Trying to decide on a degree

Bucketman

Greetings,

I will keep this somewhat short, I'm a first year nursing student and I'm having some troubles with the course work. One of my professors suggested maybe I look into getting into our schools Bachelor of Science in Health Studies program. I'm already done with a good 60% of these courses because they overlap with nursing, but I really have no idea on the job outlook on this degree. Looking stuff up, it seems pretty basic and that there are many areas of focus you can go into, but I am hoping I i'm not just hopping into the General Education degree of health. Before I make a choice I'm gathering data, well I'm hoping some of you have ideas. Anyone know what the job outlook of a degree like this is? Thanks in advance.

Bucketman

@TheStig and whats the name of that one guy who has the mega man avatar with the number name? Hes in medical too.

bowen

http://www.pdx.edu/careers/what-can-i-do-degree-health-studies

Something google pulled out.

If it were me, I'd personally stick with getting the nurse degree at all costs over a health studies degree and try to find tutors to help me where I lack.

TheStig

Not really sure what you could do with that degree. You may wanna look into some things like pharmacy tech or respiratory therapist though.

Also if you have good communications skills and like biology I'd strongly suggest looking into speech pathologist. They have a wide range of employment options, make bank, and in the private practice area men are in high demand because some clients would rather speak to a man and it's a woman dominated field.

ceres

That would be @MegaMan001.

DevoutlyApathetic

If the classes are mostly the same how is this going to solve your problem?

I'd definitely lean towards the path that ends with you having a real nursing license.

Also, if it's A&P you're struggling with....everybody does.

bowen

DevoutlyApathetic wrote: »

If the classes are mostly the same how is this going to solve your problem?

I'd definitely lean towards the path that ends with you having a real nursing license.

Also, if it's A&P you're struggling with....everybody does.

That and ochem.

TheStig

I don't know where Bucketman is, but in California being in nursing school means you're already past A&P and O-chem. I assumed his problems had more to do with the nursing roll or whatever.

a5ehren

Unless you're on the verge of failing out of school, sticking out your BSN has much better job prospects (assuming you pass the NCLEX and become an RN) than Health Studies.

Hewn

First year nursing student here as well.

I'm inclined to tell you to stick with it, if job security is a priority. Unless you're truly not enjoying the idea of being a nurse, I think you can pull yourself out of this if you're only in your first year. Our program allows 1 fail, for example. It's not unheard of for people to bounce back.

But the information we'll really need is to know what exactly are you having issues with? Programs differ around the country, but the core curriculum seems fairly centered on students passing the NCLEX. And if you're absolutely sure you want to change gears, we'll need to know why, so the new degree is a better fit. Gathering a degree simply because it's the quickest route available may seem tempting now, but in the long run, you'll end up back in school like all the 30-something non-trad students in my nursing course. I speak from experience, this is my second degree and I turned 30 last month.

Bucketman

DevoutlyApathetic wrote: »

If the classes are mostly the same how is this going to solve your problem?

I'd definitely lean towards the path that ends with you having a real nursing license.

Also, if it's A&P you're struggling with....everybody does.

Well its classes that I already took that are the same. And its not actually! I got an A in A&P. Its Health Assessment. Turns out I happen to go to one of the hardest schools for nursing in the state. Whoops!

Bucketman

So the main issue I have is I lack study habits. Never really studied before and I need to get a 75% on Tests/Quizzes before homework even factors into it and then still need a 75% overall to pass the class. Right now in health assessment I've been passing all my actual hands on nursing stuff with flying colors, but that doesn't count for a grade at all. Its just these damn 5 question, 10 point quizzes we get every class. You miss 2 you fail it. And theres so many of these "Not just the correct answer but the most correct answer" bullshit so I'm not technically wrong but still fail the quiz.

TheStig

Bucketman wrote: »

And theres so many of these "Not just the correct answer but the most correct answer" bullshit so I'm not technically wrong but still fail the quiz.

This is a really common theme, that's also present in the NCLEX. It sucks they don't give you points for the hands-on stuff. Like others said, it's best to just try to get through this and continue on with nursing. Just live in the library until the end of the semester if that's what it takes.

Hewn

Bucketman wrote: »

So the main issue I have is I lack study habits.

This is going to follow you to any other degrees you select. And even if you can get by with a different degree, you'll won't be prepared for a competitive job market unless you're absolutely brilliant in other ways.

So priority #1 is shoring up your study habits. Luckily there are an endless sea of resources available for you at a university. Your campus should have a tutoring center. That's your first stop. Be upfront with them that you need help with study habits and they'll be able to diagnose your shortcomings and strengths without too much fuss. Another resource is asking your professors how they would prioritize their time studying. Believe it or not, they were in the same position as you once upon a time.

Here's an online quiz you can take that helps you discover some of your strengths and weaknesses as a student: http://www.studygs.net/attmot4.htm

If you can't access other resources, my previous degree was in education and I'm currently a tutor for a freshman retention program. I'm not an expert, but I can point you in the right direction.

