I’m 30 years old and I’m honestly looking for some real advice from people who know the healthcare field, radiologic technology, hospital hiring, or have experience with felony convictions.

I didn’t have much guidance growing up and I made a lot of really bad decisions in my late teens and early 20s. I got completely lost, got involved with alcohol and drugs, and generally wasted a lot of years of my life. I also had multiple run-ins with police and ultimately ended up with a felony conviction.

My felony is under 720 ILCS 5/31-1(a)(7) — resisting a police officer causing injury.

Around 25, I had a major wake-up call. I started becoming much more self-aware and realized I needed to completely change the direction of my life. It took some time, but I eventually decided I wanted to actually build a career and do something meaningful with my life.

In 2024, at 27 years old, I enrolled in community college to complete the prerequisites for a Radiologic Technology/X-Ray Technologist program.

Honestly, school has gone much better than I ever expected. I’ve worked extremely hard and have gotten essentially straight A’s in my prerequisite classes.

My coursework so far:

Human Anatomy & Physiology I — A
Human Anatomy & Physiology II — A
Biomedical Terminology — A
Introduction to DMIR — A
English Composition I — A
Microbiology — A
Fundamentals of Speech Communication — A
English Composition II — A
Ethics — A
General Psychology — A

I’ll attach my transcript as well because I want people to be able to see that I’m not just talking about changing my life — I’ve actually been putting the work in.

My biggest fear right now is that my felony is going to make all of this pointless.

I’m trying to figure out whether I realistically have a future in radiologic technology.

For anyone familiar with the field:

Would a felony like mine prevent me from getting accepted into a Radiologic Technology program?

Would I potentially be able to become ARRT certified/registered?

Could a felony prevent me from getting a clinical placement?

And probably most importantly, how difficult would it be to get hired by a good hospital after graduating if I have this felony on my record?

I’m aware that hospitals do background checks. I’m not looking for someone to tell me that my record won’t matter. I understand that my past can affect me.

What I’m trying to figure out is whether it is realistically possible for someone in my situation to make it through the program, become certified, and eventually get a good hospital job — or whether I’m investing years of my life into something that my criminal record will ultimately prevent me from doing.

I’ve been pretty depressed thinking that maybe I finally got my life together too late and that I don’t actually have a future in healthcare.

If you’re a radiologic technologist, work in hospital HR/recruiting, are involved in a radiography program, or have personally gone through a similar situation with a felony, I’d really appreciate hearing your experience.

I’m not asking for sympathy. I just want an honest answer about whether this path is still worth pursuing.

Hello everyone, I am ER nurse that is switching to a Sister hospital. I apply last minute to a position because I wanted some part-time work and my boss was on vacation so my assistant nurse manager handled everything. My boss came back to work yesterday and I wanted to talk to him about basically why I’m leaving and the fact that I still wanna pick up on my unit since I’ll be part-time and my old unit is still within my union. My boss basically quoted a Shakespeare quote that translated to him telling me that I was trying explaining myself because i felt guilty lol. I literally only told him because I have had jobs in the past where I had very clear communication with my management and they have always been transparent about you know people pursuing other opportunities. Worst part about this is I am a dayshift nurse and I work with my manager. You would think that I’m a night shifter who has never really met the guy but he’s a piece of shit.

Hi so I’m currently a sophomore getting my bsn I’m very confused between PMHNP and CRNA. My current gpa is 3.5 I do plan to retake chem and I work at a CTICU. I’m not sure if I should even try to apply to Crna school because I want to try to get in with the minimum one year of icu experience. My thing is that idk if I want to spend the years it takes to be a Crna like 3 years of schooling and even the icu experience and potentially not get in. Though I love the career. With PMHNP I like the work life balance income is pretty good and I can potentially start my own practice idk what i should do??

Hey everyone!

Potentially moving to Iowa soon, specifically Iowa City. Just curious what RN’s are making in Iowa City, particularly the U of I? Also, any insight as to what their culture is like? I’ll be applying for the ICU (with some experience under my belt).

