These are some questions people your age have asked our nurses…

How can you deal with seeing all that blood, isn't it gross?
When I was in junior high and even high school I thought the same thing. I would never ever imagine that I would work in an operating room. When I was in high school, there was a career day and some of the doctors from Framingham Union Hospital came. They invited anyone that wanted to work in a hospital to spend a day with them. So my friends and I signed up, because we got out of school for the day. The doctor that we signed up with was a surgeon, and he took us right into the operating room and let us watch an operation. It wasn't bloody, the patient was all covered up, and none of us fainted. It was kind of fun so he invited us to come again.

How come you got into nursing?
That same doctor who showed my friends and me an operation helped us get a job in the operating room, while we were still in high school. The nurses and doctors were real nice to us, and it was kind of cool telling our friends that we worked in an operating room.

Don't guys feel weird about being nurses, like, what do they tell their friends they do?
Guys don't feel too weird about making good money; or about having control over their future, knowing that they can always advance in their profession, take a different track, switch fields… and those are all part of being a nurse today. Guys who are nurses tell their friends that they have a career where they can be very high tech, or very hands-on; and they tell their friends that they can't imagine doing anything else they like as much! At the next opportunity you have to go to a career day, ask any male nurse for their opinion and you'll see what they tell you.

Isn't it scary to be there helping during an operation?
Most of the surgery that is done now is made with 2 or 3 incisions that are about a half inch long. The surgeons use instruments that are connected to a video screen, so it's almost like play station, except it's an operation instead of a game. Most people that have an operation go home the same day, and they can usually go back to school or work in a couple of days.

My mother's a nurse, I would never be one, she works way too hard.
There's a nursing shortage, so your mother and other nurses are working very hard. But being a nurse is a lot better nowadays than it was about 15 years ago, because there's a lot more choices about the type of nursing that you can do, and about the schedules, also.

Aren't you kind of stuck when you're a nurse?
Years ago, hospitals, nursing homes and schools were the only places where you could work as a nurse. Now nurses are needed everywhere. Some work in offices with computers for insurance companies; some work a dual role, as police officer and nurse, or firefighter and nurse. Some nurses work in doctors' offices, others in big factories or at people's homes. Some nurses even work as a traveler, they pick a place anywhere in the country and sign up to work there for as long as they want and then they go to a different area. Some work on their own, as nurse practitioners, and they have their own patients.

What do you like best about being a nurse?
The best part about being a nurse today is that no matter where you want to live, you'll be able to find a job and you'll be able to pick out the kind of nursing that you would like to do.

I heard nurses didn't get paid well.
Well, have you heard that nurses can make salaries in the high 80s and 90s for some specialties such as nurse anesthetist? Today it is so important to have nurses the pay is very, very good. And you can make more as you advance and specialize.

Want the facts regarding salaries in nursing today? The best way to get updated information is for you to check on the Practice Settings section and ask for some salary examples from the different associations that represent the setting you're interested in; also check the Organizations page and ask the same question from the HR department at the different hospitals. And remember - nurses can always switch to a different type of nursing if they get tired of it.

In wide terms, a Registered Nurse today can earn from $37,000 to $75,000 plus; an RN with a BSN, $38,000 to $125,000 plus. An LPN or Licensed Practical Nurse can expect to earn between $29,000 to $55,000 plus; while a Certified Nurse Assistant in this area today may earn between $18,000 to $38,000. Salaries also depend on variables such as specialty, employment setting, and shifts. These salaries ranges are shown as parameters, and do not constitute specific job offers, but they give you a better idea of the great opportunities in the nursing field.

How come you keep talking about changing?
Because it's something to really think about, what you may like to do now, you may hate 10 years later. With other jobs or careers, you would have to go back to school, or start all over and not make as much money. If you become a nurse you can have a lot of choices and you'll never be bored or underpaid.

What's the worst kind of operation that you ever saw?
I think the worse one that I saw was when some high school kids were in a really bad car accident, they hit a tree because they were drinking and speeding. One of them died and it was really sad seeing their parents and brothers and sisters crying; another one was paralyzed and the third one was in the hospital for almost a year. That was definitely the worst.

But most people who have operations, believe it or not, want to be operated on, because the surgery fixes something that caused a lot of pain, and when they recuperate they are very happy to feel better and be able to do the things they like to do.

If someone wanted to see an operation, what should they do do?
They should tell their guidance counselor or career specialist, and ask to have them call a local hospital and arrange a day and a time to visit. The nurses and doctors like to teach and show kids what they do. There are also some useful resources listed at the end of the page.

What do you do if you can't afford to go to nursing school?
Don't give up, there are a lot of scholarships for nursing, and also lots of financial aid. You can also start little by little, take some courses part time, and even make some money while you're studying. Check the listings in this site, the educational paths section and talk to your guidance counselor.

What if your marks aren't that good?
Again, don't give up, there are some nursing schools that help people that want to be nurses, by offering special help and classes. Some nurses that work part time or are retired volunteer to help someone that wants to be a nurse, by studying with them or by explaining things.

And you know what happens many times? When you really want to do something you find that whatever it takes to reach your goal is not such an obstacle, maybe in school you didn't do well in Chemistry because you didn't see where you were ever going to use it. But if you want to get into nursing, then all of a sudden, Chemistry is not the big deal it used to be. I see that happening a lot!

Who can give you more information?
Have more questions, need career information, want to attend a field trip to learn more about nursing? Try the following resources:

School-to-Career Partnership Directors
Kathie Carroll Day
Coordinator
MetroWest School-to-Career Partnership
C/o J.P Keefe Technical School
750 Winter Street
Framingham, MA 01702
Phone: 508-416-2212
kcday@jpkrrfrhs.org
Covers:
Ashland, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Natick

Executive Director
Assabet Valley Educational Collaborative
215 Fitchburg Street
Marlborough MA 01752
Phone: 508-485-9430
Covers:
Marlborough, Hudson, Westborough, Northborough, Southborough

Janice Adams
Minuteman Regional High School
758 Marret Road
Lexington, MA 02421-7313
Phone: 781-861-6500 ext. 218
jadams@minteman.org
Covers:
Wayland, Sudbury, Needham

Dave Tobin
Tri County Partnership
RVTHS
147 Pond Street
Franklin, MA 02038
Phone: 508-528-5400 ext. 298
Covers:
Franklin, Bellingham, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, Sherborn

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