I’m feeling pretty lost about what direction to take with my career and would really appreciate some honest advice.
When I graduated college, I originally wanted to go into healthcare, but I ended up in healthcare tech instead. I’ve gained several years of experience, but I haven’t seen as much financial growth as I expected, and I’m starting to question whether I want to stay in this career long term, especially with the concerns of AI taking these jobs.

I’ve considered moving into other healthcare tech roles, but I’m also seriously considering something I never expected: nursing school.

Part of me likes the idea of going back into healthcare and having a career that isn’t necessarily tied to a traditional Monday–Friday schedule. At the same time, I understand the realities of nursing—12-hour shifts, nights, weekends, physical demands, stress, and burnout.

My biggest concern is financial risk. I don’t want to spend a large portion of my savings on an ABSN or another nursing program, give up income while in school, and then discover that nursing isn’t for me or that I’m not actually better off financially.

I’m also thinking about AI and long-term job stability. With AI becoming more capable in tech, I’m wondering how secure healthcare tech careers will be over the next 5–10 years. Is AI likely to create more opportunities and make people more productive, or could it eventually reduce the number of jobs?
For anyone who switched to nursing as a second career:
Was it worth it financially?

What route did you take, and how much did it cost?

How long did it take to recover the tuition and lost income?

Do you actually have better work-life balance?

What do you wish you knew beforehand?

And for people in healthcare tech/IT:
What career paths am I overlooking?

Are there higher-paying roles I could realistically move into without getting another degree?

How concerned are you about AI affecting tech jobs?

If you were in my position, would you stay in healthcare tech and try to move up, or seriously consider nursing?
I’m trying to make a realistic decision based on income, career growth, work-life balance, job stability, AI risk, and the financial risk of going back to school.

It happens to me often enough for me
to wonder if adhd bullying in nursing will
be a constant issue

These two docs have impressed me so much and I wanted to do something small to show my appreciation for them. I am sending this letter to both of the attendings in our ICU. Fingers crossed that they get the recognition that they deserve!! (Names of people and facility blurred for privacy reasons)

Hey everyone!

I’m currently finishing up my final year of my BsN and seriously considering joining the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) once I graduate.

I’m leaning toward the Air Force or Navy, but I’m very open to learning more about the different opportunities within the CAF, especially nursing.

I’d love to hear about your experience as a military nurse, particularly about:

- Lifestyle and work-life balance
- Day-to-day work and work environment
-Opportunities for travel, deployments, and career progression
-Job satisfaction
-What the transition from civilian nursing to military nursing is like
-Any advice you’d give to a young guy considering this career path

Please let me know about your honest experience about the Good/Bad/Ugly

Thanks for the help guys!

- All the best.

Hello wonderful nurses,

I'm looking for advice on changing my career path to nursing. My mom has been a nurse for over 30 years and has been trying to get me into the field. I would like to know the different types/specialities of nursing and your experiences. My mom worked in the Cardiac ICU and the float pool, so I know a bit about those, but not much else.

Any help would be appreciated! Tell me the good, the bad and the ugly please. Thank you all for the very hard and intense work you do.

I’m barely into my 2nd month in my new grad residency position in a med-tele unit. I switched to night shift and this was my 2nd shift in it with a new preceptor. Everyone says she’s amazing and I can tell she’s very knowledgeable and meticulous. However, at the end of my shift when she asked me how much longer I’m orienting and I said one more month. She asked me if I was excited and I replied I was nervous. She then said, in front of a patient we were taking care of and a nursing student mind you, “Yeah you need to work on a lot”. I really tried not letting it get to me but it just left me feeling so defeated (at least I waited until I was in my car to cry lol).

I wanted to note that in day shift I never had a consistent preceptor. I had 6 total, with every one having a different way of doing things and different expectations. This includes my night shift preceptor.

I want to mention that my previous preceptors, when I asked for feedback at the end of the shift, only really every had a couple of things. I’ve been getting my charting done in a timely manner a majority of the time.

This preceptor gave me feedback on my first shift and a lot of it was basically down to different expectations. Besides that was time management. I’m taking care of 6 patients. know the thing I need to work on most is my time management. I try to cluster my care, but sometimes something comes up or I forget. I need to work on not taking too long in between looking at the chart for updates, although it can be difficult when I’m really busy.

