Should I become a nurse at 30?

[flyfish108]

I am a 30 year old man, married with three kids. They are 5,3, and 11 months. 2009 was the most difficult time of my entire life. In September, we had a son that was born 3 1/2 months premature (26 weeks). The entire situation was very rare and strange as far as why he was born early. My other little boy who was 2 at the time, he had a virus called "fifth disease". He had a cold, fever and a rash with the virus for about 1 week. We knew absolutely nothing about this virus at the time, our pediatrician stated to us that it is very common in kids and is not a big deal.. She then stated to my wife "since you are pregnant you need to get checked to see if you have been exposed to the virus" She stated that it could be harmful if passed to our baby in the womb, but there is less than a 1% chance this could happen. Long story short, the virus was passed to our baby, he became sick to the point where he developed 'hydrops" fluid around all of his vital organs. He was dying, and his organs were shutting down. The Perinatoligists stated that they must perform a in-utero blood transfusion to save his life. During the blood transfusion, the transfused packed red blood cells created a blood clot in the umbillical chord and stopped his heart. We were rushed down to the Labor/Delivery room where he was delivered in 2 1/2 minutes (new hospital record). They revived him, he survived and was in the NICU for 74 days weighing 2 lbs. 3 oz.

While in the NICU w/ my son my entire life was put into perspective, I realize now what is important in life. I knew NOTHING about the NICU and/or preemies. Within the stay at the NICU with our son I became deeply fascinated with all of his treatment, I knew everything. What they were treating him with, why,how, when etc. It is how I coped with the stress of our son in his condition.

He is home now and doing very well. It changed my life forever and inspired me to want to become a nurse and/or Anesthetist. I have concerns that I wanted to mention and hopefully receive advice from others.

[*]I am 30 w/ 3 kids will I be able to handle full time school?[*]I am currently unemployed, just laid off should I go to school full time at a Nursing trade school that is more accelerated?[*]Does that look bad on a resume with an employer to have nuring degree from trade school and not a university?[*]How much money can I expect to make my first year? (I was making $60,000 at my previous job, laid off)[*]Should I go for Associate or bachelors of nursing initially?[*]How much longer does it take to get my CRNA?[*]Should I be concerned being a male nurse?

My wife stays home with our children, I am the sole source of income for our family.. I am scrared to death that I will go to school, get a nursing job and not make enough money to support my family. I TRULY want to be a nurse, I am ready to go.. I just hope that I can get some insight from others that have had a similar situation to mine that could help me along my path.

thank you,

Dave

[Moogie]

If you can swing it financially, I'd say go for it. Do you have a previous bachelor's degree? And what schools are available in your area?

[flyfish108]

Moogie,

I do not have a previous bachelors degree. The college that I am considering at top of my list is Fortis college. It takes 2 years full time to obtain Associates degree RN. The main reason why is it starts at 6PM and goes till 10:50PM M-F. I could work part time for money to support my family. Im not sure how much full time school will take up of my free time to work??

Dave

[mwc1230]

What a story! So glad everything worked out!

I am 28 with an 18 month old and will start clinicals in january. I graduated in 2005 and worked for in state government until may when i decided to go back.

Good luck!!!!

[rn/writer, RN]

I'm so glad your son survived and is doing well.

As for going to school for nursing, you have a number of options. Your best bet at this point is to meet with admissions counselors from the schools in your area. Talk to people from ADN and BSN schools and see what each has to say.

In my neck of the woods, we have several really good community colleges (they aren't called trade schools anymore) that offer career counseling, aptitude testing and other assistance. See if there is anything comparable where you live.

As far as the kind of money you can hope to make, $60,000 a year is not an unreasonable expectation if you work full time in a hospital setting. You could make more with overtime and shift differentials. Critical care units (NICU is one of them) have the potential to offer specialty-based differentials, as well.

You may be able to jump in to taking any pre-reqs you need this fall if you hustle. That's a great way to use your lay-off time.

I wish you the best. Let us know what happens.

