Originally Posted by
Gresp15C
how do you feel about RN as a career these days? My son has talked about it as a possibility, along with other fields in the medical "spectrum" such as PA, etc.
Well, I've been retired for two years now. I suppose that's a good sign: I was able to earn enough to allow retirement at age 61. A good thing about being an RN is your job won't get outsourced overseas. But as a hospital-based RN, I had to work all shifts, and regular weekend and holiday shifts. That's what happens when your workplace is open 24/7/365. I was always a little jealous of the Physical and Occupational Therapists. Until fairly recently they didn't have to work weekends, and as of the time I retired anyway, still didn't have to work evenings, nights, or holidays. And the pay was comparable to RN pay.
The ongoing turmoil in our health system in the United States means there is constant pressure to cut costs, and sometimes that means inadequate staffing. That's how I ended up working double shifts right up to my last day. While in principle providing adequate staffing is the responsibility of management, in practice there is more compelling pressure to take a chance and staff minimally, hoping no one will call in sick or no disaster will overwhelm patient assignments than there is to provide a little buffer in case something comes up that requires more staff.