Do you absolutely have to know?

[OpticalWasp]

Add my story to the pot:

I'm 23, BS in Nutrition/Food Mgmt. Applied & got into grad school (MS Acupuncture/Oriental Med), but applied out of fear & panic (e.g. bad economy, no jobs, school's a safe bet, etc.). Realized I didn't want to commit $90k+ & 3.5 years separated from the spousal unit for the program, so I declined the placement offered.

Now, I already know I want to do graduate work in healthcare, be a mid-level professional in the field (Nurse Practictitioner or Physicians Assistant), but I'm struggling with some nagging feelings/thoughts/beliefs/stereotypes.

1. I feel a strong pull towards healthcare in general, but not towards a specialty (e.g. family practice, neonatal, geriatrics & so on). Do I absolutely have to know before making the decision to apply?

2. "Nurse" & "nursing" have somewhat of a cringe-factor associated with them. Don't ask me why, I can't be sure. While intellectually I realize nursing is challenging & respectable, I can't help but feel like nurses are what people become when they can't hack it through medical school. I probably sound totally ridiculous & out of touch w/ reality. On the contrary, I've had lots of contacts w/ nurses/nurse practitioners through my father's heart attack, my mother's breast cancer, my grandmother's dying process, & my best friend's daughter's birth.

3. Sick & old people freak me out. :googly: Why the hell would anyone go into healthcare if they can't handle sick & old people? To debunk some of the stereotypes I hold, I've begun volunteering with Meals on Wheels, where I'm surrounded with the elderly. Turns out they don't always stink or smell like musk, don't completely hate young people, & can be energetic & vibrant! :haha:

4. What if I get halfway through the program & change my mind, again? The summer before my senior year, I realized I'd done dietetics for the wrong reasons & had no inclination to actually do what they did! But, I finished the degree anyway. I change my mind a lot, have difficulties with making decisions. Don't want to have any regrets when I die, but too late for that...

Basically, I'm just worried that every decision I make regarding my future will be the wrong one, & that I should have my life figured out by now. Don't want to work a grueling 9-to-5, still want to travel (have NYC, Japan, Korea, Germany, Italy, & the Philippines marked off my list), & have fun living as opposed to having fun on weekends only, with 2 weeks paid vacation thrown in.

Questions, comments, advice, supportive ears all appreciated.

Thanks & take care,
O.W.

[pisces2473]

For nursing school--No, I don't think you have to know. You usually do rotations in nursing school--a lil bit in each dept. before you pick which one you want to go into. And once you start, it's not too hard to switch specialties (if you work in a hospital setting).

[GetMeOuttaDC]

Sick & old people freak me out. Why the hell would anyone go into healthcare if they can't handle sick & old people?

There are prob. fields of healthcare you can go into that don't require you to see sick and old people predominantly - ie, obstetrics/gynecology, urology, x-ray tech, nutritionist, gastroenterlogy, dermatology, endochrinology, mental health, plastic surgery - people aren't necessarily old or sick, just in some stage of discomfort.

Is it the blood/bile/waiting to die factor that grosses you out?

To debunk some of the stereotypes I hold, I've begun volunteering with Meals on Wheels, where I'm surrounded with the elderly.

More power to you... as close as I was to my maternal grandparents, the mere thought of being around a nursing home or really elderly person causes my brain to do a "deer in the headlights". :(

[shinyleaf]

I love old people and I've oriented all my research and jobs around them... honestly! Fuck, they're funny. (I just hope I like kids as much when I have them, because THEY make me all "deer in headlights" - I hate having to watch what I say, they're all..... vulnerable :rolleyes: )

Anyway, OW, I am a believer in the school of "don't go do more school if you don't know it's what you really want" .

You want to travel? Great. Do it. Get a job in healthcare, preferably a union job so you get paid well, save and travel. It'll become more clear when you get in there doing something real.

[not to say you aren't doing anything "real" right now, but you didn't indicate]

[OpticalWasp]

Pisces: For the Master's programs I'm looking into, I either have to pick a specialty before I do rounds, or I'm limited to choosing between Family/Adult Nurse Practitioner, or Mental Health/Psych NP (which I'm definitely not doing). So, in the meantime, I'm going to apply to the hospital as a volunteer (who knew volunteers needed to interview?), & try to gain exposure that way. We'll see...