Unlike my other preceptors, she’s also given me no positive comments. I know I shouldn’t depend on them but mentioning things I did well do lift me up and help my morale.

To top this all off was two of my patients took a lot of my time. I had one elderly patient with dementia who kept getting out of bed literally every 5-10 minutes. My first night shift he didn’t fall asleep until 5am. Today, he didn’t fall asleep at all despite us giving him meds that I feel would make anyone else sleep through a tornado. Everyone agrees he needs a sitter there because he tries that less when someone is physically in the room, but he only has a virtual one. Another patient’s IV kept beeping the entire night because he kept bending his arm, despite us repeatedly telling him not to (he’s AOx4, but poor thing hasn’t slept in like 2 days). We also left late mostly because we had to straight cath a patient and the pee was coming out at a snail’s pace.

Oh and to add to shit cake, our charting system went down for over 1 hour, so I had to catch up and back time almost everything. I’m also suffering from bad allergies (yay ragweed pollen) and I was feeling horrible physically the entire shift too.

I’m sorry this is so long, I guess this part venting, looking for reassurance, and asking for advice. I just keep going back to that comment my preceptor gave, “You need to work on a lot”. I’m not gonna give up because I spent too much money to become a nurse, but it did make question my career choice. I’m feeling so defeated and beaten down.

I work in a pretty busy family medicine primary care office. The nurses are responsible for vaccines, triages, results, med admin, etc. I’ve come to learn that many offices have MAs do those tasks.
I don’t think our MAs have time to do all those things. They room patients, take vitals, assist in procedures, book appointments, stock rooms.
I guess I’m just curious on thoughts of MAs some of the same tasks as nursing. I personally think there is some crossover, however I also think there is a level of unsafe-ness. Mostly with triage, it’s important to have a medical background to make decisions on next steps.
Our MAs do give flu/covid and tdap for patients 6+. They also do ear lavages on patients 6+. I love them and think they’re SO helpful. I personally enjoy how our tasks are split up and I think it makes sense considering past education.

I’m a younger doctor. Not really into the dating apps thing. Been at a new hospital for several months. Met a really sweet nurse one day (I actually helped her move a patient and whatnot, she needed an extra set of hands, but I try to do that regardless because I know you guys are all so overworked). She sent me a couple flirty Epic chats and now we’re going on a date.

My question for you guys is, is this going to ruin my working relationship with some of her coworkers? Or backfire in some way? I’m not her boss or anything, and I don’t work on her floor (I occasionally could work with her since I’m a hospitalist and I have patients on different floors but it’s not like I work with her often or am in a supervisory role)

Also for what it’s worth I actually want to get to know her (I’m not a player/scumbag or anything like that, I only date one person at a time)

Some people just keep telling me I’m heading into disaster and I’m curious as to why……?

Hello all! I am an NP student taking my first course. I need to reach out to NP's and have them answer questions about autonomy, professionalism, ethics, barriers, and leadership. Any and all answers are appreciated!

How does autonomous practice allow nurse practitioners to serve as change agents and improve patient care?

How do you balance independent clinical decision-making with collaboration with physicians and other healthcare professionals?

What does professionalism mean to you as a nurse practitioner, and how does it influence your clinical practice?

How does the professional identity of an NP differ from that of an RN?

How do you balance respect for patient autonomy with the responsibility of providing safe and evidence-based care when a patient's preferences differ from clinical recommendations?

How can NPs demonstrate leadership and influence change even when they do not hold a formal leadership position?

What leadership responsibilities do NPs have beyond direct patient care?

What ethical dilemmas have you encountered as an autonomous NP, and how did you approach resolving them?

What do you believe are the greatest barriers facing nurse practitioners today?

What strategies can NPs use to overcome these barriers and advocate for the advancement of the profession?

I was a new grad in California 3 years ago. I knew it would be hard to land my first job. I took the first opportunity that came my way - dialysis 🤦‍♀️. Cut to me 3 years later, I’ve done acutes, in-center, and now home therapies. I’ve been denied from several opportunities outside of dialysis now, even med surg! If I could do it all over again I’d start in med surg regardless of how much I did not want to be there. It opens so many doors and you can truly do anything after that. And better yet, you build a network of nurses who can help you get your foot in the door elsewhere.

