I am a 23 y/o medical assistant and i DO NOT want to spend 6 years in school for nursing (4 yrs min. for pre-req. 2 yrs nursing school). But I like helping others out. Is there an occupation in the medical field that won't require 100years of school? ;-)
216748
i believe that dentistry takes the shortest time (5 yrs+ 1 practical training) but i guess it differs from one place to another. but i have to warn u that it's not easy. my fiance is a dentist and it's hard for both of us to handle it. if u want to literally help people, go for red cross. many of them require u to know first aid only and u can master that in a couple of short courses.\n\ngood luck:)
334390
wow! im 20 and still no direction in life. i want to be a handyman but im also considering to be a nurse. i just want to be a nurse coz of the job security. but i really like doing hands-on stuff like being a handyman or doing landscape architecture.\n\nwell, my advice would be to study hard and exceed above what is expected of you. people might think you might now make the cut coz of ur age. prove em wrong, sir.
219471
You do NOT want an M.A., an M.Phil., or even a Ph.D. in Education if you plan to work in health care.  None of these degrees will qualify you for this type of work.\n\nDo you plan to be a physician, a nurse, a social worker or counselor for children in hospitals? \n\nIf you want to be a doctor, you must go to college and take pre-medical courses, earn your degree (a B.A. or B.Sc.) and then go to medical school.\n\nIf you want to be a nurse, you must go to a college with a nursing program and get a degree there.\n\nIf you want to be a social worker or counselor, you must go to college and get a degree in social work or psychology (a B.A. or B.S.W.).  You might then decide to go to graduate school and work toward an M.S.W. or a Master's degree in psychology.
532545
I am currently in nursing school. I chose it over medical school because I wanted to earn my degree and get to work as soon as possible. So, I'm working on my BSN. It's a four year degree as opposed to medical school being twice as long. Once I graduate, I plan on trying to specialize in ICU and then, at some point, I plan on becoming a nurse anesthetist. Nurses are in high demand right now, pay is good, and you won't have as much to pay back in loans after you finish school. Plus, if you decide you want to go back to school, there are plenty of options for specializing - you can even be a Nurse Practitioner, where you'll be able to prescribe medications and treat patients.\n\nNursing school is challenging, for sure. I wouldn't recommend trying to do too much else while you're in school, because between course work and clinical rotations, there really isn't much time for a personal life. I'm sure that it will be well worth it in the end, though.\n\nGood luck to you, whatever you decide.
365208
Unfortunately, colleges make up these majors that don't mean much.  With only a B.S., I agree that maybe a job in the medical insurance industry, or a doctor's receptionist, or Administrative Assistant in a clinic.  Not much I can see.  Most hospital administrators are actually M.D.s! (physicians)  You might try to use it for a career in social services, like something in a group home field, or maybe use it just to get a job in a different field, like a probation officer.  Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like it has a great outlook.  Better to change to something like Physical Therapy or something that has "real" jobs.  Sorry.
442220
OMG! I want to be a nurse too and in peds too! I know in Cali there are community colleges that offer classes for becoming an RN and it takes about 4 years. You first have to do your pre-requisits and then sign up after those are done, into the nursing program. Then from there you take such classes as anatomy, biology, sociology, etc. But I have to warn you, if you don't think you can do it now then you might not be able to later. There is a 40% drop out rate, so you have to be very determined. I personally love blood and guts but for the life of me vomit kills me to deal with LOL :) If you decide to do it make sure that you volunteer at a local hospital in the department you want to work in. Then you will make friends and be more likely to get in that department after you are done with schooling and are ready to work. I hope this helps!Oh and the pay is great too, up to $5000 a month! Cant beat that!
89717
I was in the field as a registered MT for almost 20 years. Its rewarding, but tedious. You will likely specialize in one area (hematology, blood bank, serology, chemistry, microbiology, etc) and grow bored rather quickly after learining the routine. Also, work in a hospital is political and you start at the very bottom.  I suggest a back-up plan. Take some education courses if possible. Math and science teachers are in great demand. If you want to progress in status and pay, an advanced degree (MS) is required. You could take the specialist exams for hematology, micro or chemistry, but they don't carry the same weight as an MBA or MS degree.   As a med tech, you are 'ancillary medical service' or 'allied health service'. You will quickly realize that your expertise is helping to save lives and make proper diagnoses, but you will never recieve acknowledgement of this directly.  Good luck.
