Midlife Career Change to Nursing - Advice, please

Nurses Career Support

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Hi all,

I'm a 42-year-old lawyer who's seriously considering making a career change to the nursing field. (I've been an unhappy lawyer, in several different law positions, for 18 years now...). I am looking for a career that allow flexibility in scheduling and geographic location (although I am by necessity in the NYC area now as I have two aging parents) as well as an active, on-my-feet kind of job that involves significant person-to-person contact, and nursing seems to fit that bill.

I'd still need to get my pre-reqs done (as all my science classes from college are too old to be considered, unfortunately) and then would go for an accelerated BSN degree.

What I'm suddenly concerned about is an article I've read as well as posts I've read here which all state that there truly is no nursing shortage and jobs are very hard to come by, especially for new nurses. Can anyone give me any advice about that?

Thanks so much

These kinds of posts will always get people battling on extremes. I think it's important to take in what the seasoned, veteran nurses have to say about the nursing climate and how it has changed (for better or worse), but at the same time, if someone is ready and willing to take the plunge after considering their personal situations, then by all means more power to them.

I'm also in the midst of a career change at 36. I've looked at various options of pursing a profession in healthcare, and nursing school just made the most sense to me in terms of how I want to spend my resources, both time and money-wise. It's not just Nursing Jobs that are tight; jobs in practically any field are hard to come by and very competitive. It's the nature of our economy these days. That said, U.S. medical care will see enormous changes in the coming years and I look at it as an exciting and dynamic place to be. As others have noted, there may be no shortage today, but there will most certainly be a need for more healthcare practitioners in the coming years. I think nursing offers the greatest flexibility and breadth/depth when it comes to creating a unique career path in healthcare.

Perhaps the posters who feel so strongly about preventing and chiding others from entering nursing should re-evaluate whether this is still the right and fulfilling profession for them? That would make way for more eager, energetic and fresh nurses to take on the roles that they've dreamed and worked so hard to achieve. Just a thought.

Btw, thanks canesdukegirl, ♪♫ in my ♥ and theantichick for keeping the dream alive. :)

Vroom Vroom,

You bring up an absolutely excellent point. We who are pursing nursing as a second career, are doing so because perhaps we didn't make the right decision the first time around. It is imperative that much, much research is done into the world of nursing, before pursing this career path. My wife and both of my sisters are RNs, so I have insight into the profession.

But at least those of us pursing nursing as a second career, have the guts to change careers in the first place. For those who complain about your current profession, do something about it....why would anyone want to continue to work in a field/industry they hate or are unhappy with. Now if they are simply just conveying some of the negative attributes that come along with being a nurse, that is a completely different story.

It would be intersting to hear from all those 2nd career nurses who can't stand being a nurse. You don't hear from them too often on this site.

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Done.

Specializes in SNF.

"Nursing's career track today looks roughly like this:

Languish on a college waiting list to be accepted, 1-2 years;

Toil away for 2-4 years in a brutal, competitive nursing program;

Pass NCLEX;

Begin job hunt;

After several months to a year maybe find a nursing home/HH agency that will hire new grads;

Put your time in the trenches passing meds, dealing with psychotic families and 40:1 ratios, and Medicare fraud, 1-2 years;

Maybe land a hospital job with a decent Magnet joint that hires BSNs;

Work a med surg floor 12 hour nights to start;

Be forced into OT because of the documentation demands, be chewed up and spit out by more experienced nurses and snotty managers, your back and feet get destroyed from the physical expectations, and be worked to death by management who have profit in mind over people, be treated like a glorified waitress, multiple UTIs from holding pee for hours, 2-4 years;

Burn out;

Make another career change, or go for a Masters to get into management or teaching

By then, you'll be what age?"

I could see myself in all those steps... :)

This thread made me cry, made me smile, filled me with dread, and filled me with hope.

I am 46 and just passed the NCLEX (in 75 questions, I might add). Yes, I'm nervous as hell about pursuing a career at this age; however, I feel that I'm in a better position than many who are half my age because I am already married, my kids are grown (no games to attend to), I'm willing to work weekends, nights, holidays (I'm very happy to switch shifts with someone younger who needs to attend to his/her children for whatever reason), and I'm willing to relocate if need be.

I have no experience and no job right now, so that is scary, but I'm also not going to be picky and I am open to exploring many areas of nursing.

Much less happy. I'm collecting unemployment and cringe at the thought of having to work as a nurse again.

Very well written, thank you! I did notice almost all 2nd career nurses did state they enjoyed what they do, and kudos to all those who chose to change their career, I know it isn't easy, I know it is possible. =)

I am a former public school science teacher. I would say that the profession of education is another career field that is glorified as being "easy" or an "anybody can do that" type of job. Crappy pay, students and parents that don't care, not worth it. I am currently in the process of trying to save money for nursing school. I would say go for the change! It's going to be one hell of a bumpy ride mentally, physically and financially, but so worth it at the end.

Oops! I wasn't finished typing. I've decided to become a LPN/LVN because I already have the required courses for a nursing program at a technical college. It's a quick way to get your feet wet. Most programs are just 11 months long. If I tried going for a BSN, it'd take me another 3 years or so. Quite frankly, I am really over being a CNA and ready to move on. This will also allow me to work full-time as a LPN while getting a RN license, just another 11 months for that. Lucky for me, our medical school here offers a MSN for those who have a current RN license and a Bachelor's degree in some other field. That's going to be my way around having to waste time obtaining a BSN.

Honestly if I was making a good, comfortable living as a lawyer then I wouldn't make the switch to nursing. I love nursing but I wouldn't be willing to sacrifice a stable job to start from square one again. You may find that you cannot find a job for a long time as a new nurse. Could you work as a lawyer through school and for about a year or two after graduation until you get a good , stable nursing job?

why not go further in law, like becoming a professor of law?

Hey,

Wait wait wait.... keep in mind you are getting advice from people that are ALREADY nurses. I am in a very similar situation as you are and what this post and it's responses tell me is that "grass is always greener over there". I am 41 years old and an engineer of 15 years. I want to switch to nursing and by God that is what I am going to do. The jobs? Seriously? These people act like nursing is the only field struggling with the job market. EVERY field since 2009 is struggling with the job market. Every. Single. One. Unless of course you are already a multi-millionaire... in which case you could choose to not work at all. Ok... some areas are better than others... right? So you have to move for that first nursing job. It is so easy for folks to say, "Man are you crazy? Lawyer switching to nursing? Stay where you are!" Yet they have no idea who you are or where you want to be today. All they know is where THEY are and to them I guess law looks better. But isn't this always the case? Looking at the other side and saying how "better" or "easier" it is over there? They envision lawyers running around in BMWs while they toil for a 12 hour shift in the ER. What they do not realize is that *you* might actually enjoy making less money in the ER. The issue is that you will not know until you try... period!

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