My personality is set in the middle between a type A and B… however, I cant work under too much stress… I cant think very well when I am tired and stressed or under pressure… I am the type of person that needs my 8-9 hours of sleep in order to function properly… I am kinda low blooded as well and often lack energy… but I am also the type of person that looks at my watch all the time and plans ahead and I am very competitive. I take pride in my work and am a hardworker. Is nursing gonna be a problem for me? I was considering physical therapy because I’ve volunteered at hospitals and they have such a chilled job and is rather slow paced at a rehab hospital but still meaningful and exciting… I like that but I cant afford the education for PT… Is there a nursing job that is similar to physical therapy?? Is pediatric nursing a good area? What are the stressors in that specialization?
#1 by US_DR_JD on February 14, 2010 - 11:41 am
There are many areas of nursing that have lower areas of stress. But in all areas there may be times of high stress. On a pediatric ward, if a child becomes critical the stress level can be much higher than many areas of the hospital, in many ways just because they are children. By the same token, when kids recover from critical phases, they often recover much more quickly than adults. I have frequently seen children discharged directly from an intensive care setting, where most adults are moved to a step down unit prior to discharge.
Psychiatric nursing is an area where there are often long periods of relatively low stress, yet the stressful periods can be intense.
Each person must choose what they are able to work with.
Many nurses can work in high stress atmospheres like the ER, and then turn the stress off at the end of an 8 hour shift. Others take the stress home with them.
Your personality will drive the specialty.
The advantage in nursing is the number of areas in which you can work. You can work in legal consulting, research or insurance which has stressful periods but is easy to leave at work.
Physical Therapy is also a great career, but has a much more limit scope of career options.