Need advice on changing careers please help me.

brturner,

I totally understand your search for more meaning in your life... but also want to caution you against making a change that could undermine economic security of your family. Nursing salaries will not compare to your current income. The stress on your family would undoubtedly offset any sense of personal satisfaction you may feel. There are many clinical careers that provide higher incomes than nursing but if you want to move into an area with the same earning power you now have, it will require a significant amount of time and money for the education required.

Here's a thought - for now, why not just make a 'left turn' that would take advantage of your current experience/expertise and apply it more directly on the to the health care industry? Those of us in the clinical arena need people with your skills and talents to develop & support the infrastructure that makes patient care possible. I would encourage you to take a look at Biomedical informatics. I know of several physicians and advance practice nurses who have made a career switch to Informatics - they are finding it much more rewarding than their previous jobs.

Take a look at this website http://www.amia.org/. There are a number of really great BMI programs out there -- I happen to know because my oldest child has a Masters in BMI and has had opportunities to work on some research projects to improve patient-safety . Since you are already sort of involved in healthcare, it would seem to be a natural progression for you. With your background, and formal Informatics education or certification, you would be very attractive to potential employers.

You could work with medical researchers or more directly with software systems to support health care services. There will be an increasing demand as Federal stimulus money is pumped into Health IT. We desperately need better infrastructure such as nurse-centered electronic charting (can I hear an "AMEN" ?) that actually helps bedside nurses to manage the enormous amount of information that has to be processed on a continuous basis. As a nurse, you would help one patient at a time -- in informatics, you could have a positive impact on the care of a huge number of patients.

Just a thought.

You should really look into moving into Informatics. I know that there are online programs available. Good luck!

Wow, by the standards of most people this is definitely great money.

Rbezemek is absolutlely right. Informatics is a field I have been hearing about alot lately and the adds I am seeing are offering salaries comparable to what you are making now. If you got your associate degree RN and worked for a year or 2, you would be a perfect candidate for this type of job. The companies want RNs with a backround in computers. You could go to NS part time and still keep your job. It would be tough but it has been done. Good luck to you. Congrats to you and your wife on the new baby!

I don't think that the job you do to earn a living has to always be the thing that gives you the most satisfaction. I think sometimes in our culture we are too career focused and put too much of our idenity into what we 'do' which becomes then the definition of who we are. In actuality, you are more than a cube dweller writing code already- you are a father, a husband, a son, a friend etc. You are doing something "important" already. Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.

There are plenty of ways to connect with others and make a difference other than through a career path. Honestly, after many years of working as a NICU nurse, I don't know that my 'job' has really been that important. It has actually been my volunteer work outside of nursing that has made the difference in my life and the lives of others.

So my suggestion is rather than rewriting your entire career path, maybe look at other ways to find fulfillment. There are so many organizations that need volunteers and leaders that give as much satisfaction as being a healthcare provider/nurse/etc. If by 'important' you mean fame and fortune, if you create a nursing charting system that really works for NICU, you could name it after yourself and be forever remembered!