[mrsjmb]

Greetings!

My name is Jai and I have actually been on allnurses.com for bout a month, but I haven't posted anything. I am originally from TN, but I've been in Houston/Richmond, TX for 7 months. I have a B.A in Psychology from UTK(Knoxville, TN)...and I have work experience in sales and mental health...

My first encounter with the interest in nursing happened about 3 years ago, when I graduated from college & worked in mental health. I became very close to the Psychiatric nurse, who treated me like her child, she was very caring and told me that I would make a great nurse. So I talked to my husband (been married for 2 1/2 yrs) and I went back to school fulltime to complete pre-reqs, well 2 months into the semester, I had a miscarriage and then 2 wks later, my husband got laid off from his job...so I took it as a sign that nursing wasn't for me....

Off and on, I tarried with nursing and hated the fact that I didn't try to get a job that would allow me to pursue my pre-reqs half-time. In 2007, I became pregnant again, and on 2/3/08, Superbowl Sunday, my daughter came into this world. Nursing popped back into my presence. The nurses were so gracious to me, one even said that she wanted to recruit me as an aspiring nurse! (I wish I could have gotten her name!). She told me that she pursued nursing when she was 40 yrs old, she was 46 now.

I've been in Houston, and I cannot find a job at all, not in Sales, not in Education, or in Nonprofit....It's almost like I'm taking this as a time to pursue nursing, now that I have the chance, but I just have to be more responsible and patient. I'm thinking about CNA first and then taking pre-reqs this fall to get into the ADN or BSN program next year. I'm 25 yo and my hubby is really nonchalant about it, but I'm going in faith.

[Absolutely13]

Welcome and I'm glad you are here. The CNA route is not necessary, but many find it useful getting acclimated to clinical settings.

I would recommend speaking with an advisor at your local community college or university. It's free and will give you a good picture of what you'd be getting into.

Good luck!

[CHATSDALE]

good advise above
every time a person steps into a new career it has its scary moments
the cna job would give you a realistic idea of what is involved in nusring and may open a door to a permanent job after graduation

[Silverdragon102]

Welcome and good luck

[SydNurse2b]

Hi

This is my very first post on this site and I am so thankful that I found this thread. I currently am a medical secretary but feel like I should be doing something else.

I have always been a caring person who likes helping other people. I have an Associates in Science and an IPS in medical secretary/processing. I do like my job and the people I work with but I have been told by several people in the hospital and the office that I should go into nursing.

Jai, I am also very scared.

For me it is to take that leap. Like my profile says...I am no spring chicken but I have heard that a lot of people go back to school later in life to become a nurse. With the economy the way it is I want to make sure that I will be able to find a job in my area without driving a great distance.

I hope to meet some people and get some great advice.

[ilovemypuppies]

Hello Jai - welcome to allnurses.com. I know any change can make you nervous, but everyone here is always so open and able to listen if you have had a bad shift and need to vent, or if you have questions. The moderators and members have been a wealth of information and sounding board for me, no matter what kind of problem or question I may have.

And please feel free to pm any time if you need to. Congrats on the baby, I bet she is beautifu! Good luck in school!

Anne, RNC

[Bayley]

Welcome and congratulations on your baby girl! I took the CNA route before applying to nursing school to get some first hand experience and to make sure nursing was the right decision for me. It's not an easy job, but I love it and am now very excited to begin nursing school this fall. If you feel that nursing is your calling then you should go for it whole-heartly and don't let anything stand in your way. I'm sure you would make a wonderful nurse. Good luck to you in whatever you decide!

[akemi27]

Hey

interesting thread - I came from a psych background as well - came short a couple credit hours of completing my bachelor's in psych b/c for 1) i was young and stupid; 2) wasn't interested in psych as much anymore...it wasn't for a brief exprience working in a hospital setting that brought me back to the idea of helping others...then in 04-05, my wife and I were blessed w/ our first child, and the daily warehouse grind was surely not going to be enough to provide for our new family, so took a chance and applied for a 2yr program and again, was blessed to be accepted and 2yrs later completed my ADN...It's one thing to hear ppl say you'd make a good nurse, but it's another to actually go out on the field and see if this is actually what you want to do...God opened many doors for us and got to where we are at this point in our lives, and for once I can look back at that time and have no regrets...Times are very hard for some nowadays, and I am always thankful, that our profession is of one that is actually still in demand...God bless and hopefully, you can presevere and get that RN degree!

[Tweety]

Best wishes in all that you do!