245530
It depends on what degree you have and what capacity you nursing. For example a school nurse entry level position may only pay you between 24,000-28,000 US dollars per year, but entering the field as a nurse specializing in trauma, or geriatrics, pediatric, OR Nurse, Oncology Nursing, or any specialized nursing will not probably begin by paying you additional money, but in the long-run, specializing in a field of nursiong requiring specialized knowledge will pay off for you eventually.  Home health nursing can also be very lucrative though you must have a certain number of years experience as well as a certain level of knowledge and experience with different types of equipment. \nI have a friend who recently became an LPN and works regular 8 hr shifts 5-6 days per week and he made 66,000 US dollars last year.  It really depends on your level of education, the position you take and if you are administration in the nursing field, a Patient care manager, a Director of Nursing, assistant director of nursing or even in a recruiting or teaching position.  There is a significant difference in salary depending upon if you are an LPN- Licensed Practical Nurse, RN Registered nurse, BSN Bachelor's of Science in Nursing, or if you become a nurse practitioner.  LPN can be achieved in 2 or less years depending on if your program is excellerated, it allows you to nurse, but it limits the meds you can provide and in the field depending on where you nurse, it can limit you to doing treatments and giving meds only.  RN is historically achieved in 4 years and comes as a BSN but in previous years RN has been accelerated and given in 2-4 years without the bachelors degree.  Becoming a nurse practitioner is usually a step that some nurses who hold a Masters of Science in NUrsing take which will put them at about an equivelent level with a physician's assistant (PA) able to follow and treat patients but unable to prescribe narcotics and followed up by a physician who signs off on his/her treatments or prescribed course of action.  They work under the licensure or an approved physician.  I would suggest getting on a web site that does national or even international comparison for careers with varying levels of education.  Sorry I don't have additional time to find any for you at this time, but I hope this helped you out a bit anyway.  If I find time I will post some sites for you a bit later.  GOOD LUCK with your future endeavors and don't get discouraged!
61309
Not so sure about that. The nurses I know are fairly burned out after a few years. If you intend to go into health care administration I think you would eventually like to get an MBA. R.N. is a certification rather than a degree. In some states people with Associates degrees are able to apply to become a registered nurse. I believe you take the NCLEX. Anyhow, RN's are in demand for a reason, there's a high turn over...and it's hard work. Nobody wants to deal with a "code Brown" at 3am. If you TRULY want to be a nurse, go ahead and go for the RN. But know what you are getting into. Some people love the field. If you want to be on the business side, apply to B-school, and get an MBA. Only a fool goes into medicine, doctor or nurse for the money.
448294
Wrong focus.  It's not like it's med school.  Just get into a convenient and decent nursing program.  It's what you do after getting your nursing degree and passing the boards that makes you a great nurse, or not.
403884
I've been an RN for almost 16 years, hard to imagine.   There are some really good advantages to being a nurse.  You get paid well, usually.  There are many different fields in the nursing profession if you get bored with one or more of them.  You can be a regular med-surg floor nurse, surgical nurse, psychiatric nurse, doctor's office nurse.  That's just the tip of the iceberg.   You can get personal satisfaction when you see smiles from a sick child, when you get a heart-felt thank you from a special patient that you've nursed back to health.  You get quite a bit of respect from the outside world.  When you tell people that "I am an RN,"  they seem really impressed by that and want to know all about it.  ON THE FLIP SIDE-- you don't get much respect from the doctors.  I hear it is better in some states, but in my little backwards southern state that I live in, our surgeons still get away with throwing instruments across the room,  yelling at the nurses, cussing them out periodically.  In the psych field, you risk getting beat up or hurt some other way.  Family members are the most annoying.  They are always looking for your faults.  Being an ER nurse can be rough when you are taking care of legitimately sick people(heart attacks, children in respiratory distress, car accidents) while in the waiting room, it is full of people who have a headache or an ingrown toenail demanding to be seen immediately.  There, of course, is your personal health risk with HIV and all those diseases out there that you could get.  I don't want to turn you off to nursing, because there is a desperate need for nurses.  There is always a job opening.  I do want you to know that it can be an awesome job one day, then be as close to hell as you can get the next day.  It's fun, boring, happy, sad, easy, rough, all rolled into one.  I hope this helps a little in your decision.