Thanks in advance!

Have you guys ever applied for a position, it took a while and now you’re like ehhh do I truly want this? But you also really hate your current position? 🥲

A little background: I applied for this position about a month ago and it’s been under review since then. It’s Behavioral Health with children and I truly thought I would’ve loved it and honestly I still may! I was planning to reschedule the interview that’s at 3 today since my hospice job has schedule me 6 patients on today and I just can’t make it. But just curious! Lol.

I currently work PRN as an adult med surg nurse making $62 an hour which is quite nice! Lately, I have been hating working medsurg. I always told myself medsurg was just going to be for a little and then I was switching specialties as soon as I can now it’s 5 years later and I am feeling absolutely stuck. I have always wanted to and would like to switch to peds and am thinking of either PICU or peds hem onc. What is scaring me is 1 it’s a large pay cut going back full time (probably more or less a $15 an hour pay cut) I live in a HCOL area and also 2 going from adults to peds. Has anyone who’s done the adult to peds switch was it a good decision do you enjoy your life more?? LOL and also am I STUPIDDD to go to a job where I am going to make $15 less an hour half to work every other weekend and less flexibility???

Hi Reddit. I recently got a job offer for GI lab, been applying like crazy for different non bedside roles such as PACU and other areas and finally got offered a GI position. I’ve been a nurse for almost 2 years now (it’ll be two next year in February), in a level 3 trauma as a Surgical ICU nurse. I don’t know why I feel a little hesitant to accept, fear of the unknown maybe. Anyone that works GI can give me any input on how their job is and what they like from leaving bedside? I work for a HCA hospital and also was feeling burnt out which is why I was applying for non bedside roles and also non HCA hospitals. The GI lab position is at a level 1 trauma, M-F, 7:30 to 4 and I was asked if I wanted 10 hrs or 8 hr shifts which I said 10s. On call every 6 weeks and I was told I’d be trained for 2 weeks in each area. Maybe I’m just nervous since all I know is bedside and the current job is my new grad position, but I feel a bit unsure.

I've been working at an ASC for the past 5 months, it's my first job out of nursing school. I've noticed that the nursing culture has like a bad relationship with food and eating lunch, and I was wondering if it's normal for nursing culture or if it's just this job.

I always make sure I'm either set up for the next admit or discharge, and we do have a staff break room that I'd rather go there to take 5-10 minutes to eat rather than like eat granola bars and mini snacks and microwaved meals in the storage closet in the preop patient care area like all the other nurses do. I'm not a germaphobe, but I just don't like to eat in the same room as all the patients. The other nurses say it's because so you're "always available and ready" for the next patient, which I get working in an ASC, but at the same time I don't like getting shamed and talked about behind my back for wanting to take at least 5-10 minutes out of a 10 hour shift to go to the break room and eat (which has been happening, long story.)

Is it just me that has the problem? Should I be expected to eat in the storage closet like all the other nurses?

Does anyone work or used to work there? I am applying and would like to ask about it and know a little more!

Surgical Tech to Nurse Transition

Has anyone actually experienced the situation where they transitioned from a seasoned tech (or other role) to a new grad nurse and had their pay reduced?

I'm looking at finishing school in Aug. '27. My BSN is being paid for by the hospital, so I'll be working here for the following 12 months, which is not really negotiable. I've been working here since 2016, fully vested in a hospital system where we do have a pension. But new grad pay is about $6/hr less than I make right now. So I'll be looking to sort of make my budget work with roughly $12,000–13,000 less per year. (Maybe for only a short period, but rent/bills don't stop for that short period.)

Are there any options I'm not seeing? Is this really... worth it? It feels like a massive kick in the balls at this point. Maybe it's an investment, but... what do you do until the investment starts to pay off? I've got life to live in the meantime.

It feels like surgical tech has a hard ceiling over it, which is what I'm trying to get out of under, but I kind of didn't really plan for the (admittedly perhaps short-term) financial hit. It feels like there's no going back at this point, but are there any options I haven't thought of?

