About to enroll in RN program, am I nuts?

[KyleBa]

I am 30 years old, have a BA in public relations. My work background is in auto insurance. I wanted to go back to school three years ago (RN) but I wasn't financially stable enough to do it. I am about to relocate to Florida (Tampa) and am strongly considering it now that A) I can afford tuition and B) I am about to move back to FL. I have been trying to change companies within the insurance industry for relocation purposes, but am getting a strong sense that maybe now is the time to pull the trigger on this whole RN dream of mine.

I have rent-free housing down there, I would need income to support typical monthly expenses (car insurance, food, cell phone, etc). My plan is to enroll in a two year program at St Pete College, and either work part time and go to school during the day, or work full time and go to school at night. Ive spent the better part of today scouring nursing message boards, and here are the quesitons I wasn't able to answer for myself:

1.) am I crazy? Is this the wrong way to go about this? should I look at other RN programs besides SPC?

2.) Is it beneficial at all to work in a medical environment while at school (clerical work, etc) ??

3.) How high of a salary I could expect to see starting out?

4.) Will I have to start at a smaller place and work my way up to say, Mease hospital?

thanks in advance for any assistance. I was going to post this in the "Florida Nurses" section, but that forum doesn't look nearly as active as this one.

Kyle B

[TazziRN, RN]

I don't think any forum is as active as this one!!

First, are you crazy. I think anyone who wants to be a nurse is crazy, but that's why we do it! We're crazy enough to love what we do.

Salary: it will depend on where you work: state, hospital, union or not, etc.

Work: being in a medical area will help you with your comprehension, and if you apply at the same place you've been working then you have a foot in the door.

It doesn't matter if you start at a smaller or larger facility.

[athena55, BSN, RN]

:welcome: hello kyle b:

nah, i don't think you are nuts for attempting to reach for a goal or a dream you have had.

i don't know much about florida - yet (i am in the process of buying a home in the daytona beach area) and i have studied, and worked my whole life in nyc.

not sure about the salary you should expect once you are a graduate nurse.

not sure what type of student you are, whether you will make your scholarly deadlines or wait til the last minute (smile).

maybe you can seek out other students who are attending the same university/college you are hoping to enter and get their "take" on the number of credits one must take and if study and work can go hand in hand. of course, you seem to imply that you will have to go to school and work, in order to eat, pay bills etc. maybe you could score a part time job within the hospital system? maybe work at the college book store...

does the hospital you want to eventually work at offer internships (for the future).

can you obtain some type of loan or scholarship to help you make ends meet while you are in the nursing program?

check out this website, maybe you can get another sense of the different nursing programs that are out there in florida: www.petersons.com

good luck to you. i am glad that now seems to be your time to study the science of nursing.

athena