[Saysfaa]

i am 30 w/ 3 kids will i be able to handle full time school? your age is irrelevent. three kids can be relevent, in your case, with your spouse a full time parent, it will probably be more about how you handle school than if you can handle school - you may have to do the majority of your school work at the library instead of home. i was the stay at home parent in my family, my husband has been very hands on with the children but there were times when his job/schooling took most of his time. discussing what he was doing and why and the various alternatives was important to me. i agreed not seeing him much for a while was worth the eventual results.

i am currently unemployed, just laid off should i go to school full time at a nursing trade school that is more accelerated? does that look bad on a resume with an employer to have nuring degree from trade school and not a university? what do you mean by "trade school?" and by "more accelerated?" community colleges, in general, are as reputable as four year universities as far as nursing is concerned, often they have better reputations in their communities. for profit schools offering quick certifications/degrees often have very bad reputations... not so much from employers as from people who attempt to earn nursing degree from there. if that is what you mean by "trade school" research it very, very thoroughly. check with local school about whether they will accept credits earned there.

how much money can i expect to make my first year? i don't know. it depends on where you are, how many hours you work, which hours you work.... .

should i go for associate or bachelors of nursing initially? personally, i"m going for an associate. it is 1/4 to 1/3 as much per credit hour at a school with an excellent reputation in my community. even if i immediately do a bridge program to bsn, it will not take me longer than doing a bsn initially. your milage may vary. it would be best if you just worked out various scenarios on paper (or an excel spreadsheet) and compared them.

how much longer does it take to get my crna? these programs almost always require at least a few years of working as an rn before one can apply.

should i be concerned being a male nurse? no. allnurses has a male forum here in the student section.

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

By trade school, do you mean one of those schools that advertise on TV like Everest and Sanford-Brown? I am not too verse on their programs, but I do know they can be pricey. I think they are only good to prepare one for medical assisting, patient care tech and CNA jobs but I personally would not count on them for an RN education.

If you want to be a nurse and $$ is a concern, your best bet is to look into the public colleges and universities FIRST and then private colleges and universities. Make sure your intended program is approved by your state's Board of Nursing (since that is what determines if you can sit for the nursing licensing exam after graduation) ... additionally, you will want to attend an RN program that is NLN or CCNE accredited (important since you mentioned that you want to be a CRNA and the grad school you choose will most likely want ADN and/or BSN degrees from an accredited school).

Your goal of becoming a CRNA will take some time, as someone stated you will need at least a couple of years of critical care nursing experience before you start the program. Have you considered NICU? That is what I am looking to do, and based on your experience with your son you might find it very fulfilling to give back in that way. NICU is a growing specialty area for men, you would be most welcome. I believe you won't have to worry about making a decent income as an RN to support your family ... and as far as ADN vs. BSN, it depends on how the hiring trends are in your part of the nation. Most places are preferring BSN prepared nurses but since you don't have a prior bachelor's it looks as if the ADN is the fastest route for you to an RN right now. Don't be hindered by that fact, do what you think will get to your goal the fastest. Perhaps you might even consider LPN/LVN before RN, just to get your foot in the door and working. Do your research first to see what is best for you!

As for your AGE? Seriously, don't give it a second thought ... I am 41 and looking to start nursing school in 2011. Your goals are only limited by your mind. Good luck, my friend, you are clearly on the right track!

[Saysfaa]

bump to get this next to an answer to it

[rayne215]

How are you with your sciences and math? what is your educational background? I agree being 30 means nothing. but you have valid concerns with you supporting your wife and kids. You can work but it will be hard ( you need time to study) But if you are starting from sratch , you will need your general ed and sciences classes (Chemistry, Anatomy and Ph 1 and 2, MicroBiology, Psy , Lifespan psy, sociology, Eng 101, College math, Nutrition) you need those before you can start most programs. that can take a year or so depends on how many credits you take, then your nursing classes and clinicals are another 2 yrs (depends again)It will be hard but doable (im 29 single parent of 6 yo and doing it)

Good Luck