You all are awesome and I read your posts in wonder and admiration. I have a specific question now (generally I lurk in the wings and just read!)
I am 48 yr old RN, BSN with roughly 10 years worth of nursing experience and only 3 of that in direct patient care and that was home hospice. None in the hospital, nada, zip, nothing but hospital rotations in nursing school. After graduation I wanted to work in NICU but I lived in a rural mountain area with 1 to 1 and 1/2 hour drive to the nearest Level III nursery, in good weather. It didn't seem feasible so I worked at hospice and loved it.
Following hubby and his job around, I now work in sunny South Texas and have a administrative research job that pays well and again, I never see patients. I supervise other nurses, do lots of paperwork and manage data. (are you asleep yet?). I am near the end of this project and have to decide what to do now. My current boss wants me to pick up another research project which would be more of the same at an even better salary. But I deeply miss providing direct patient care and have been planning for the past 6 months to try to get a job with NICU.
I joined NANN, bought and read the Merenstein Handbook on Neonatal care, been brushing up on my dosage calculations and have been reading everything I can get my hands on about caring for your babies. Deep down inside I believe that service to another is the most important job ever.
I had an interview today with a recruiter and I have a second interview tomorrow and I think I have a really good chance of being offered a job in NICU!!!
So what's the problem, you say? I am terrified! Now that I have passed the first hurdle and may reach my goal I am suddenly afraid. What if I can't do this? Am I too old? I feel 38 instead of 48 (ain't denial great? ) but the reality is that I am not 38 any more. Am I nuts to leave my flexible, (boring) well paying job where I always have time for lunch? I recently have told a few hospital nurses (not NICU) that I wanted to go back to direct nursing and they looked at me like I had grown a third head and told me frankly that I am delusional.
Kristi2377 has been a source of hope and inspiration for me as I read her posts where she was overwhelmed and scared and she made it!
Any advice or perhaps testimonials from anyone else who made such a leap in the dark? Thanks!
