Career Change from Finance to Nursing

[whatsmyname]

Hi all,

I recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and now work in an investment bank. Dissatisfied with the work that I currently do, I am deciding to pursue a career in nursing, primarily because of the meaningfulness of the work I could potentially do by helping others and making an actual difference.

My problem is that I'm not sure where to start. I live in NYC and of course, money is an issue. I'm looking into applying for an Accelerated Nursing Program, but many of them require a list of prereqs to be completed. I studied business in college, therefore I don't have many of the science/psychology courses that are required by all nursing programs. Below are a list of courses I still need to complete:

Anatomy & Physiology 1 with Lab (4 credits)

Anatomy & Physiology 2 with lab (4 credits)

Microbiology with lab (4 credits)

Sociology/Anthropology (6 credits)

Psychology (6 credits)

From what it seems like, this will take approximately 1 year (2 semesters) to complete these prerequisites. I really want to get started in an Accelerated Program as soon as possible (I just graduated from college and am not getting any younger and need a steady income to support my family and to pay off prior college loans).

Any advice on how I should approach this and how I should go about completing the prerequisites (take individual online classes from different schools, enroll full time in a community college, any other suggestions?)?

Also -- what schools should I consider in NYC for the Accelerated Program?

Thanks

[nyteshade, BSN]

I don't mean to discourage you, but I recommend that you are fully aware of what you may be coming in to. Do a search on the this site regarding: management, patient satisfaction, disrespect, abuse and HCAHPS.

[angel337, MSN, RN]

I agree with the above post. Every career has its pros and cons. What is it that you don't like about your current job? Have you always wanted to be a nurse? And please research the nursing career before you apply to schools. Are you ready for the shift work of nursing? the weekends, holidays and possibly night shifts? Not trying to discourage you, but these are things that some people don't think about until one semester before they graduate:) Good luck in whatever you decide.

[umbdude, MSN, APRN]

You can take individual pre-reqs at community colleges as a "non-degree" student and take 1 or 2 courses each semester. It really depends on your schedule. A&P and Micro are pretty time-consuming so it's hard to take those together if you're working. For A&P and Micro, it's probably best to take in person because of the lab component. Other courses can be done online...most community colleges offer online these days. However, look up the schools you want to apply to first. Some schools don't like or accept online courses.

For NYC schools, I would recommend looking up nursing accreditation websites (CCNE and NLNAC) where you can search for accredited programs by state, and also Board of Nursing. I think most state schools offer some sort of nursing degree, and both Columbia and NYU offer accelerated program.

[smatrang001]

Sounds like me. Finance major went Nursing. It sucks because the core requirement for Finance are all unhelpful when trying to go into nursing. I literally had to start all over again from the bottom with those same classes you mentioned. However, don't be discouraged. I'm in my first year of nursing and I'm happy I just went for it. It definitely is different from the world of Business, SO much harder and it forces you to think and study differently because it isn't as black and white as finance. Good luck! Follow your dreams!

[dkmamato3]

I have my previous degree in accounting and am pursuing nursing. With accounting, I had not applicable classes for pursuing nursing (ok I did have one general bio class but that was soooo long ago!), so I had to do a few extra classes in addition - including math since mine was more than 5 years old. Anyway, I will be done with my pre-reqs next spring and am applying for start next summer/fall. It is a big change of pace but ever so exciting.

I would look at the specific requirements for each of the schools where you want to apply - they can vary greatly. The sociology and psychology classes you can probably complete online whereas the A&P and micro you will likely need to complete in an on-campus setting to do the lab component. I would not recommend A&P and micro at the same time - they are both very time consuming.

No advice on NY ... just wanted to wish you good luck ?

[FSUNurse2b]

Hey, how are you coming along? Did you go for it? I was in the same boat about a year ago. MBA grad in finance, work as an investment banker. I never did pursue my pre-reqs a year ago. Here I am, one year later, and it's go time! I've consulted my wife and sisters, who are all RNs. They say a career in nursing can in fact be demanding, but which job isn't. One question you have to ask yourself is, can you "indentify" yourself with what you do? We can all pretend to like our jobs, but if you feel a certain way, you cannot ignore those feelings. It took me about one year after deciding not to pursue nursing to realize this. I do have a cush cush job, but along with that comes the ever nagging of management to bring in new business!!! All day, everyday. Besides, the corporate world is very shallow and cut-throat. My sister who has been a bedside nurse now for almost 8 years, has very little complaints about what she does. She loves taking care of people. At the end of the day, that is worth more than any corporate world job is going to pay you.

[dt70]

\ said:

Besides the corporate world is very shallow and cut-throat

So true! Took huge pay-cut switching to federal sector. Worth it.

Still unsatisfying.

looking forward to begin nursing career.

Moving to new area. Have to wait one, maybe two years depending on instate residency and application deadlines.

[ebinbrooklyn]

Just found this thread--you sound like me six years ago! I'm making the switch to nursing next month (eek!)--was just accepted in an accelerated BSN program. I had to take my prerequisites one at a time because my finance job was so high stress, usually 50-60 hours a week. I'm not going to lie - it was rough and extremely hard to keep decent grades. Since you're in NYC, there's lots of CUNY schools that offer weekend classes, so if you decided to go that route I'd strongly consider looking into that (I did mine at Hunter, which was very difficult because they don't offer much scheduling for non-traditional students). Also, volunteering is a MUST! I put in four years of volunteering and I'm pretty sure it's the main reason I got in. You build relationships with staff (make sure you take a position that has patient contact, not administrative) and it will help immensely for letters of recommendation, networking, etc....

Now that I'm nearing the end of my 11 year long finance career, I wonder if I'll ever be able to leverage anything I did into my new life. Hope it wasn't all for waste. If nothing else it prepared me for long hours and high stress situations.

As for schools, there are a number of schools in NYC that offer ABSN programs with wildly different price points--make sure you apply to more than one because they are very competitive--look in the NY Nursing Programs thread for more details.

[specultr]

That's a tough schedule. A&P was very hard for me. It takes a lot of study. I think you'll do really great. You sound very smart and determined.

[Finance2Nursing]

Hi there -- I know this post is old, but I wanted to check in and see how your transition from finance to nursing went. I too, am in a similar boat and it would be nice to hear how your journey is coming along and if you found what you were looking for in nursing.

[foreverprenursing]

Hi, Im in the opposite boat. Im considering switching over to finance from nursing. I just started my nursing program and I don't really know if it is worth or right for me.