Need some advice please...

Hello there....I am going back to school in the spring to begin a nursing program. It took me to the age of 31 to decide what I want to do with my life. Go figure My questions are: I'm loosing weight pretty rapidly at this point, I started at 480 and am down to 370 in 4 months, but I know that will slow down at some point. I'm concerned about how obese people are viewed in the nursing community. Would my weight be an issue if I can't get to a "normal" size before I enter the nursing program? There are core classes I'll have to take first, and I'll be taking those online starting next spring. The other question is, I'm leaning two ways in regards to a focus for my training. Part of me really wants to focus on ER work, I think I would enjoy the constant change and challenges of an ER (not that all nursing work isn't challenging), but I'm also interested in OB/GYN work. Do you get to choose what you focus on, or is it more an issue of what the facility you work in needs. And if any of you work in either area, I'd really enjoy hearing your opinions on the work you do. Thanks so much for any and all input. Have a great rest of the week and weekend! Kelle

Congratulations on your surgery and your decision to enter nursing! Nurses come in all shapes and sizes. When I graduated from nursing school in 1993 I wore a size 22. I had one really mean doctor that I saw personally for health care tell me I would never get a job in nursing because of my size! I was in my 3rd year of college and was so depressed by what he said. I went in to my extern job at the time and told some of the RN's. They could not believe he said that. I have to say, I have be up to a size 32 and never have been out of work. I have lost 110 pounds now and wear a size 18. I have received many compliments from my peers, nurses and physicians who are impressed I have taken a proactive weight loss decision. They ask tons of questions, but still view me as the nurse I have always been to them. As far as specialty....you have to do all the rotations, peds, ob, med-surg, ect. I kind of made my decisions what I didn't want to do during that time. Then I went and applied to a hospital and saw what they had available. It is a great time to get into nursing. It is wide open. Some of the specialties that were hard to get into when I graduated...ob, er, ect, are now available to new grads. They always wanted experience first, and I used to argue about how do you get experience if no one will let you in? Now, in my geographic area (Ohio), I have spoken to many new grads who get into exactly what they are interested in~instead of med-surg first. Whatever you decide...do NOT let your weight play a role. Stay focused, work hard, and you will get what you want. Good Luck! Pam

Woo Hoo Girlie Good for you and welcome to the sisterhood. I am a current student in a community college in Gardner Massachusetts. I am in what they call the nursing track so I have 1 more semester of pre req b4 i enter the real stuff. I have worked as a unit coordinator(glorified secratary) in the E.D. and am currently a OB scrub tech. I LOVE IT!!!! I am hoping to continue in this department after I graduate but it seems to be a difficult thing to do for outsiders. I am certainly not trying to bring you down but if you can get a part time job in a hospital on any level you have a better chance of getting into school as well as into a position you like. I personally do not like Med/Surg(because I hate sick People) and after 3 years in the E.D. I became frustrated with our healthcare systems. Babies are almost always a affair. You should wait until your rotation to decide but try and start in the areas you are interested in getting a job. I know I'm rembling but its 5am here and it's been a long night If you have any questions feel free to contact me at [email protected]. Hope it all works out!!! Brandy

Kelle- Congratulations on your decision to enter nursing!! One little piece of advice I can give you is not to lean too far toward your nursing specialty until you have gone through your different rotations! I was absolutely sure I wanted to be an ICU nurse, for years that was my goal! After clinicals there, it quickly changed!! You may find you love a field you never dreamed yourself in! Good luck to you! Tonya Dresher, RN

Good for you - we need more victims, er, nurses! Just teasing you! I love my job at the ED. I've worked here for 16 years and still look forward to coming to wor****ep your options open while you go through the program, but I will tell you, I have always wanted to work in the ED and told my Mom before I even got into the program (lo, these many years ago) that I wanted to work at St Paul Ramsey in the ER (now they call it an ED -big sigh). They require alot of experience before they will hire you so you will get to work in other areas before the big transition to a specialty. And do you know the most wonderful thing about nursing? You are never 'trapped' anywhere! You can always change your mind or add to your education - the possibilities are almost limitless. Best of luck with your schooling and don't let the turkeys get you down. You will find that the older male docs and ancillary staff are the ones with the least amount of control over their verbal diarrhea. However, that too is changing with the focus on healthy workplace and political correctness. Smile, be polite and do a good job and they will have to eat their words. DeLossie

