Contemplating returning to school to be a nurse, any advice, comments, etc?

I recieved my B.S. in communications in Dec. and it seems there are no decent jobs out there that I qualify for. Nursing seems to be one of the very in demand jobs right now & i'm contemplating returning to school to become a nurse, i'm not sure which route I would go- nursing school, second bachelors degree or associates, I live in the Youngstown, OH area and am not quite sure what education for nursing is most in demand. Any advice?

Mt Carmel school of nursing in Columbus has a second bachelor's degree program, since you already have a bachelor's that might be the best route for you.

Nurses are in high demand right now, and will continue to be as the baby boomer nurses keep retiring and the rest of us continue to burn out and leave the field, not that I'm leaving anytime soon, but sure would love to reduce my hours drastically! Unfortunately.....I am not sure the bill collectors would understand....

It's a very demanding job and becoming more so. Medicare/medicaid find every reason they can to not pay. Now they will be reimbursing hospitals based on patient satisfaction scores, how lovely is that? Basically your hospital will be paid according to how well your patients like their nurses, their food, etc etc. I've been in nursing 14 years now, and it's not as easy as it seems. Staffing cuts are rampant because hospitals are losing money and guess who bears the burden? Staff nurses.

Anyway. With a BS in communications already, you probably woulnd't have any trouble getting into some sort of desk job in nursing if you aren't interested in bedside care.

Nursing is a very challenging job, and you shouldn't embark on this course of study just because you think that it can be lucrative. First, try to determine whether this is the kind of work that you would be happy doing. Maybe start out by talking to some experienced nurses, or do a few weeks of volunteering at a local hospital, just to see if that really suits you. You shouldn't do any job just because it pays well, and especially not with this one.

Once you decide that this is really what you want to do, you can explore different local and national programs, see what requirements they have for admission (you might need to take some pre-requisites and entrance exams) and then determine how you are going to finance your education. Once you have all this sorted out, you'll be able to make your decision.

Unless you feel a true calling to walk in Florence Nightengale's shoes, are very patient and nurturing, and want to be exposed to every illness out there, please don't do it! Your first assignment will probably be med-surg, where your patients will be buzzing you for pain meds every 20 minutes for a drug they can only have every 4 hs. Not to mention all of the drug addicts and crazy people out there now that you will be dealing with. Every temp. extreme drives in the street people - pneumonia, frost bite, etc. in the winter, heat stroke, dehydration, etc. in the summer. Sad, but true. So if you are truly compassionate and patient enough to deal with it, but not so soft hearted that you will carry it home with you when you see the abused kids and elderly, go for it. It is not a job you do because it is in high demand. If you aren't sure, then take a job as in a doctor's office. You may be able to do that in a large clinic, or a hospital now. Then you can see how you feel about it in the long run. Good luck!