Mid-Life Career Change to Nursing

Nurses Career Support

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Hello,

I'm a 32 year old male and I work in digital advertising in Silicon Valley. I've achieved success in my career, however; I don't find my career to be gratifying. I'd like to make a switch to nursing because I want to help people and I want the flexibility of geographic placement. (working in digital advertising, it's difficult to leave silicon valley).

My question is what level of education is needed considering I've already acquired an MBA? Do I have to start from scratch and pursue a bachelors degree? I believe I've read that some schools offer accelerated programs but every time I search for information, I'm covered in results from 'for-profit' universities.

Longer term, I'd like to pursue a nurse practitioner role but I understand that I should probably start as an RN. I'm looking into some volunteer opportunities so that I can begin to get exposed to the industry. Any feedback or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Specializes in NICU, Trauma, Oncology.

Some state schools have accelerated BSN programs. I am a career changer as well, though I've worked in medical research. I have a BA in chemistry and Masters in public health. I am going to a traditional BSN program. I chose trad vs accelerated Bc I am married with a toddler and want to maintain some semblance of sanity while in the program. Avoid for profit programs like the plague. Start looking at options in your area for absn or trad BSN. Find out which prereqs you will need (most likely AP, micro, stats)

Specializes in NICU, Trauma, Oncology.

There are a few direct entry msn programs but I've read here that it can be difficult to be hired after completing one of those programs.

Start as an LPN then take the mobility program LPN to RN if you wanna pursue it further. I'm taking the LPN program that's accelerated (only 15 months) Try looking for smaller schools in your area like the ones that have commercials cuz they have to accelerated programs. It's all the same accreditation but you don't have to waste your time on all those pre reqs!

Specializes in School Nursing.

Hi there. UT has an accelerated BSN program, if you're willing to move to Texas. You will still have to get your nursing specific prereqs in, such as A&P 1 & 2, Microbiology, Nutrition and Lifespan Psych. Your statistics and chem classes from your previous MBA/BS will likely transfer without issues. Good luck to you!

Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Here you go - What is Nursing?. Information from the most objective source. ANA doesn't have any partnerships with schools. This is a nice overview.

It's not uncommon at all for people with advanced degrees to get a bee in their bonnet and decide to move into nursing. Other than the credits that transfer, previous degrees don't really provide an advantage when it comes to acceptance to a nursing program. They're all highly competitive, so your GPA is crucial. Also, keep in mind that prerequisites have a 'shelf life' of ~ 5 years. So you may have to repeat some of them if too much time has elapsed.

There are 'accelerated' programs all over the place. In general, program costs have absolutely no real correlation to the quality of the program but you can be sure that the least expensive, most highly regarded programs are uber-competitive.

Hi @Mike1982,

I am currently halfway through my traditionally-paced BSN program at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, LA. I am originally from San Francisco and spent 4.5 years working in Silicon Valley as well before making the switch to healthcare. I moved this direction for some of the same reasons you are.... I wasn't getting a lot in return from my job, selling media in the midst of an economic slump was extremely difficult and set us up for layoffs almost every quarter....and to top it off, I knew the things I didn't like about that line of work would be the same no matter what company I landed at.

My journey getting into nursing has been a long one and i'm going to warn you, I had a really tough time doing it in the Bay Area (hence why i'm in New Orleans, where I obtained my first Bachelor's in Communications). The schools I looked at (Samuel Merritt, USF, City college, Domincian, SF State) were either astronomically expensive, competitive, or operated on a lottery system for admissions. I did have to do college all over again, from chemistry all the way back up to Microbiology, A&P (I even had to sit through a math class, which I never took in college since my SAT scores were high enough). I was able to knock out a few of the classes online through Barstow CC and Santa Barbara City college, but when push came to shove, I couldn't get any of the night classes I needed at City College for the lab requirements. So, I quit my job and moved elsewhere. Nursing school has been an investment in myself and a long road, but at this point in the game, I have zero regrets about this decision. I would hone in on the schools you're interested in and see what the requirements are (every school is different). See if you can start knocking out some classes online through the local California community colleges and i would highly recommend getting a volunteer job at a local hospital to make sure this is what you really want to do. It made all the difference for me! Even when this whole process seemed so overwhelming, giving back to others every Monday night at a local emergency room kept me focused and helped contrast that environment with the one I worked in every day. Best of luck, and feel free to private message me if you have any questions; I'm happy to help!

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
I'm a 32 year old male
This might be slightly off-topic, but I wouldn't refer to age 32 as "mid-life" unless you intend to reach the "end of life" in your early to mid-60s. While no longer a spring chicken, early 30s is still fairly young to make a career move.

To be fair, it's halfway to retirement! ;)

Specializes in Psychiatric Nursing.

I had a BA in Psych and went back to get BSN. Many credits transferred. Every college has different prerequisites. Sciences only good for 5 years. A lot of science courses needed. A lot of memorizing. Labs. There used to be exams you could take to test out of some classes. Maybe look at curriculums at different schools. Nursing is a great profession. Best wishes.

Specializes in PACU, presurgical testing.

I had bachelor's and master's degrees in non-nursing fields, and I opted to go with a direct entry masters in nursing. It took me 2 calendar years, but now it has been shortened to 5 semesters, taking the NCLEX near the end. I had to take A&P I and II, microbiology, and statistics as prerequisites for applying; these would normally be included in a traditional BSN course, so you could say it took me a little longer than the 2 years.

I am so glad I went this route rather than an associates degree; many hospitals near me are hiring only BSNs or MSNs, and friends who have their ASNs are having to finish their BSN, even if they have a degree in another field. Yes, sometimes the hospital will pay for your RN-to-BSN, but it's more time out of your life, so if you can afford to go for a higher degree (either a 2nd degree BSN or a direct entry masters), I'd recommend that.

As for DEMNs having a hard time getting jobs, the VAST majority of my cohort had jobs by the end of the program, and several of them are now (2 years out) starting NP programs, CRNA school, etc.

My other advice is to go shadow nurses in various departments before you make your final decision. Nursing is just one way to help people, and sometimes the reality of the job can be a shock for people coming from very different fields (I was in IT before I went back but had a lot of volunteer and non-clinical hospital experience--still found a lot of surprises!).

Good luck to you!

Mike,

I agree with the above poster's last paragraph. I went to school at 49, completed in two years, graduated with honors. Had a great career over the last 25 years with lots of management and field experience. And then reality set in. It counts for nothing, really. School taught me how to write papers, sort of, which doesn't apply to real world nursing. Our clinicals were mostly CNA duties and not real world nursing responsibilities. No disrespect to CNA's at all - we certainly could not do our jobs without you - but that isn't what I paid all that money to do during clinicals. Now I'm being told I'm lucky to get 12 weeks of preceptorship instead of 8 to prepare me for the 6-7 med surge patients I'll have. I can tell you, you better make sure you really want to do this because 7 med surge patients is overwhelming when you are new. I'm not convinced it's safe, but "you'll just have to get used to it". HA! You may enjoy volunteer work more than nursing unless you find a place that really gives you time to care for your patients instead of just pass meds as fast as you can and chart after your shift is over. I'm sure it will improve as my skills improve, but when you see long time nurses abandoning the floor due to the demands of management, its kinda hard to believe them when they say its all because you're new and you'll eventually get used to it. We'll see what it looks like after the shock and fog of being new clears...

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