Before I enter Nursing School....

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Hi everyone! I am a thirty-something mom of two small kids who quit college way back in 2001 and has regretted it every day since!

Once I get the kids raised up and into school, I know I want to BE something (I spent the last 15 years running the family business which closed when Dad retired) The Recession hit the industry I was in very hard and whatever my next step is, I want it to be something that I can find employment with. I am not 100% sold on nursing but it seems the medical field is in high demand and I've always been interested in anything medical. I like the idea of problem solving or fixing things (or people) but I am not the kind of nurturing personality that I would think the ideal nurse would have.

I've noticed that every nursing program is filled to the brim and hard to get into. It makes me wonder: In 15 or 20 years will the country have an overabundance of nurses? My husband is concerned about that since everyone he knows has a wife in nursing school.

I'd just love to get some advice from the pros on if this is going to be a good solid career in the future that is worth the wait list for RN programs or if any of you wish you would have chosen a different path? Are there any related medical fields that I should be looking into? Do nursing schools take into account a students age when choosing? Am I being silly to try to be a nurse at this age?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

No, you're not being silly to try a new profession at the ancient age of thirty-something. However, you may have some gaps in your understanding of the nursing profession. The over abundance of nurses is not going to happen - it already has. In most areas of the country, the market is over-saturated with unemployed new grads and seasoned nurses.

Take some time to read some threads here. It will help you come to a good understanding of the current and potential future of the nursing profession.

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ooooooh. Interesting. Good to know and thank you. Seems like all I've ever heard is there is a "nurse shortage"!

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If you're scared of the overabundance of nurses, be open to moving and taking jobs that you may not necessarily want.

I find that nurses who have a hard time finding work fresh out of school live in highly populated metro areas with a ton of nursing schools (NY, CA), are hell bent on having the job that they want and nothing less, or have a living situation in which they can't move and find a job in a part of the country where the job competition may be less daunting.

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You could try and become a CNA and try that for a bit to see if nursing type work is for you. With CNA, you will be required to do very basic things, but you can see how those of us that are licensed do things. Then you can make your decision then. Minimal cost, and if you don't like it, you can do something else. If you do, you can move on to a LPN or RN program.

Good luck to you!

Jonathan, RN

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You could try and become a CNA and try that for a bit to see if nursing type work is for you. With CNA, you will be required to do very basic things, but you can see how those of us that are licensed do things. Then you can make your decision then. Minimal cost, and if you don't like it, you can do something else. If you do, you can move on to a LPN or RN program.

Good luck to you!

Jonathan, RN

Thanks!

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Specializes in Anesthesia, ICU, PCU.

You should look into sonography (ultrasound). It will probably cost you less than nursing, does have Bachelor degree programs, and has comparable starting pay and expected job growth as nursing (according to the BLS). You will be able to work a more normal schedule (usually no weekends, holidays, or nights) and it is all around less stressful. This may all suit your family life better. Nurses work nights (especially new nurses), weekends, holidays, and are often required to relocate or travel great distances to their place of employment. At least in today's job market.

One con is that there aren't many opportunities for changing "specialties," so either you're certified as a diagnostic medical sonographer (DMS) or a cardiovascular sonographer (you perform somewhat complicated ultrasounds called echocardiograms). Another con is that your starting pay is around where you'll stay, aside from your typical yearly raises. So unless you plan on being a CRNA or CNO within the nursing profession, this con exists for both professions.

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Specializes in ICU.

It depends on where you and what you really want out of life. You need a realistic expectation of what nursing is. A nurse does not make a medical diagnosis. So it's not really looking at the problem and saying oh, this is what's wrong, we need this medication to fix it. You do an assessment of the patient and see what the patient needs in terms of care. You have nursing diagnosis and you go from there. You see what the patient needs and how they are responding to what is wrong with them. Maybe they need help with mobility or wound care. There just is a ton of stuff, but it is not like what a doctor does. A doctor treats the disease or condition. The nurse treats the patient. I would do some research on what a nurse does before jumping in to it.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Totally agree with TU RN. Diagnostic technologists are in high demand in my area of the country, particularly those that have sub-specialization such as cardiac sonography.

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