At the crossroads

Mexarican · Jul 11, 2007

I personally wouldn't transition until you absolutely have (start nursing school). If you can take pre-reqs while working at you current job then do so. Thats how i did it. i took all my pre-reqs (two years, i wam going for my BSN) while working fulltime and now i've been accepted to nursing school (another two years) and i've finally left my job and currently looking for a part-time job at a hospital.

Mex

RN_Pursuit2b · Jul 11, 2007

Thank you for sharing your situation, Mex. Ugh...wish I could just not work for a while. Congratulations on being accepted into nursing school!

Wren · Jul 11, 2007

RN Pursuit...there is no "right" answer and I'd never encourage anyone to take a pay cut....but, there is definitely value in working in a health care environment. You will learn things and have a better foundation than some other students. You won't be doing the same work as a nurse of course but it helps to work with them to see what you like (and don't like) about nursing. It DOES take a long time to get that degree but it is so worth it. :) Good luck with whatever you choose. :nurse:

RN_Pursuit2b · Jul 11, 2007

Wren, that definitely makes sense. That was my gut feeling, but I don't know much about hospitals and I'm giving up a 7-year cushy job. I did volunteer in the emergency department, but I wasn't able to be there a lot and working there, I'd be there a lot. Thank you for your kind advice....see....that's one thing I like about nursing...they're without a doubt the sweetest people I've ever met.

LMRN10 · Jul 11, 2007

I've been wondering the same thing...I work in a different environment than what I want and was thinking I may pursue a position at a hospital, but not sure if I can take the paycut. Part-time would be awesome...hoping I can eventually do that if my husbands business begins doing better. We shall see!

WDWpixieRN, RN · Jul 12, 2007

I continued my IT job while pursuing my prereqs. I hated the job, but needed to continue to make as much $$$ as possible. That took me about 2 years part-time evenings.

I started NS and completed 2 semesters successfully without any healthcare background and lots of fears about working with human beings and their bodies!! I did well in class but found clinicals a lot more stressful!!

I was fortunate enough to get an internship this summer in a hospital and it has made a world of difference in my comfort level and knowledge. I will be staying on as a tech prn. Since you at least have exposure to the hospital environment, you are light-years ahead of me.

I would suggest keeping your job for as long as takes to help you feel financially comfortable so that a pay cut won't hurt. Start talking to area hospitals; I know I had trouble getting responses to my online applications before I started school. You might try calling the nurse recruiters where you are interested in applying; they seem to be the folks who are most interested in nursing students. They can let you know when you should start their application process and what your options are. They are usually VERY helpful and willing to help.

As for whether it's helpful having lots of this experience before starting school, I've heard a couple of different takes on this subject -- several of the CNAs/techs at our school felt a bit singled out, particularly during checkouts -- like they were expected to be perfect and if they weren't, got dinged for it. They also felt they had picked up bad habits from their jobs, and had to do some relearning about the "nursing school" way of doing things. On the other hand, they again have a lot of increased comfort in the hospital environment and have a host of knowledge it will take those others of us quite some time to adapt to. One in particular has been acing tests and doing very well in school. Several of them don't seem to have anything academically over the rest of us and at least 2 have struggled to pass each semester.

Don't know that I'm any help, lol, but I wish you the best!!

RN_Pursuit2b · Jul 12, 2007

wdwpixie, thank you, you've given me a lot to think about. Seems I should get in there and start getting acclimated, keeping in touch with the nursing program's way of doing things, if I can. The golden nugget you gave me is to get in touch with the recruiter. My heartfelt congratulations on your graduation!!:mortarboard::yelclap::smiley_aa

RN_Pursuit2b · Jul 12, 2007

Imm1019, I wish you the best; thanks for sharing...we'll get there somehow!

WDWpixieRN, RN · Jul 12, 2007

My heartfelt congratulations on your graduation!!

Oh, gee, thanks...but that won't happen until next May, lol!! I've got 2 more semesters to go starting on August 20th to get that ADN!!

It's been a long road, but I'm hoping it will be worth it. There are plenty of folks who are going through nursing school with little to no health care experience behind them. Keep your current job as long as you can if you need it financially; there will be plenty of opportunities to get a job in a hospital once you have to quit to start school full-time. Adjust your standards of living as much as possible now so the financial impact won't be as great. Nursing school has its own set of stressors and wherever you can eliminate them beforehand will help a lot. Once you get some information from recruiters, you'll have a better idea what you're dealing with financially and hopefully be able to make the move to a new job more quickly than I was when the time comes.

Maybe head over to the Nevada state threads and see what kind of info you can glean about local hospitals. My first semester clinicals were spent in a hospital where the staff just seemed miserable and they appeared to have no use for students. Last semester the hospital where we were was staffed with folks who were 100% different; that's where I applied for my internship and am currently tech'ing. World of difference from a student perspective. Check out what's happening in your neck of the woods!!

Gosh, I'm jealous; I've been dying for a visit to your neck of the woods. Doesn't look good for this summer, however.

I wish you the best!!

RN_Pursuit2b · Jul 12, 2007

wdwpixie, I'm sorry, I guess I should read the actual grad year...you have accomplished a lot, though, I have all of that to look forward to! :uhoh21: I live 500 miles North of Las Vegas, next to the Sierra Mountains and Lake Tahoe. Was it Vegas or the Reno area you wanted to come to? It's likely to snow anytime between October and April up here. If you like to ski, you're all set for Winter! Well, hmmm... I guess my other option is to stay at my current job and do some volunteering or occasional CNA work. The only thing is it would be nice to have the benefits so my husband isn't stuck at the job he hates. My other option is to maybe work part time in both places; I'd still get benefits at the hospital. I'll have to weigh all that out. Thank you again for your valuable insight!

WDWpixieRN, RN · Jul 12, 2007

I'm hankering for a Vegas trip.....I'm originally a southern CA girl; have been here 14 years now. We honeymooned in Tahoe almost 30 years ago. Had a great meal at the top of the ski lift and visited the home of the Cartwrights, lol!! Is that still there?!?!

Just take it all one step at a time....it's a big step making a career change, but if it's your dream, you'll be much happier in the end -- and have many more options to call your own shots in this industry. It hasn't been easy here either....didn't have the complete financial and emotional backing of my husband, but I made the leap when the time was right and it's working out fine. Fate has a funny way of letting you know when things are right...if you're paying attention!