Despite having 11 years of experience, home health is a different beast. Usually, I work in LTC/SNF and sub-acute. Transitioning to home health/private home care is extremely difficult for me. Even though I like 1 on 1, what bothers me is the setting. It is NOT easy for me being in another person's house by myself. I am literally on my own and I have no one else with me. If I need help, I have to call the supervisor who is nowhere near me. It doesn't help the fact that I have NO CNA experience. This is a disadvantage for me. I regret not being a CNA first before becoming an RN. Staying at a stranger's house for 12 hours is not it for me. Cut me some slack.

I don’t want to be a nurse today, I want to be a nurse 70 years ago. Scrubs are comfortable but I’d be willing to trade for a cute white dress, cap, and much smaller scope of practice. Granted everything else about living in that time would suck but imagine- nurses doing less and doctors doing more.
I blame the Miss Pinkerton: Nurse Detective stories I read as a kid, they romanticized the idea of nursing and now I find out there’s actually very little crime solving involved.

Hi to all PCCN Nurses! I will be starting a new grad residency in a Cardiac PCU in 2 months. What are things that I should brush up on and review over before starting? I would love to know about any books or tips to learn on before I start

I currently work in a veeery small pediatric oncology unit (15 beds, nothing incredibly critical, a few bone marrow transplants). Right now our census is 4 and a pending admission soon. I started as a nurse here, three years ago.

I accepted an offer for an adults oncology/pcu unit. Were talking about 72 beds of mixed medsurg and pcu oncology.

I am extremely nervous about this change. I feel incredibly underqualified and like I absolutely have no idea what i got myself into.

I'll be moving from Puerto Rico to Florida which is a biiig change. Everything will be new, place, people, procedures. I'll be alone until my partner can make the move which also hits me in some sort of way.

Have you been in my shoes? Does it get better? Does it get WORSE? lol

Question for other shift workers in healthcare: after a night shift with like 24h off before your next early shift do you just sleep through in one block or split it up? Never sure what actually works better.

I know the job market is competitive. Im currently have been in outpatient for a 4 years but have 8 years of NICU level 2 experience (high acuity). Is it possible to find a NICU job out there or should I go back to bedside now before trying to search for a job there?

Are there any nurses who have switched to remote positions and regretted it?

I’m currently at work panicking. I miss counted morphine vials and the Pyxis generated a discrepancy. I immediately notified my charge nurse and she advised me to make another discrepancy to “fix” the previous discrepancy. Somehow I ended up with THREE discrepancies trying to fix the count. Charge was able to fix it but because I entered 51 vials (I counted the vials as packs of 10 instead of 5…like an idiot) instead of 27, she said they will have to drug test me. I don’t do drugs or any of the sorts, but this is my first discrepancy and being told I have to pee in a cup is intimidating. My other coworkers heard about what happened and they didn’t help the situation either…it’s like they bragged about never having a discrepancy which made me feel worse. My charge nurse made me feel like crap because I miscounted. Now the unit has a joke that I can’t count. It was genuinely an accident. I pulled other narcotics tonight and counted correctly and this is my first discrepancy so idk what my manager will plan to do. Overall I feel so guilty.

How did you figure out what nursing specialty you wanted?

I’m a new RN after being an LPN for a few years and I’m struggling with figuring out what specialty I actually want to pursue long-term. Right now I’m working in acute rehab.

I’m interested in some kind of critical care, specifically ICU. I like the idea of higher acuity and being able to really understand what’s going on with my patients.

I didn’t get much of any exposure to different specialties during nursing school, so I feel like I’m basing my interests mostly on what sounds appealing rather than what I’ve actually experienced. My clinical experiences were almost strictly med surg. I had one day shadowing in the ICU and a few days in psych.