425957
There ARE one year nursing programs in the U.S.  However, there are not that many, and the catch is that the one year programs generally require the applicant to have a degree.   Aultman School of Nursing in Ohio is an example of this.  They do allow applicants to complete an RN in one year but the applicant must have a degree prior to entering into the program.  The school I currently attend allows students into an acceleration program which gives students a BSN (bachelors in nursing)  in 18 months, but they must have a BS or BA prior to entering the program. If you do want to become a nurse in one year, I would suggest becoming an LPN  and then pursuing your RN in an additional year.  Or you can research local and area schools that would offer the RN advanced degree which would take one year but again these programs are hard to find and would probably require you to have a degree already in something else.
662988
From your moniker, I'm guessing that you are premed and getting a little worried about the options.  Assuming you've had the basic coursework, A&P, biology, chemisty, biochemistry, etc, you can get into either one.  Nursing is definitely easier to get into than medical school.  You can be out and earning money in about 2 years, though it you decide to wander on into being a practicioner, a nurse first assistant (to a surgeon), or another specialty, then you are going to earn a bit more (ok, sometimes a huge bit more).  \n\nIf you decide to be a doctor and are lucky enough to get in, then you'll take about 3 years to go through school, then you have residency, and probably a little extra training.  Oh, yes.  and tuition bills out the wazoo.  \n\nDoctors tend to earn more, but have less stress than nurses.  They have a different level of responsibility.   \n\nNurses have to go under the guidance of a doctor.  A nurse practitioner can write a prescription, but the doctor has to review it or sign off on it.  Nurses need to work to orders.  Doctors write the orders.\n\nDoctors are one of two medical positions which are permitted to prescribe drugs without getting authorization.  Nurses are not.\n\nFollow your heart, and your luck.  Some people in nursing absolutely love it.  Others hate it or grow to hate it.  .  Some doctors love what they do, others don't.
221572
there is a huge need for nursing right now, and will be for years and years as the baby boomers begin to get older and require more healthcare.\n\nvisiting nurses make quite a lot of money and are usually able to set their own hours.\n\nhowever... you really may want to consider going straight for the RN... LPNs are treated really bad by doctors and RNs, and are a lot of times regarded as simply CNA's who can pass medicine. They are not allowed to make important decisions (i.e. sending a nursing home patient to the hospital) without consulting an RN or doctor) plus the pay is a lot better and isn't too much more schooling... you still have to take your written boards and clinical exams. you should really go all the way if your thinking of starting out. i know lots of LPN's who are trying to get their RN but it makes it difficult for them to go back to school while working, and the subject content is harder when they have experience that is working against what the teachers want to hear.\n\nif you are young and have the time and money to invest into it, go for the RN.\n\nnursing is very rewarding and honest work. and it is a field that is currently in deficit and is only going to grow. a lot of places (especially nursing homes) will pay for your education if you agree to work for them for i think three years after you graduate. you can work as an aide while you are in school (you have to do the aidework before you can become a nurse anyway)\n\n\n\nammendment: i think LPN starting pay is around $15 an hour... a friend of mine was an LPN at a private nursing home, and since hospice is a non-profit place they probably pay people a little less, but since most of it is traveling it may be more.. plan between 15-20 an hour\n\nRNs are around $25 an hour\n\ngood luck!
79011
wow!  where to start, money is great, get to be around people, you learn a lot about the medical field, you understand and can treat diseases better, you become more health conscience, if you are a college student with loans, they will pay them or a percentage of them for you.  and the hype is, the nursing field is extremely low.  many many places need nurses and can't get them because so many people want to do other things.  the more and more people get sick, the more and more they are going to need nurses.  it is extremely marketable.  any small town needs a nurse.  even overseas, they need trained nurses to help with pandemics and epidemics, with all the wars in the middle east and africa, trust me, the need is high!
40018
If you work and take 15 credit hours a semester it will take you 4yrs.  If you take only 6 credit hours a semester it will take about 8yrs.\n\nI think the guy above me means CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) and there is a reason why the course is only a year long... you go all day and when you graduate you wipe butts for 15 bucks.  I recommend you become an RN...the higer your education, the more you are paid and the less messy work you do.
593356
Hi, it depends on what interests you.  If you have a business bend you might consider health administration.  If you enjoy talking with and helping folks how about medical social work?  The best approach for you might be to talk to your college's career counsellor and even take an aptitude test to see where your skills/interests lay.  Most universities offer them for free for students.