Career change....Best & Worst?

7felix · Jul 18, 2008

The worse thing is shiftwork and having to work holidays, although I work/live in Canada where self scheudling is not common. I believe there many different scheudling options in the States, so you might be ble to avoid working holiday night etc.

felixfelix · Jul 19, 2008

I can only speak to the worst...since I can't find a nursing job to save my life and I had a much easier time of it in my former career. Good luck to y'all. I hope there is a nursing shortage in your area instead of a new grad glut like in mine.

rancelumsden · Jul 22, 2008

For what it's worth.....

I started life as a caseworker, then switched careers at age 30 to computer programmer. I was unemployed at age 51.

I became a CNA at age 52. Last time I looked, older, male CNA's with multiple college degrees were scarce. And, I had worked 'white collar' jobs for 30 years.

I was afraid that I would not be accepted. I worked in an ambulatory clinic for a year, LTC for a year, and 3 years in hospital (med-surg/oncology). Hospital was best.

Once I got over my whole thing of 'how did I get here' (and hospital training) I found that I was fully accepted by everyone. I worked hard, always on time, never called in sick, and had excellent rapport with the nurses. Things really worked out well. There were only a handful of male RN's, and I worked with some of them on some other floors, and they were all respected and as important, liked.

That's a long-winded way of saying that if you were willing to work, and showed you were responsible, there was no bias or discrimination shown. No one cared about my age as I could physically do the work (I stay in shape).

You run into the occasional female patient that doesn't want a male CNA to bathe or toilet them, but that is a cultural issue rather than discrimination. It works the other way too.

I'm sure there are other RN's who have similar backgrounds as I and can give you further, positive, testimonials.

I had to get over my own feelings of working in a primarily younger, female environment. But the problem was mine, not with the great staff I worked with. If you're good, a team player, and responsible, life at work can be good....

locolorenzo22, BSN, RN · Jul 22, 2008

I worked in a MI LTC center for 3.5 years as a activity director....and managed women twice my age...but I didn't want to put up with the bullstuff day in/out.

Just graduated from school this may, and started work last week....so it's been real...

the worst thing would be the problems you run into when patients know "better" than the staff what they need to fix their problems....the best is when you fix someone and they are ever so grateful...

also, I can count on one hand the number of times that I've had a female ask for a female nurse or tech...it just seems to happen that way. Such is life. Much more of a age/cultural thing...

plowboy911 · Jul 24, 2008

for me the worst part, having come from the corporate world where I felt I was treated mostly as a professional, is the lack of respect, being told what to do/when to do it, and generally being "thrown under the bus" at administration's whim. some people that have switched careers to nursing love it, some absolutely hate it. i recommend that you shadow as much as possible and talk to as many people as you can. nursing school is quite an investment of time, money, etc.