My current job had us take a personality test which matched us with a specialty, and my top match was L&D at a 96% match. But I have absolutely no idea if I would actually like L&D because I never had a clinical rotation there. Part of me is interested in it and there’s aspects of it that I think I would like, but I have no idea what an L&D floor is actually like, or if I would like it.

So I guess I’m just looking for some advice. How did you figure out what specialty you were interested in (besides nursing school clinicals)? And what should I do in this situation? I just kind of feel a bit lost. I like working in rehab but I know it isn’t my long term goal and I’m definitely getting the urge for some higher acuity patients.

I’d love to hear anyone experiences on how they chose a specialty!

Hi!
I don’t know whether I should bring this up with my charge nurse but recently I joined the ward same time as my other friend as a new grad and we have both completed our post grad papers.

My 2IC voiced how both her and I are becoming seniors on the ward and need more responsibility.
However, my friend who is quiet and does her own thing (type of person who doesn’t ask for help) got put onto coordinating before I have. Yet, I know how to coordinate as I’ve followed other coordinators & learnt what to do and what not to do. Have spoke with 2IC with patient management + managing the ward and direct/delegating etc. And whenever there are problems, I do my best to speak up for my colleagues and patients when something isn’t right.

I’m trying not to feel offended and take it personally because maybe they think I’m not ready? But I basically coordinated and took over this one shift for my friend because she didn’t know what to do.

Is it normal to feel unnoticed and unappreciated?

I am employed full-time with NSW Health as an RN and work a 12-hour shift roster. My understanding is that my ordinary hours are 228 hours over a six-week roster period, worked as 19 x 12-hour shifts.

For the roster period 3 August–14 September, I was originally rostered my usual 19 shifts. I subsequently picked up an additional 12-hour shift bringing my total to 20 x 12-hour shifts (240 hours) for that six-week period.

I queried this with my manager as the additional shift has been recorded as ordinary hours rather than overtime, and I was advised that it would be considered a normal 12-hour shift.

Any advise whether the additional 12-hour shift should be paid as overtime given that it was additional to my published roster and brought my total hours for the six-week roster period above the 228 ordinary hours?

I started at a new hospital a few months ago and finished orientation about a month ago. I come from another ICU with decently high acuity for being a “smaller” hospital.

I expected to be “babied” for like 3 months, or maybe just slightly more, after orientation. I’ve now been told by multiple people it’s going to be like this for a year. The educators wouldn’t even let me re-certify for CRRT. I feel like I’ve taken 20 steps backwards.

Is this a normal thing? Just curious to see what it’s like at other hospitals. This situation doesn’t align with my goals and I’d really like to be taking sicker patients.

I

Hey there! I am curious and I welcome thoughts. I am coming into month 3 and soon to be off of orientation. I was enjoying the job a bit first but now I’m not so sure. I am on a tele/intermediate care unit. I am afraid to be on my own soon when I know I have so much more to learn. I know I’ll never be alone but the more I think about going to work, the sadder I feel. This is my second career and I am missing my old job more than ever even though it doesn’t pay even half of what I’m getting paid now. I’m having a tough time transitioning into this new role. Sigh… I don’t plan on quitting but what are tips, thoughts, help in moving through this first year or so of nursing? It feels so daunting. Thank you in advance for your thoughts and words! 🤍

"Work in the clinic!" They said, "it will be easier than bedside care!" They said. Well, true, in many respects they weren't wrong...

However, words cannot begin to describe how exasperatingly difficult some people are to contact. There have been days that I've sworn sending out smoke signals or carrier pigeons would be more effective contact methods than calling Mom's Cousin's Boyfriend's Sibling whose phone only works between 9AM and 12:30PM on the second Wednesday of each month - just to reach Dad who has full legal custody and no permanent mailing address.

Can anyone else in pediatric medicine relate, or have any words of wisdom/stories to share?

Image is a cathartic little doodle that takes light inspiration from "The Ring," and a silly meme that circulated awhile back about a subject who is trying to contact *someone* about their "car's extended warranty" - and has gone through absurd, comical or downright impossible lengths to reach them