom in my
program was trying to do it as a single parent and it just
became too difficult.
There's a lot to say about this, drop me a line if you'd like
and I'd be happy to go into more detail.
Kathleen
Congratulations for thinking about becoming a nurse! I have
been an RN for 15 years, and can't imagine doing anything
else. I love my job. Nursing is finally getting recognized as
a flexible, well-paid, challenging career for men and women.
It is a career where you truly can make a difference every day,
and the job opportunities are endless. Nursing school is A LOT
of work, though, and it does require extensive time outside of
class and clinical time for reading, studying and assignments.
I can't imagine going to nursing school with a young baby. If
possible, you would probably have an easier time if you wait
until your child is a bit older. But, now is a great time to
start gathering information about the entrance requirements for
the various local nursing schools (CCC, Merritt Community
College, CSUH, SF City College, Samuel Merrit School of
Nursing, etc). The word is finally getting out about the
opportunities for nurses, so many people are trying to get into
school. Most if not all the local programs are impacted, and
require prerequisites to be finished and applications submitted
around the winter before you wish to start.
Feel free to contact me if you have more specific questions
about nursing school.
Gayle RN
Sept. 2002
I want to become a registered home-health nurse, but I cannot
find a program that requires less than full time classes. I am
an at-home mom, and need night and/or weekend classes. I already
have a BA(not in nursing)and MSW degree. I know UCSF has a great
MPH/nursing program, but the hours won't work for me in the next
few years. For now, I think I just need an RN program. Does
anyone know of any place that would allow part-time nursing
students? Any leads greatly appreciated!
Michele
Try Holy Names College in Oakland. I know they have a
nursing program and most of the courses offered take place
in the evenings or weekends.
Good luck.
Maria
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