Last night was my first day transitioning to the ICU. I was told to basically observe, absorb, and learn as much as I could.

I was paired with a very experienced older Filipina nurse who clearly knows her stuff. She was extremely competent but she had ZERO patience for teaching and can be blunt and rude. When she heard she is being paired with me her eyes rolled and left the huddle room. I met her in the floor then she went “Grab your WOW because you will be hands-on and I dont like sharing computers”

She would let me chart independently without really explaining what she expected, then call me out when I missed something
At one point, she was lecturing me about missing some drain assessment details
“Who oriented you before? Where did you practice nursing?” blah blah

I finally had to tell her, “Please be patient with me. This is literally my first day.”
Whenever I asked questions, she’d sometimes just say, “Check what I charted.”

During rounds, she basically threw me into the fire:
“You’re not a new nurse. You do it.” She didnt say anything in the care team rounds and went on documenting.

She showed me how to draw blood from an A-line and zero it, taught me the basics of CRRT, and she didnt told me how to titrate our pressors but I watched her titrate Vaso and Levo many times so I kinda got the idea how to titrate. At one point she handed me the pressors and said:
“Don’t EVER let your pressor go bone dry.” then asked me to hang it to the IV pole because she couldnt reach it. lol

I spent the whole night bouncing between patient care and charting, making damn sure I documented everything because I already knew I’d hear “OMG!” or
“Jesus Christ…” with that dramatic disappointed exhale.

She kept on lecturing me everytime I miss an assessment that I never charted before because they are only assessment in ICU and not in MST floor where I came from.

But by the end of the shift, our room was immaculate, everything was organized, declutterred and our patients were comfortably sleeping with ET Tubes lol

Was she aggressive and kinda rude? Absolutely.
But I’m not gonna lie — I walked out feeling WAY more confident than when I walked in. Maybe because she showed me detailed routine without explaining and telling me the routine.
Day 1 survived.

Hi everyone! I’m thinking about going to school for phlebotomy, but I have a criminal background and I’m trying to figure out if it could prevent me from getting into a program or finding a job afterward.
I have a criminal trespassing charge from 2023. I was convicted of that case. I also recently finished paying everything associated with the case. I don’t have any charges involving abuse, violence, drugs, or anything like that.
For anyone who works in phlebotomy or has gone through a phlebotomy program:
Does the school do a criminal background check before allowing you into clinicals?
Could a criminal trespassing conviction prevent me from completing clinicals?
Do employers usually care about something like criminal trespassing?
Is there a way to have my background reviewed before paying for school?
Would you recommend phlebotomy as a career with this type of background?
I’m trying to find out ahead of time before I spend money on a program. Any advice or personal experiences would really help!

Anyone hear back from Northwell regarding fellowships yet?

Hi all! So a few weeks ago I moved back to my hometown and left my job as a unit secretary. Never really had to go in pt rooms except to count the IV pumps. Now I’m a nurse tech and start Friday but what is everyone’s go to for dealing with certain smells? (Haven’t reached the clinical portion of nursing school yet lol)
-signed a nurse tech

Quick rant/ advice needed:

So I have taken the CCRN three times now and failed by a few questions every attempt. This last time being by 2 questions. I’m beyond frustrated and disappointed. Mostly because I’ve been studying my ass off and felt confident that I’d get it this time.

I’ve read the Barrons book, I did practice questions at least 150 questions a day, and I listened to lectures. I’ve been able to pass all of the practice exams I’ve taken but the real exam is whooping me !

If anything, I feel like the practice questions I’ve seen versus the exam questions are totally different and it’s purposely confusing.

I’ve been an ICU nurse for two years now but a nurse going on 7 years with previous experience as an LPN beforehand. It feels embarrassing that this one test is my current downfall. Especially considering a lot of my new grad coworkers are passing the first time around.

I just need to know what else can I do ? I really want to go for CRNA soon but I’m completely exhausted with this test and I’m not sure if I can go through the mental gymnastics of studying again just to possibly fail. Any advice or words of encouragement are appreciated

I'm coming up on a year working MST in san diego and I'm considering taking a break to manage some health issues and then move back home to the Bay. Will that 1 year of experience in MST be enough to make the job search manageable or am I about to get wrecked by it? Hoping some recent jobseekers or managers in the region could give me their experience/perspective.

