Nursing - A Mid-Life Career Change

[ZTA72]

Originally Posted by ASUADPi

Plus, I am thinking of joining the Navy. They would pay for my BSN and I just have to serve 3 years at a training hospital in either Virginia, Maryland (Walter Reed I believe) or San Diego. Not to bad a trade off.

I would advise you to get that in writing. The military has a way of sending you where they want, especially when you owe them.

[Thetagirl218]

My sister is graduating next month with her LPN. She started at the local tech school her last semester of high school, and is planning on getting her RN at the local community/4 year college (Most of Florida's former community colleges now offer 4 year degrees in some fields including nursing).

There are several people in her LPN program who are switching careers.

One of my best friends is in her late 30s and married with two kids. It took her 5 years to get her AA (Mostly because of working and paying for school), but she did it. She had originally meant to go into the police force, but now is starting the nursing program to get her RN. She has told me that there are tons of people her age and older going back to school!

I would say there have been a lot of people switching fields during the last 10 years. I always had older people in my college classes training to be teachers.

[ZetaGirl22]

Originally Posted by HotDamnImAPhiMu

I've never heard medical school referred to as ANY degree of pleasant!

I can't believe the abuse your sister got from her professors. How strange that of all fields, nursing - which is all about caregiving - would have the nasty professors.

There is a saying out there in the nursing community that nurses "eat their young" Take from that what you will, but I definitely have heard of some quite ridiculous stories about nursing faculty from various schools from many different students.

Don't take this as me trying to deter you because I am basically doing exactly what you are right now LOL! I'm 28, have a BA in Political Science and am doing the last of my prerequisites right now at my local community college. I will be doing the CC route for my clinical program based on cost and convenience. I don't know what your first degree was in, but if you stayed away from the sciences the first time, you will have a few prereqs to complete before you enter a program and they are DEFINITELY not easy. I have done very well in my prereqs so far-I have a 4.0, but it took a lot of work, especially in Anatomy and Physiology. I am in part 2 of that right now. Another thing to keep in mind is most nursing programs, regardless of whether its an ADN or BSN are VERY competitive. At my CC the cutoff GPA for accepted applicants into last semesters clinical class was a 3.3, and the school recommends that you maintain at least a 3.5 to maximize your chances.

And I see you are in the DC area! If you are interested in an accelerate BSN option, Georgetown has an accelerated BSN that takes 16 months. From what I hear it is VERY rigorous and VERY expensive, but they have a scholarship program with Washington Hospital Center where if you are chosen, WHC will cover your tuition in exchange for a 2 year work commitment (I believe its 2 years). There are lots and lots of options out there. University of MD also has an accelerated program where instead of a BSN, you become eligible to take the NCLEX (the licensing exam-which actually gets you the RN credential) and you also earn a masters degree.

[Buttonz]

I have my BS already and I'm looking to make the switch to get my BSN. I'm looking at Stonybrook which offers a 12 month program and Pace, which offers a 12 month program or a 24 month program, depending if you need your pre-reqs (the only one I have for them is stats) or not.

I'm nervous but excited at the same time. I really think that this will be good for me. My hope is to get into school and camp nursing.

[kiteflyersmom]

Originally Posted by RedefinedDiva

I have list of professions to look into and Health Care Admin is one of them. I didn't know that it was a hard field to break into.

Anyway, to the OP, DO IT!! I am a certified teacher, (almost) licensed attorney, and I'm going to nursing school next year. And that's just the beginning! LOL! I know that people think I'm crazy (I think it too sometimes!!), but I love learning and I want to do something the benefits me in the long run. Just make a plan for yourself. Don't worry if people think you are nuts. It's YOUR life and you only have one to live.

I got this via email and I've already sent for more info on this as well. I don't know if you'd interested, but just in case....

***
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The program's purpose is to enable college graduates to complete the academic prerequisites for admission to schools of medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine; advise them about the sorts of practical experiences they must acquire in clinics and laboratories; guide them through the medical school application process, and, through a written committee letter, provide institutional support of their medical school applications. Some 400 men and women are currently enrolled in the program; most of them had little or no exposure to science during their undergraduate studies.