Hey Kelle, I've been a pediatric nurse for over 12 years and I knew I wanted to do peds before I entered nursing school. Unfortunately, you can't specialize in a particular field until after you pass your state boards. And to do that, you need all the education on all of the aspects of nursing. I loved my pediatric clinicals, but hated the adult Med-Surg and Psyche clinicals. But if I wanted to pass my board exams, I had to know it all. (It is kind of like a "right-of-passage" for nursing). As a floor nurse, it was fun to have students on the floor with us. Just remember...you need to have a good foundation on which to build your career. You build your foundation while in school. Once you graduate, then you can build on your foundation the kind of career you want in whichever field you want it. I wanted Pediatrics. So I started building my career in peds after I passed my boards. If you are going for your BSN, then you will be well at your goal weight before graduation. If you are going for your two year degree, you will still be close and hopefully still losing. I understand about the weight thing and nursing. I was heavy for my first two years of school and then went on a strict diet for the last two years. I was a size 14 when I graduated and started work...but the weight slowly came back on and 12 years later I had WLS. I don't think there is a negative stigma for heavy nurses as long as your patients and co-workers (co-students) trust that you know the material and can do your work compitantly. Good luck!! Amanda M.

Hey Kelle, Congrats on your decision to go to nursing school! I went to school when i was 29 and graduated in 1992 when I was 32. It is NEVER to late to decide what you want to do when you grow up! As far as your weight, there is a huge percentage of overweight nurses out there...I can't wait to have my surgery and stop being a part of that percentage!!! I have never worked in the ER so i do not know what it is like down there, but have worked in peds, ortho, neuro and oncology on the floor and also have done home health as an infusion nurse, worked several years in PACU(recovery) and now am a Labor nurse. I love my job and am fortunate that I can work per diem, picking my own schedule. As far as focusing your training, some nursing school do have a focused training in the last year, but most of the time you make that choice after completing your studies. This is a great time for nursing since there is such a shortage and it pretty much gives you the control! Good luck! my best advice is to work as an aide in your areas of interest while you are in school...it gives you a world of insight into what it is really like! Lisa

I was morbidly obese when I went to nursing school- while it didn't stop me from succeeding in achieving my goal, it did make it harder- tired easily. I only had one instructor who made an issue of my weight- she said that if she had been on the acceptance board she would have blackballed me because she felt I would not be able to advise patients to lose weight for their health and was not a good role model. True, I obviously have a problem, but in some ways I think that I was better able to talk about weight reduction and its difficulties. I could definitely sympathize with patients whose doctors were demanding weight loss. As for choosing the type of nursing you wish to pursue- you can!! You must only check to see what job postings each hospital has to offer at the time you are ready to apply for a job. In order to become an ER nurse you will need to become an ICU nurse first and some hospitals won't hire new grads directly to ICU's (some will). My advice is to work on a med/surg station for at least a year before you specialize- it will provide a solid knowledge base of a variety of nursing from which you can branch out- you will never regret the incredible wealth of knowledge you will glean from med/surg nursing. After the year you will know better what area you want to pursue for the future. In the meantime- are you currently employed? If not, consider getting a job as a nursing assistant in a hospital- it is a great opportunity to learn a lot while you are in school. The nursing staff loves to help educate nursing assistants who are in nursing school- they will give you opportunities to observe or assist with all kinds of procedures. It also gives you an "in" when it comes to applying for a nursing job- hospitals would much prefer to hire someone who already knows their system. Good luck!! You are in for an adventure!- Ginny

Another reply from an overweight nurse I was size 26 when I went into the program (weight 260) and 28 when I graduated (290 lbs). I had several obese instructors who got out of teh clinical field primarily because of their weight. I had lots of understanding people who treated me failrly out there. Do not let your weight choose your destiny. Best wishes!