DC: I'm not exactly sure what grosses me out. It's not blood; I've "worked" with it on different occasions (e.g. bleeding sheep for microbiology agar, Red Cross donations, human blood for vitamin E research). It's not bile/bodily fluids; I just spent 24 hours collecting my own urine samples for a class. I'm not sure where I stand on the waiting to die factor b/c I may be too closely attached to it. I was around during the waiting-to-die experience for my dad, grandma, and three friends.

Medicine and healing require trust and intimacy on both the clinician and patient. The intimacy part makes me uncomfortable, so maybe that's it.

shinyleaf: I'm not going to do more school right away. I'll go eventually, when I have a clearer idea of the direction I'm headed into. As far as traveling goes, it's a given, it's just a matter of when. And as far as doing something real, I'm not right now, which pisses me off & makes me want to join the Peace Corps or something.

Thanks guys,
O.W.

[cornflakegirl]

optical wasp - what masters program is this? i was thinking about applying to bastyr's grad program in nautropathic medicine, specializing in midwifery. after starting some prereq classes, i got scared of investing that much money & 10 years before starting my career & getting this extraneous ND when what i really want to do is become a midwife. so i definitely understand where you are coming from. you don't need your life figured out right now. i know it seems that way, but take it one step at a time. if you are unsure about this program, give yourself some more time to think about it. are there any groups of people or a certain affliction or disease that you are interested in?

i was thinking about the peace corps for awhile. i got discouraged with the program. i also thought i would be more helpful if i had a skill, rather than being sent to another country fresh out of college with my useless degree. i have since decided that after becoming a midwife, i'd like to do doctors without borders. at this rate, it'll be in 10 years, at least. i have now been sidetracked & am starting a nutrition program in the fall.

nurses, to me, are doctors w/o ego. nurses are underappreciated, & overworked. i couldn't become one because i wouldn't be able to put up with doctors' bs.

[OpticalWasp]

cornflakegirl: Bastyr offered me a spot in their MSAOM fall 2005 class, but that's the one I'm declining. Originally I considered the ND program, & attended the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians national conference last September to get a rough feel for the field. In the end I didn't want to invest more time in catching up on prereqs, & went the AOM route instead. After doing even more research (e.g. speaking with current acupuncturists), I decided I wanted something safe, lucrative, & open to many possibilities, hence my interest in becoming a nurse practitioner.

Whew, long answer to a short question haha. Here's another long answer. :huge:

Now, the program I am considering is Seattle University's Advanced Practice Nursing Immersion (a direct entry to practice program for non-nursing degree holders leading to an MSN). I wouldn't apply until December 2005 or March 2006, depending on when I take the GRE & how satisfied I am with my score. In the meantime, I'm going to try to find relevant work & do some hospital volunteering. Regarding certain groups of people or diseases that I'm interested in, I'd have to say eating disorders, neonatal intensive care, medical nutrition therapy for food allergies & skin disorders, post anesthesia/recovery room, OR, and research. Lots of interests, I know...

I've also thought about Doctors Without Borders, working for the WHO & Red Cross, or USAID. Of course, I first have to do more school/training, which will take a while.

Thanks & take care.

PS - What nutrition program are you starting?

[cornflakegirl]

i had a feeling that you were looking at bastyr. i'd love to go there, but i am not sure if i am cut out for a sorta med school. you have lots of different interests. voulunteering to narrow them down is a good plan.

the nutrition program i am enrolled in is through the institute for integrative nutrition in new york city. i will becomecertified as a holistic health counselor through the american association of drugless practicioners.

[Kristyn]

I decided I wanted something safe, lucrative, & open to many possibilities, hence my interest in becoming a nurse practitioner.

I've also thought about Doctors Without Borders, working for the WHO & Red Cross, or USAID. Of course, I first have to do more school/training, which will take a while.

My mother is a nurse practitioner, and she loves it. It is a lot of work though, and you'll have to find a specialty (hers is geriatrics).

Also, have you considered nonprofit health organizations that are often funded by USAID but are seperate from the government? Like this one, for example: www.msh.org
A lot of organizations like that one exist and offer field experience, if that's what you're looking for.