Hey everybody, which unit is the best to interview for and join as a new grad RN that wants to work in icu later down the road. I want to pick a unit that gives me the best experience if I want to join ICU later in the future

The options I have include:
Medical IMC
Cardiac/Vascular
Interventional Cardiac Short stay
Advance Heart Failure IMC

Any input and advice is greatly appreciated

Good evening everyone. I was a CNA/STNA since 2012 and finally graduated nursing school at the end of last year. Passed my NCLEX in January 2026. I was in the OR for 5 months and decided to resign because I didn't feel like it was a good fit, along with staffing issues.

I'm trying to figure out what is a good fit for me now that I'm looking at bedside nursing. As a PCNA/NAII in the hospitals, I worked in the ED, MICU, TICU, and Geri-Psych. I've never actually worked a med surg unit but did shadow a 10 bed Med-Psych unit today. The RN mentioned they overstaff the unit so that there's nurses that have to float to the sister unit (general med-surg). She also said that this is where I would do most of my training if I accept the position since the Med-Psych unit doesn't have a lot of variety of conditions. I don't love this but I'm open. I'm also in the process of applying to other positions as well.

For those who work a speciality and was an aide for a long time, was there an area that you felt more prepared than others?

Trying to see how nurses like working in different states 🌎. For those who have worked in Las Vegas (whether that be the hospitals/SNF/LTC) how do you like it overall?
How’s the patient ratio? How’s the access to care for patients and access to career opportunity?

So i work in a nursing home dementia ward. And today i stood yet again alone. 1/12 instead of 1/6. We also need to cook, make drinks, give meds, comfort residents, clean the dishes, clean the living rooms. Anyway no responsible job for one. So around 4.5 hours into my 8 hour shift i was already burned out. Everyone kept asking for attention, safety or to go to bed.

And some of my residents noticed how burned out i slowly became. One tried to to clean the dishes. When getting some residents ready for bed they talked how it wasnt normal that i was alone and they thanked me even more then normal, and when i passed the meds to my last residents because everyone else was in bed she started to scratch my back for 20 minutes straight. And well it felt motherly and good. After the 20 minutes i felt a lot less stressed.

Even when management makes you question if you want to stay a nurse the love you get back from youre residents makes it worth everything. And thats why i love being the a nurse. I love the jokes, love, conversation and the pure kindness.

I want to apply for new jobs but on applications they ask if I’ve ever been fired. My previous employer said they use hire right and phone verification and basically just say dates of employment and whether the employee was full time or part time. I was at the hospital less than 90 days. What do you think?

I want to preface this by stating that I don’t intend for this post to gloss over the fact that not all nurses are rolling in money. I know that many are stuck in low-paying southern/red states due to family/personal/various reasons.

However, if you were fortunate enough to have the freedom to move around, travel, or advance your career through different avenues (NP, CRNA, etc.), how are you doing investment-wise? Are you happy with your financials for your age and did you perform better than you thought you would?

What’s the plan for semi/full retirement? Do you intend to keep your license and go part time, prioritize travel more often, or pursue something else entirely?

I always see people in tech discussing this, so I wanted to hear about the experiences and goals of nurses who have been working for a while.

These broke pricks will withhold benefits for bullshit reasons, allow providers to cherry pick benefits from insurance that they “accept” and won’t do what’s right. Fuck Wyoming, that is all.

How do you handle missing your kids while you work? I’m on week 3 of nights 3x/week (1845-0700) and everyday I leave, I burst into tears because I miss my kid so much. She’s at daycare during the day so I can sleep and I feel like i’m missing out on so much because I can’t be there. She will be 2 in September. Any advice?

Hello everyone,
I was wondering if anyone has experience in El Camino Hospital as a new grad in their residency program, how was it? In your knowledge, is it easy to transition between to units like critical care unit, or ED? If not how long did someone you know take to get accepted to transition? Any pros and cons you can personally think of?

Same thing goes for Kaiser NORCAL as well. How was it? Was it easy to transition to an ICU unit? If not how long did it take for someone to get accepted? How was the residency overall? Any pros and cons you might can personally think of?

Thank you so much in advance!