A Second Nursing Degree

"So, why do you need another nursing degree? Aren't you already a nurse?"

Ahhh, the question I get all the time. Yes, I really am a nurse. I have an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing. That is a two year degree. I won't get into the timing of taking 4 years to get a two year degree. There were some hiccups along the way, along with a change in my major after my first year of college. Does anyone really know what they want to be for the rest of their life when they are 18 years old? Or even at 31 years old?

Which brings me to where I am at now. Just about two years ago, I missed interacting with my nursing peers. I was working a fun job, but it wasn't enough. I yearned to be around nurses that wanted to make a difference in the world of nursing. I wanted to spend time talking to nurses that belonged to professional organizations, read nursing journals (for more than just the continueing ed. credits), went to conferences, sought out different certifications, etc. I needed to be around more driven nurses, I was falling into the mundane role of just getting the job done.

Then one day, a friend that had graduated nursing school with me put me down as a contact person as someone that might be interested in Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences new RN to BSN distance education program. Sounded good to me. I can go to school in the comfort of my own home...sign me up! I began classes in May of 2006. So to answer the frequently asked question of why I'm back in school - honestly, it started just for personal enrichment. I missed being a 'real' nurse - a nurse with a job description, annual reviews, staff meetings that accomplished things, policy and procedure manuals.

During some point in the past two years, the kids got busier, classes got more interesting, I became more involved in grass roots nursing organizations, and I began to think that perhaps I could continue on with this distance learning stuff. So now my focus for returning back to school has switched from just personal enrichment (which has been wonderful, I really remember why I love being a nurse) to now the idea of going to graduate school. Graduate school for nurses gets pretty interesting - the possibilities are endless - public health, education, nurse practitioner, midwifery, research, anesthesiology, and many more amazing areas of focus. I am currently researching two very different possibilites. One of which is a safe choice - inexpensive tuition, serious shortage means gainful employment, good working hours. The other option is risky but something I could really see myself doing - the hours may not be so good all the time, tuition is a little higher, liscensure and eduational requirments might be more challenging than I'm used to. I have a scheduled phone call with both possible programs coming up in the next couple of weeks, and I'm hoping to have made a decision soon, so I can get on the ball with the application process. I already feel myself being pulled in one direction over the other, but I need to get just a few more questions answered.

So back to the BSN (my new degree), vs. RN (my current degree) - will my new initials mean anything? Well, in my situation, yes. I have a unique situation of being outside of mainstream hospital work for the past 5 years. I had a great, solid 5 years of nursing experience before moving to Kodiak. Had I continued to do hospital work during our time here, there would be not doubt that I'd go right back to working as a bedside nurse at the hospital. I love patient care. However, there are rules about being away from the hospital setting for a while, I can still work patient care, however, I need to have a very thorough orientation. My BSN will allow me to also consider non-bedside care positions, such as infection control, employee education, teaching clinical nursing and a whole host of other fun possibilities. However, I might just follow in the footsteps of a great nurse I know that has her masters in nursing and continues to work at the bedside because that's what she loves and she is fabulous at it.

Did I learn anything new in my BSN studies? You betcha! I loved learning about research studies, leadership skills, more in-depth looks at pharmacology and pathophysiology. Yes, being in school has helped the nerd in me to blossom. The difference between upper level nursing school now and beginning level nursing school almost 10 years ago is that the emphasis now is on becoming a leader in the nursing field. It's not about learning to be a nurse all over again, but about figuring out what you want your contribution to nursing to be and giving you the education and the skills to be able to make it happen.

Stay tuned for more details about our series of crazy life-changing decisions.... =)