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Program Timetable: Traditional, Accelerated, or Part-Time

Students who begin the Postbac program in the fall term can expect to complete their coursework after two full academic years of study. In the third year, students apply to medical school while deepening their exposure to medicine through full-time research or volunteer work.

Students can expect to complete their coursework in 18 months if they are prepared academically to begin General Chemistry, Physics, and Calculus I and who begin their program in the spring semester.

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REQUEST MORE INFO HERE

Hope that helps!!

I agree! Do it! I am a teacher (beginning my 20th year on 8/24/09) and I am also a perpetual student. I earned a doctoral degree in education last summer. If I could, I would probably love to explore nursing as a career. However, I have children who are busy with sports and I help them quite a bit with school. I am a bit of a helicopter mom, lol. By the time they are ready to go to college I will be in my mid 50's. Needless to say, it is not going to happen.

If you are in a position to do it now- then do it now! It may seem tough but remember that saying. I'm not sure how it goes. Basically, it reminds us that things that are difficult to attain are generally the things that are worth the struggle. If it were easy, then everyone would do it.

Good luck!

[ASUADPi]

While I was in the hospital, I got to talking to the nurse manager and I told her that I was taking courses to go into nursing and she told me that the Banner hospitals (at least in the Phoenix-Metro area) accept "students" and pay for their nursing courses as long as they agree to work in a Banner hospital for 3 years after graduation. Don't know if this is 'true' or not as I haven't had the time, nor actually the energy, to call around to the Banner hospitals to get the information.

Although, I just found out from a mom, to a girl I went to high school with, she went back to school for nursing at U of A, did an 18 month accelerated program and just graduated. Her mom told me that because the Tucson hospitals have done hiring freezes that she might not be placed in her hospital (where she did her clinicals). The problem is that she wouldn't have a job and that was part of her agreement (they paid the tuition and she agreed to work in the Tucson hospital for 3 years). Her mom said that they might have to let her and the other 39 students from her hospital "out" of the contract. But the kicker was that the hospital might try to claim like 1099 on taxes (something like that) where Kelly (the girl I went to high school with) would have to pay back the interest on her education, which would be like 5 grand. Her mom isn't too happy with that option. Hell, if I were Kelly I'd be PO'd. As if it's her fault the economy went to the crapper while she was in school.

[Buttonz]

I start my pre-reqs for nursing on Thursday! I'm so nervous but looking forward to it!

[jamalter]

I did a "mid-life" career change to nursing also, at the ripe old age of 32, and this was 15 years ago. Same thing happened to me - a local hospital paid part of my tuition, then when I graduated there was a hiring freeze. They were going to try to make me pay it back, which was going to be tough since then the nursing job market had dried up, and everyone I graduated with was having a hard time finding a job. I waited it out a little while, and ended up working at the hospital that paid my tuition. Left a very bad taste in my mouth though, and in the end I hated nursing.

That's not to say don't do it, but if you do, make sure you are doing it for the right reasons. And I would strongly suggest having some exposure to the medical field before you make that decision. Also, try to go to a community college and get an associates if it's offered. Your starting pay as an RN is exactly the same as a BSN, and the place you work at will more than likely pay for additional schooling to get your BSN. Also, the nursing job market is cyclical. Very high demand over the last ten years, but I've heard, in spite of what nursing schools are telling you, that due to the economy, many hospitals are cutting back. Just be cautious because it was a very high in-demand job when I started nursing school, then the market dried up. I don't see that happening to the extreme it did back in the mid-90's, but be aware that it is a cyclical market.

And finally, anyone considering a mid-life career change, needs to know that nursing is a very physically demanding job, and the hours you start with may not be to your liking. I hated night shift, and that's where I had to start - I felt like a vampire.

But I would never discourage anyone from making a career change - why not try something you think you may love?