I AM AN RN AND WILL BE HAVING A RNY ON 12-06-04 AND LOOKING VERY FORWARD TO IT.

Hey Amy, As previously stated, salaries truely depend on location, location, location...and experience....and whether you ahve a BSN or not. Try to go to salarywizard.com . Then you can search by areas and can get a salary range for that area. I do have to say....I also left floor nursing for pharmaceutical research because the pay is higher and the hours are easier....BUT I was also a traveling nurse for two years and LOVED IT!!! I was making 19.50/hr as a traveler almost 8 years ago, so the pay has got to be better than that now! Good luck! Amanda M.

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.

Diane, I was just browsing the RN boards and your post caught my attention. I am an RN and had WLS on 9-10-04. I work as a case manager in a home health office. I have personally found the majority of other health care workers are not your best support! Every single nurse (all of whom I also consider close friends), were totally against my WLS. You have to realize also, that we ARE better informed and understand the risks better than most lay people. Especially when we have seen others suffer first hand. I had real difficulty with this, but know it is just out of concern they were so against it! Good luck with the insurance company! Keep us posted! Tonya Dresher, RN

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