I am a 20 year old male with a few years of college in, with emphasis on health science classes, but also a lot of universal pre-reqs completed for transfer. Currently, it's been my idea to go into nursing and that is the route I've been heading, but I do realize that in this occupation, I may be wasting many of my assets, as I am more of a bookworm/thinker than a see it and do it, and a lot of nursing is skill over general medical knowledge. I've started to consider that pharma sales may be the route to go, as I am already very knowledgeable on many drug, as well as human anatomy and physiology. I would just need to reroute my direction and go more of a B.S. degree of some sort, which at this point would still be easy to do. Upon reading, however, it is unfortunate to learn that the verdict seems to be the job will be essentially useless and obsolete in the coming years..It is very appealing, and I believe I would do well, but I don't want to change direction to something that will end up ruining my life due to unemployment. I guess I'm just wondering if this is really true? And if so, will there be anything else I could do with a B.S. degree? Something similar and growing. I had heard that pharmaceuticals was a recession proof business, but I guess that does not apply to the reps. Thanks all.
I can say with utmost certainty that you will not be wasting your critical thinking skills on nursing. I don't know who told you that nursing is skill over general medical knowledge. I have never, ever, ever seen that to be true in the least. I suppose there are areas of nursing in which that might be true, maybe as an office nurse in a narrow specialty (?). If I didn't have detailed knowledge of all organ systems and the complexity of the biofeedback systems I would not be able to predict consequences of one intervention over another, and I intervene all the time. Do I know when my patient is going to crash? Usually, this can be predicted with some degree of accuracy. You would be surprised how the clues add up to tell you what is going on and what you need to do. Any doctor would tell you the same. We can't predict the exact time, but we know it is coming and what we need to do. Work in critical care. Nurses are needed and it will never, ever be dull. Besides cardiac emergencies, you will have to become skilled in interpreting clues (lab values and other test results) for a wide variety of disorders. Physicians and nurses work far more collaboratively than people seem to understand. At least, the good ones do. In contrast, the drug reps I know are well versed in only one or two clinical pathways, which they have committed to memory. How is that critical thinking? If you want to be a deep thinker, be a nurse. I've only scratched the surface here. I haven't even begun to talk about the myriad of other things you will need to be proficient in for a career in nursing. No pharm rep is going to save you or your family member when you need it....
Pharma is dead and stay away. It is a horrible career path for all but the very desperate. You are young; become a nurse, go to PA school or be a medical tech of some type. I also think billing and coding will grow as will HIS positions with EMR updates. Good luck and sorry for the downer.
Besides, you say you are a thinker etc.. Pharma throws thinkers away and requires you to regirgitate rote information on each and every call. You are not allowed to think. Stick with RN and go into a CRC/CRA position by getting your CCRC or CCRP. Take those skills and get a high level science liaison position where you come in for expert knowledge to backup the salesforce. You'll get more out of your career overall. Do NOT get off the RN track!!!
Get your RN, then go for your NP, then teach. A lot undergrad teaching is on-line. It pays well and gives you flexibility...and you can still practice as an NP or open your own office if you wish. At least you would have options. If you still want to try pharma. Do it when you have your RN. Go to school on the side for your NP.
If you're really serious about going into pharma you need to get comfortable with developing your manipulation skills. Practice on your male friends. Hold a prescription bottle in your hand and detail them on how the product can grow their male member by 4 inches within 2 weeks. And do it without smiling. Then you will be on the way to becoming salesperson of the year.
RN is a great gig. It makes me laugh when people think it is a hard job too. I have a friend that has been doing it for 20 years, and I asked him the hardest part of the job...his answer? Paperwork! RN is a great way to go if you are lazy! Pharmaceutical sales/RN: a perfect marriage!
I hope you became an RN-you can do both and you have a career to fall back on with nursing, unlike pharma.