TheStig wrote: »

Bucketman wrote: »

And theres so many of these "Not just the correct answer but the most correct answer" bullshit so I'm not technically wrong but still fail the quiz.

This is a really common theme, that's also present in the NCLEX. It sucks they don't give you points for the hands-on stuff. Like others said, it's best to just try to get through this and continue on with nursing. Just live in the library until the end of the semester if that's what it takes.

Listen to this dude. Those types of questions are preparing you for the NCLEX. They require knowing more material, no doubt. The material is deceivingly nuanced. Time in the library, away from distractions, is good advice. Whatever amount of time you're putting in now, you'll want to up it dramatically. My Steam backlog is getting ridiculous, and yes, I'm a little bitter.

Mad Jazz

Not only is that on the NCLEX, but every other licensure test in the medical field forever and ever, amen. I had to deal with that shit on my paramedic licensing exams, and I'm dealing with it now as I gear up for Step 1. I had to overhaul my study habits pretty dramatically once I started med school, as I was getting my ass severely kicked, so if you have any questions as far as what worked for me in that or in medic school, drop me a PM.

YoSoyTheWalrus

Bucketman - I work in the hospital industry and am gonna agree with everyone that you should really stay in the nursing program if you can conceivably manage it. Hospitals in most places are almost on the verge of pulling nurses off the sidewalk to come work for them. If you downgrade to something else you are almost certainly going to have to go to grad school or work a pretty shitty job in health admin or research for a while to get the experience to do something better. If you come out with an RN you can do anything from night shifts to high level executive management.

Your alternative, if you absolutely cannot hack the nursing program any longer, is to switch to something else with real world applications and get a job or internship during school that will give you a head start on experience. I wouldn't recommend a generalized Health Sciences degree because you will come out of it knowing a little bit about everything, and not enough about anything (I got a Master of Public Health and it was fucking worthless). You might think about specializing a bit more, something like Microbiology where you can do infection control, or biostatistics. That is, of course, only if you completely can't do nursing any more.

Tough it out! It seems hard now, but come out of there with an RN, get a little experience and you will have a job for the rest of your life.

spool32

Don't bail on your nursing degree. Instead, make yourself grow as a person and acquire the skills you need to succeed. All that 'buckle down, put in the time, live and breathe it if you have to' stuff that sounds like platitudes... it's time to do all those things.

Strip away extra stuff like hanging with friends and watching TV and whatever, until you're in a comfort zone. If that's what you have to do full time for a year or three, welp. Consider it a dress rehearsal for the rest of your life and don't take your foot off the gas until you're happy with the speed you're moving.



Also worth considering... your professor might have some job-related incentive for you to drop rather than possibly fail. Instead, do neither and enjoy knowing he was wrong.

Bucketman

Thanks guys, I'm going to try and stick it out with the nursing degree!

Hewn

Hell yeah. You've gone this far, no sense turning back now.

Malgaras

Bucketman wrote: »

Thanks guys, I'm going to try and stick it out with the nursing degree!

Good on you, man. And never underestimate what you can accomplish if you are willing to simply throw a shit ton of your own time at it. And don't forget to throw some of your instructor's time at it too. That's what they are paid for.

MegaMan001

@Ceres, thanks for the tag earlier. I forgot to respond when I originally saw the notification.

@Bucketman, I am currently a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist with a Bachelor's and Master's degree in nursing. I'm glad to hear you have chosen to stick it out - I don't think you'll regret your decision.

I've spoken to @Hewn before regarding nursing degrees, but I'll just give you a few pieces of advice - since you don't need any more convincing to stick out the process.

First, you just have to apply yourself more. Nursing degrees require not only an understanding of the material (what probably is earning you 75% on your exams), but you also need to have rote memory of a lot of information. Specifically, take the time to really memorize laboratory values (basic CBC, Chem-7, ABGs, and BUN / Cr will get you through the majority of your boards) as well as common drug families (beta blockade, insulin, ace-inhibitors, cholinergic / anticholinergics, and cardiac medications). I highly recommend making flash cards for such information.

Second, if you can't bring yourself to make flashcards, check out the website iflipr.com and search for whatever information you want to study. This is an online flash card website where you can look at other people's cards. Yes, you're at the mercy of whatever person made the card originally, but there is a ton of good information available.

Third, you're not interpreting those 'all are correct' answers properly. There is always, without a doubt, a better answer than the others. Typically, the question demands you to relate the question in terms of time or severity. For example, questions will include something like "What would you do FIRST" or "Which is the WORST symptom", etc. You need to apply one of three theories to these questions: ABCS, Maslow's Hierarchy of Need, and Triage. That is to say, Airway - Breathing - Circulation (which actually just became CAB by the American Heart Association so your mileage may vary if it trickled down to NCLEX yet), Maslow's Hierarchy of Need (food / air / shelter before pain, etc.) and Triage (which patients you can conceivably save and which you can't). One of these three theories will guide you to which the correct answer is.

I could go on all day about advice for nursing school, boards, practice, and graduate school - feel free to shoot me a PM with any questions or concerns you may have.